In the world of Caribbean rum, few releases stir collectors like Black Tot Master Blender’s Reserve. For 2025, London‑based Elixir Distillers has unveiled a limited‑edition navy‑style blend that draws from Guyana, Jamaica, Barbados, and a rare Caroni rum cask from Trinidad. Bottled at a robust 54.5% ABV and released in just 3,000 bottles, the Black Tot 2025 Master Blender’s Reserve pays homage to the brand’s naval heritage and the storied Black Tot Day of July 31, 1970, when the Royal Navy ended its centuries‑old daily rum ration.
London‑based Elixir Distillers—helmed by Sukhinder Singh, co‑founder of The Whisky Exchange—has been building on that legacy since 2010. This July, they unveil the latest chapter: Black Tot Master Blender’s Reserve 2025. The limited‑edition Caribbean blend, bottled at 54.5% ABV and priced at £145 (US$198), arrives in just 3,000 bottles worldwide.
Master Blender’s Reserve is a living thing. Each year’s release contains a “perpetual blend” that carries forward a portion of the previous year’s rum, folded into a new composition. For 2025, Oliver Chilton—Black Tot’s master blender—centered the blend around rich Guyanese rum, then layered in traditional navy components from Jamaica, Barbados, and Trinidad, including a single cask from the closed Caroni Distillery.
There’s also a rare inclusion: part of the original 50th Anniversary edition, released in 2020, which has since been maturing in an ex‑Sherry butt. The result is a rum that Chilton describes as “diverse, rich, heavy flavours in a very traditional, naval rum style… a nod to 2024 but also a tip of the hat to one of our originals.”
On the nose, the 2025 edition offers black liquorice, dark chocolate, and overripe banana. The palate moves through Valencia orange juice, anise, dry cinnamon, mint, and fennel, finishing with bright grapefruit and a soft thread of acacia honey.
Black Tot’s annual Master Blender’s Reserve is more than a collector’s release—it’s a piece of a story still being written. Since its inception, each bottling has contained a small measure of the rum from the “last consignment” of Royal Navy stock. For those who pour it, there’s a direct, sensory connection to a maritime tradition that ended 55 years ago.
Chilton says blending these rums is “a privilege” and a constant education. “With every iteration, we learn more about blending rum and how we can take inspiration from techniques from the past to create our future.”
In a spirits market chasing trends, Black Tot’s Master Blender’s Reserve moves at its own pace—one year, one layer, one tot at a time.
For more information on the Black Tot 2025 Master Blender’s Reserve Rum, head over to the brand’s official website.
