About Pusser’s
Pusser’s Rum is an old-fashioned dark rum that is heavily rooted to the Royal British Navy since the early 1650s. Make no mistake — the Pusser’s Rum is an authentic Navy rum with the exact blend acquired from the British Admiralty. From Demerara River Valley’s sugarcane molasses, it was distilled using wooden pots through age-old techniques from more than 300 years ago.
History of the Pusser’s Rum
From the early 1650s to 1970, Great Britain’s Royal Navy had a famous tradition onboard the ships. The ship’s purser issues daily rations of rum (or tot) to the sailors. Later on, the Navy sailors called the ship’s purser colloquially as the “Pusser” — hence the namesake.
An American entrepreneur by the name of Charles Tobias asked to purchase the rights and blend information of the Pusser’s rum from the British Admiralty. Since then, he founded Pusser’s Rum Ltd. and painstakingly stuck to the traditional blend of the Navy’s “Pusser’s Rum”.
What is Pusser’s Rum made from?
To stick to the decades-old history, the Pusser’s Rum is made naturally from sugarcane molasses from Demerara River Valley or “The Valley of Navy Rum”. Its mahogany-colored liquor is a natural product blend of 5 stills in Guyana and Trinidad. After distillation, they are placed in charred oak bourbon barrels for at least 3 years.
Pusser’s Rum Ltd. is proud to be “the only rum blended in exact accordance with the Royal Navy specifications” since Black Tot Day.
Where can you buy Pusser’s Rum?
You can buy directly from their official website. Or you can also buy it from Totalwine, Bevmo and other liquor stores.
Pusser’s Rum Prices
The Forbes Magazine refers to the Pusser’s Rum as the “Single Malt of Rum”. Here are the award-winning rums of Pusser’s Rum:
| Item | Alcohol Content (ABV) | Size | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pusser’s Gunpowder Proof | 54.5% (109 proof) | 750ml | $43.00 |
| Pusser’s Gunpowder Proof Spiced | 54.5% (109 proof) | 750ml | $43.00 |
| Pusser’s Rum Blue Label | 42% (84 proof) | 750ml | $27.99 |
| 1L | $44.99 | ||
| Pusser’s Aged 15 Years | 40% (80 proof) | 700ml | $89.99 |
| Pusser’s Select Aged 151 | 75.5% (151 proof) | 750ml | $52.00 |
| 50th Anniversary Black Tot Day Blend (Limited Edition) | 47% (94 proof) | 750ml | $28.00 |
Buying Guide
Nose: Pungent molasses, treacle, toffee, honey, and vanilla with oak, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger
Body: Full-bodied with a more enhanced flavour profile than Blue Label
Finish: Long finish, and despite its strength, smooth and mellow
This is the all-natural rum, free from artificial flavoring and coloring, that the British Navy enjoyed traditionally for decades. It was awarded Gold and Best Dark Rum of the Year during the 2021 International Spirits Awards.
Trivia: Why is it called ‘Gunpowder Proof’?
Back in the day when tots were issued, the sailors wanted to make sure that the rum wasn’t diluted or over-proofed — just the right strength at 54.5% abv. So, the ship’s purser demonstrates the correct strength through a gunpowder test. Adding a little bit of gunpowder to the rum should produce a steady blue flame when lit. Otherwise, the ship’s purser would be in trouble. Because if it didn’t ignite, it’s diluted. And if the gunpowder simply flashed, it’s over-proofed.
When you publish, this should be in quotes because it’s copied exactly from Pusser’s Rum’s website product page
Nose: Molasses, Banana, Chocolate, Vanilla, Cinnamon and mild ginger
Body: Full-bodied with a more enhanced flavour profile than the lower proof Blue Label
Finish: Long and extremely smooth finish despite its high alcohol content
This blend is produced after rum aficionados had a demand for a spiced-up version of the original British Navy’s rum. The process is still the same as Gunpowder Proof’s, only that a blend of spices (banana, chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger) was added. It earned an award from the 2021 World Rum Awards as the World’s Best Contemporary & Botanical Spiced Rum.
Nose: Classic Demerara sugar, molasses, dried fruits, island spices, and caramel
Body: Full, round and perfect for cocktails
Finish: Long finish with a mild spicy burn
In naval bases, they only serve alcohols with a maximum of 40% abv. Thus, the company created the Blue Label whose blend is exactly the same as Pusser’s Rum Gunpowder Proof but the alcohol strength was adjusted to 40% abv.
Nose: Classic Demerara Sugar, Molasses Dried Fruits, Island Spices and Caramel
Body: Full and round, ideal for sipping
Finish: Warm, Smooth, Long and Memorable
This Guyana blend of rum was aged for at least 15 years — the brand’s only aged expression. The Pusser’s Aged 15 Years was recently awarded Gold in the 2021 International Spirits Award and San Francisco World Spirits Competition. In 2020, it was also awarded Silver by the World Rum Awards.
Nose: Classic Demerara with marmalade, marzipan, cinnamon, and tobacco
Body: Full, very rounded with notes of syrup, spice, fruit, leather, dried sultanas, and soft oak
Finish: Warm, smooth, memorable, long finish
This blend of dark rum is produced at cask strength — meaning, it wasn’t diluted after it matured from storage. So, it’s an overproof blend at 75.5%. This rum is at least 3 years old and is especially chill-filtered to enhance flavor and texture. It was awarded Gold in the 2021 International Spirits Awards.
In honor of Black Tot Day, Pusser’s Rum released a limited edition to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the prized tradition of seafarers. This blend is a product of 5 stills — 3 in Guyana and 2 in Trinidad. Its characteristic natural flavor comes from the vintage Greenheart double wooden pot still used in distillation — the one that’s originally constructed at the Port Mourant Estate in 1732.
Rum Buying Guide
Rums are alcohols that were distilled from sugarcane products. Thus, it’s popular in tropical areas like the Caribbean islands where sugarcane is easily cultivated. Pusser’s Rum, dark rums distilled from molasses, is just one of the few types of rums that you can buy.
To make sure you get the best rum for you, here’s a buying guide to learn more.
Typically, rums are between 1 to 3 years old. The darker the color, the older the rum.
Light rums are the shortest in the aging process — from between 6 months up to 1 year. They are usually called white or silver rum because they are filtered after the aging process to remove color. They are characterized by a sweet taste and little flavoring.
Dark or black rums (like Pusser’s Rum) are aged between 1 to 3 years in charred oak barrels. Colors aren’t removed. Instead, some even add caramel to darken the color even more. They have a stronger flavor and are commonly used in cooking.
The mildly aged rums are categorized as amber rums (sometimes also called gold rums). They are more flavorful than light rums but smoother than dark rums.
If you prefer more flavor on your rum, then flavored rums are more of your taste. Fruity flavors are usually added to the generally sweet taste of light rums of less than 80 proof. Some typical infused flavors are banana, orange, lime, mango, peach, and pineapple.
Spiced rums also have a different category. Natural herbs like ginger, cinnamon, and cloves are added to taste dark or black rums.
When light, amber, and dark rums are blended, they create a more complex and consistent quality of blended rums.
When rums are aged in oak barrels, part of the liquid is lost through evaporation. This is commonly referred to as the “angel’s share”. This evaporation process leads to more concentrated, more flavorful rums. For blended rums, newer rums are added to older rums and are left to age again in oak barrels. Blended rums are over-proofed to more than 100. This will further mature the rum to exude more complex flavors.
Best Cocktails To Go With Pusser’s Rum
You can never go wrong with Grog — a classic cocktail that mixes Pusser’s Rum with lime juice and brown cane sugar. In fact, it was named after Admiral Vernon who sailors nicknamed ‘Grog’ after his favorite grogram cloak he always wore.
During his time, he was worried that rum taken neat made the men too rowdy. So he released an Order wherein sailors must drink their tots in half-pint rum with 1-quart water. And that it must be drunk in the presence of the Lieutenant of the Watch. As an incentive to good husbanders, they were given extra lime juice and sugar.
If you fancy an award-winning cocktail, try Pusser’s Painkiller — it won Bronze in the 2020 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. It’s a mixture of pineapple juice, orange juice, coconut cream, and grated nutmeg with Pusser’s Rum.
3 Best Things to Mix with Pusser’s Rum
- Ice: In other words, just take Pusser’s Rum on the rocks. Like the traditional way which the Navy sailors took it.
- Coke: The most popular choice to mix with Pusser’s rum is Coke. Others said the dark rum makes the coke taste better, compared to other liquors like vodka. It tastes best when mixed with Gunproof Powder Spiced and the Blue Label.
- Lemonade: Pusser’s Rum also tastes well when mixed with fresh lemonade. This simple mixture is already a cocktail itself — called the Boston Rum Punch (originating back in the 1700s).
FAQs
Alternatives to Pusser’s Rum
Here’s a short list of similar navy rums that are also produced from the British Virgin Islands:
- Plantation Old Fashioned Traditional Dark Overproof Rum ($28/750 mL)
- Gunroom Navy Rum ($55/750 mL)
- Black Tot Last Consignment British Royal Navy Rum ($1,003/750 mL)
- Wood’s Old Navy Rum ($33/750 mL)
- Skipper Demerara Rum ($27/750 mL)