Rough seas apparently make for smooth rum.

Gosling Brothers Limited has introduced the wine and spirit merchant’s first ocean-aged rum – Spirited Seas.

The experimental rum was aged across the Atlantic Ocean and celebrates ocean adventures and the company’s origins on the island, it said.

Gosling’s, which has been ageing and blending rum since 1806, in 2020 sent 60 once-used bourbon barrels filled with a proprietary blend of aged dark Bermuda rum on board the Oleander, the container ship that makes the return trip weekly to the island from New Jersey.

For more than 40 weeks, and covering a total of 59,920 miles, the rum interacted with the charred American white oak over every wave aboard the vessel, extracting all the barrel’s flavour.

Malcolm Gosling Jr, vice president of Gosling's Export (Bermuda) Limited, said: “For the first time, we let go of the ageing process and let Mother Nature take the reins on the open ocean.

“The stormy seas and air had an extraordinary effect on the ageing rum blend. Extreme changes in weather forced the rum to expand in warmer climates and contract in colder temperatures.

“The result is an elegant and complex rum that will be a prized addition to any premium aged spirit collector’s shelf.”

The company said Spirited Seas offers subtle oak and allspice aromas and a palate with hints of stone fruit, caramel apple, and salted dark chocolate.

The finish is smooth, clean, and lingering with spiced dark oak.

Gosling’s recommends enjoying the 88 proof rum neat or mixed in a variety of classic cocktails – a twist on the old fashioned, an upgraded rum punch, or a winter warmer like hot buttered rum.

Spirited Seas is intended to be a permanent addition to the portfolio and the second release from Gosling’s this year, following the limited edition Black Seal Rum Artist Edition bottle showcasing label artwork in collaboration with Bermudian- based artists Nhuri Bashir and Domico Watson.

www.goslingslimited.com