Black Tot Last Consignment Rum Review [In Depth]
Black Tot Last Consignment
by: ALEX WANG
Founder, writer
Founder, writer
Black Tot Last Consignment Rum Details
Distillery: Black Tot (sourced from all over the world)
Type & Region: Rum, the world
Alcohol: 54.3%
Composition: Who the hell knows, definitely molasses, but could have other types of rums
Aged: Who the hell knows
Color: 1.9/2.0 on the color scale (brown sherry)
Price: $1000
From the company website:
Black Tot Last Consignment is a piece of liquid history. It was bottled from antique stone flagons containing the last stocks of Royal Navy Rum which laid untouched for over four decades. The naval blend of rums such as this one had continually evolved for over 100 years, with much of it coming from distilleries long since lost.
Black Tot Last Consignment Rum overview
I’ll get this out of the way first – Black Tot Last Consignment is a ridiculous rum with an equally ridiculous $800-1200 price tag (depending on where you shop). If you’re reading this review, you may have an idea as to why. I admit, I’m also ridiculous for buying and reviewing this, but this is something that I really wanted to try and I was able to finagle getting an acceptable “deal” at $850 after tax, which is by and far the most expensive bottle of booze I’ve ever purchased. The 2nd is…maybe a 1994 Wild Turkey 12 Year for $380 or something.
I’ll provide links to where you can get more information (because it seems to complicated in some parts), but I’ll give you the shorter-ish version. For hundreds of years, Navy sailors in the British Commonwealth (formally or informally) received rum rations as part of their daily living. Since the British had control or influence over many Caribbean islands, where rum was produced, they sourced rum from all over, be it Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad, Guyana, and other places, and mixed it all together for sailors to consume. It’s like a rum infinity blend done over decades.
In 1970, that all ended, and those containers of rum, called flagons, were stashed away for decades, rarely consumed after that. Then there’s a bunch of other events that eventually led to some / all the flagons being sold to the owner of The Whiskey Exchange, who also is heavily involved with Black Tot. So, some of these flagons were mixed together (and maybe lightly proofed?) to create Black Tot Last Consignment. That likely means that there’s rum from the 1800s in the blend. That’s old school and super dusty.
I’m reviewing this in 2023, which means that the rum in this bottle was stashed away for over 50 years, either in flagon or bottle! 1970 is a long time ago, and it’s crazy that a spirit like this is even on sale. I’m pretty sure no one today is bottling whiskey that was bottled / put into a container before the 70’s. I’m not talking about distilled in the 70’s, I’m talking about distilled and aged for years, and ready for consumption in 1970.
It’d be like Wild Turkey, Heaven Hill, or even Macallan releasing something in 2023 that was distilled in the 1950’s and bottled in 1970, and then waiting 50 years to sell it to the public. It’s not quite the exact comparison, but it’s sort of like that. If this were bourbon or Scotch, I’m fairly certain that a 750ml bottle of that would command a few thousand at retail. This is more like a “dusty” or vintage bottle being put on sale.
This whole price thing brings up a thought – it doesn’t seem like there’s as big a willingness to pay huge sums for bottles of rum. I come from the whiskey world, and there’s a sort of “culture” around paying $1,000+ on bourbon. I’m not saying that most bottles command that price or that a lot of people do it (because most don’t), but there definitely are enough people out there who do / would for certain bottles on secondary / marked up at stores. I’m not saying that it’s right or wrong / good or bad, it’s just my observation.
Examples include older Old Fitzgeralds, BTAC, Pappy, King of Kentucky, and Old Forester Birthday Bourbon. Even those are distilled after 2000 at this point, not 1800s-1970. They’re babies compared to Black Tot Last Consignment.
That brings up another consideration – the origins of all the rums. The back label on the label writes “Distilled in Guyana, Jamaica, and Barbados”. Given that these blends / soleras probably contain hundreds of years of rum, it’s likely difficult to pinpoint all the sources of the rum. There probably are rums from other countries as well, so I’m curious why the label is that way.
There’s one important thing to note about the packaging and the bottle, because it initially confused the heck out of me. The bottle is initially sealed with a wine-like cork, so you need to open it with a corkscrew. After you do that, there should be a white envelope in the box that has the top you’ll use after opening it, which is the usual cork top. Once you put the top on, it doesn’t seem to fit in the box, which is a strange design.
Last thing to mention, this is so dark that it looks like a 30+ year old first-fill sherry-matured single malt scotch. It is borderline liquid darkness.
Let’s find out what this super old piece of rum history reveals in this Black Tot Last Consignment review.
As an FYI, I bought and use these Glencairn glasses for everything (they’re the best): Glencairn Crystal Whiskey Glass Set of 6, Set of 4, Set of 2, or just one. Full transparency, this is an affiliate link, so I may earn a commission if you buy this or something else from Amazon.
Black Tot Last Consignment Rum smell
Black Tot Last Consignment is absolutely mesmerizing with supremely dense blackberry preserves, ripe mango, and smoked honey baked ham (and I’ve probably lost half of you at this point), then dried dates, old oak, cinnamon, black licorice, toasted banana, dark chocolate syrup, maraschino cherries, dried ginseng, and underlying rubber and this grunginess…it might be teen spirit.
I take a few sniffs and already know that this is something completely foreign compared to today’s rums. It’s hugely dark-fruit forward with a dark and lightly smoky savoriness (hence the smoked ham) that smells a lot like 20-30 year old lightly peated sherry-matured Scotch.
To draw on a modern comparison, this is the more refined, developed, and dense version of Habitation Velier STCE 15 Year Rum.
Black Tot Last Consignment smells even better after swirling and rest with dense blackberries, ripe mango, dried dates, menthol, old oak, vanilla extract, black licorice, creme brulee, savory smoked ham, ash, dark chocolate, mint, charred banana leaves, and background dark grunginess.
I know the notes may sound ridiculous (and they may be), but this is one of those rums that has all this layer after layer of all these various notes, and I’m feebly attempting to describe it adequately. It’s so dark, dense, refined, defined, rich, and constantly evolving. The definition (I think people also call this “structure”) and richness are unmatched.
As fruit-forward as this is, there’s still an incredible herbalness and grunginess that really ties it all together into a complex, unique, and superb package that I can’t believe still exists. This is not a funk bomb, but there’s enough of it in the background that might come from the Jamaican rum.
Black Tot The Last Consignment is ridiculous.
Black Tot Last Consignment Rum taste and aftertaste
Black Tot Last Consignment is jam packed with dried blackberries and blueberries, dark chocolate, ripe mango, and dried dates followed by old oak, cinnamon, vanilla extract, black licorice, dried ginseng, vegetal banana leaf, mint, and this overarching dark ripeness and funky grunginess. There’s virtually no bite.
This is not a one-dimensionally sweet rum. It’s densely fruity, ripe, oaky, herbal, and earthy, all packaged together into a snow globe of constantly moving flavors. They’re incredibly dark at first, but there’s a brightness to the fruitiness, herbalness, and earthiness, and a wonderful richness, depth, definition, and complexity to everything. Everything is popping and it’s all jumping back and forth in my mouth in such a captivating way…it’s honestly so hard to capture in words.
One thing does surprise me – it’s not actually that viscous or oily. The viscosity is great, so it’s not actually an issue, but as sweet as it is, it doesn’t have a thicker, almost syrupy, viscosity. I may be wrong in thinking this might have it, but that’s what I’m thinking.
“Chewing” unleashes an explosion of blackberry preserve, ripe mango, and dried dates up front followed by old oak, creme brulee, black licorice, eucalyptus, roasted banana leaves, smoked ham, dried mushrooms, and this grungy and kind of rubber-like thing (vague I know).
Black Tot Last Consignment is super fruity with backing herbal, oaky, savory, and funky flavors that add a lot of interesting layers to uncover over time, and I’m such a sucker for the fruitiness. It helps that it’s all so rich, defined, and clear too, so no flabbiness to muddle the flavors. To the smoked ham and dried mushroom notes, there is a hint of peaty Laphroaig in the flavors. I don’t know what part of the blend brings that, but that subtle, savory, and mushroomy smokiness is there.
In some ways, this feels like a lightly peated 30 year old Scotch aged in first fill sherry, maybe something like Bruichladdich or a lightly peated Glendronach. I think a Scotch like this would also cost north of $800. I can see this being amazing for anyone who loves smoky Scotch, and not as fitting for those who don’t.
The heat is so well controlled, and that’s dangerous. As expensive as this is, someone could easily drink a lot of this given how subdued the heat is, although it’ll kick in at some point when you least expect it.
The finish starts with dark berry preserve, dried mangoes and dates, old oak, dried ginseng, black licorice, cinnamon, vanilla, dark chocolate, and mint. It’s surprisingly chocolate-y, minty, and fruity.
After “chewing”, I get blackberry preserve, ripe mango, dates, eucalyptus, old oak, vanilla, black licorice, banana leaves, and smoky ham. It’s a rich, long-lasting, and extremely pleasant aftertaste.
I can’t adequately capture this, so I’ll end this section by writing that this is the best spirit that I’ve ever tasted. It’s a one of a kind experience worthy of my undivided attention.
I’ve unfortunately lost some Glencairn’s while in transit, and that made me very sad. So, I wised up and bought this Glencairn Travel Case that comes also comes with 2 glasses so I don’t need to worry so much about them breaking. I think it’s great, and I think you’ll love it too.
Seriously, if you already have glasses, protect them.
Black Tot Last Consignment Rum Rating
I rarely mention points, just the “Shelf” rating, but Black Tot Last Consignment is a 98/100 point rum, the best aged spirit that I’ve ever drank, be it rum, whiskey, brandy, or anything else. It is an absolute masterpiece of blending over 100 years (some of it intentional and some of it just dumping whatever was available) that is just about everything I’ve ever wanted in an aged spirit.
Again, I write “aged spirit” because I can’t lump Tequila into this, even extra anejo Tequila with 3+ years (realistically 3-5) in oak. Blanco Tequila is not even in the same universe, so I’m really evaluating this against various whiskeys, brandies, and rums.
All the dark berries, dates, and mango immediately get my attention, and they are consistent traits across the scents and flavors. My adoration for those notes may have something to do with travels across Scotland and Spain, and my resulting imbibing in Scotch and sherry. Any spirit with wonderful fruitiness is going to usually score very highly with me, and Black Tot Last Consignment takes it to the pinnacle of greatness.
If I’m smelling or sipping, there’s a captivating back and forth between the fruit, herbal, oaky, and grungy / funky notes that keep revealing new things. Everything is clearly defined, rich, and perfectly integrated together. As long as this review is, I still struggle to fully capture the experience. This is not for every rum drinker, even if you can afford it. This has some of that rum funk and a peated Scotch-like quality, so keep that in mind. And you know what, some of the rums in the blend were probably dosed (not by Black Tot), but I don’t care.
I only have one exceedingly minor critique that’s virtually irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. I wish that the flavors were more viscous and oily. Black Tot Last Consignment is rich and full, but I would like a slightly rounder and more viscous mouthfeel. I wouldn’t quite say like a more syrupy type of viscosity, just more body and substance. It’s also not really oily at all, so more of that would be nice. Other than that, it’s more or less perfect for me.
Since this is a…crazy expensive bottle that you may never get the chance to drink, it’s only fair that I try to provide a suitable alternative. Thankfully, there sort of is one – Habitation Velier STCE 15 Year Rum, a “Top Shelf+” rum. Granted, it’s a very limited (few hundred bottles) and pricey (~$200) bottle so it’s not a remotely accessible alternative, but those dense dark fruit, mango, and dark / grungy / funky notes in the background are surprisingly similar.
If you happen to have one of the 15 years, just know that I consider it Black Tot Last Consignment Jr, moreso than the Black Tot Master Blender releases, which are also great.
And I get it, you can buy a lot of incredible rum for $800-1000. You could get two bottles of Foursquare Exceptional Series, a bottle of Hampden Great House, a bottle of Habitation Velier Single Cask something, something from Privateer, and still be give or take halfway to one bottle of Last Consignment. I get it, this is not great “value” and there are diminishing returns on how much you spend.
Black Tot Last Consignment is a luxury that is beyond accessible to virtually everyone, but dammit it has all these amazing bells and whistles that I believe justify the asking price…for some people. It’s an incredible piece of history that may never be repeated, and a near perfect rum I’m fortunate to own and enjoy.
Meet the Author: Alex
I have far too much fun writing about whiskey and singlehandedly running The Whiskey Shelf to bring you independent, honest, and useful reviews, comparisons, and more. I’m proudly Asian American and can speak Cantonese, Mandarin, and some Japanese.
There are no sponsors, no media companies, and no nonsense. Support The Whiskey Shelf by Buying Me A Shot.
Shattered glass really sucks, so if you’re on the move, this Glencairn-like stainless steel snifter glass should survive your travels. Full transparency, this is an Amazon affiliate link, so I may earn a commission if you buy this or something else from Amazon.
BrüMate NOS’R, Double-Wall Stainless Steel Whiskey Nosing Glass – 7oz (Matte Black)
