Black Tot Rum will host a 24-hour Facebook live event to celebrate the glorious world of Caribbean Rum on 31st July – the day that marks 50 years since the Navy were given their last rum ration.
Beginning at 10am (BST) on 31st July and hosted by Mitch Wilson, Black Tot Brand Ambassador and Dawn Davies, Head Buyer and rum expert at The Whisky Exchange, the event will include live rum tastings from Black Tot as well as a host of other rum brands.
Some of the world’s best bartenders will share their favourite Black Tot cocktails and there will be interviews and debates with rum royalty including Black Tot creator Oliver Chilton, author of ‘Rum: The Manual’ Dave Broom and representatives from other famous rum brands, including Joy Spence (Appleton Estate), Luca Gargano (Velier), Maggie Campbell (Privateer), Steve Magarry (Beenleigh Distillery) and Margaret Monplaisir (St Lucia Distillers).
Taste along
Rum lovers will be able to join in with the live tastings by purchasing rum tasting packs from The Whisky Exchange in advance to join Mitch, Dawn and their guests on an exploration on blended Caribbean rums.
Sessions will include ‘The Pillars of Navy Rum’ – a look at rums from the different Caribbean Islands that would have made up the final Navy Rum Blend, ‘Tropical vs Continental ageing’ – exploring the different results achieved when ageing rum in different locations, and ‘The Evolution of Dock Rums’ – a dive into the independent bottlers who bring exotic Caribbean rum to the rest of the globe.
The schedule for the session can be found on the Black Tot Facebook event page, here , while a brand new website, launching in mid-July, will provide even more insight into the world of blended Navy Rum.
Win a month’s rum rations:
Fans will also be in with a chance of winnings a month’s supply of rum rations (that’s three bottles of Black Tot Finest Carribean) via a social media (instagram and facebook) competition which will run throughout the month of July.
To celebrate the community spirit that the rum world embodies, entrants will need to share a video or photo of them celebrating rum with family or friends while reciting the ‘Tall Ships Toast’ – a toast that dates back over 400 years, celebrating rum and friendship near and far – with hashtag #BlackTotToast. More details on the competition will be shared via the @BlackTotRum Instagram and Facebook accounts throughout July.
Originally found painted outside an old distillery in Ireland, the ‘Tall Ships Toast’ goes as follows: There are tall ships, And there are small ships, And there are ships that sail the sea, But the best ships, Are friendships, So here’s to you and me!
50th anniversary gifts
The Black Tot team has also hidden secret ration cards in the gift tubes that come with bottles of Black Tot Finest Caribbean Rum which will be let loose into the world from the beginning of July. Those lucky enough to find a ration card when purchasing a bottle of Black Tot Finest Caribbean will be able to visit the new Black Tot website [link] from the 31st July 2020 to redeem the card against a special 50th anniversary Black Tot gift.
Make the 50th anniversary cocktail at home
The event will celebrate all things rums – and that includes its excellent cocktail potential. To mark the 50th Anniversary, Black Tot Brand Ambassador Mitch Wilson has created The Golden Tot – a rich celebration of Black Tot Finest Caribbean Rum, with tropical fruits and spices. Tall, refreshing, and perfect for summer, we invite you all to join us in raising a glass to commemorate this Golden Anniversary of Navy Rum history.”