With the 35th America’s Cup
taking place in Bermuda in 2017, what better sponsor partner for the event than the rum of the
sailors and the “Dark and Stormy”, Gosling’s Black Seal Rum. Castle Brands has secured 'official partner'
status with the America's Cup yachting series for the Gosling's rum and RTD
brands. Gosling’s Rum and Gosling’s
Stormy Ginger Beer will be the official rum and official ginger beer of the
35th America’s Cup in 2017, Castle Brands confirmed late last week. The series
of races kicks off later this month in Portsmouth in the UK, before concluding
in June 2017 in Bermuda.
The company will produce packaging for
Goslings Black Seal Rum and Gosling’s Stormy Ginger Beer that highlights the
tie-up
The history of Black Seal Rum® and the
Gosling family began long ago. Over the years Black Seal® Rum has become
synonymous with Bermuda. It is an essential ingredient in Bermuda fish chowder,
adds the island flavor to the Bermuda Rum Swizzle, and is the tempest in
Bermuda's favorite cocktail the Dark 'n Stormy®. In the spring of 1806 James Gosling, the
oldest son of William Gosling, wines and spirits merchant, set out from
Gravesend, Kent, England on the ship Mercury, with £10,000 sterling worth of
merchandise, bound for America.
After ninety-one desperate days on becalmed seas their charter ran out, and they put in at the nearest port, St. George’s, Bermuda. And the rest, as they say, is history. A delicious, deep, and dark history.
After ninety-one desperate days on becalmed seas their charter ran out, and they put in at the nearest port, St. George’s, Bermuda. And the rest, as they say, is history. A delicious, deep, and dark history.
James and his brother Ambrose rented a
shop on Front Street in the new capital of Hamilton for £25 a year. The
Goslings maintained a store at this location for 127 years. The firm, known as Gosling and Son, was
renamed Gosling Brothers. Three years later the first oak barrels of rum
distillate arrived in Bermuda. After much experimentation in the blending
process, the distinctive black rum destined to be Black Seal was formulated and
offered for sale.
They didn’t call it Black Seal at first,
in fact up until the First World War it was sold from the barrel, and folks
brought in bottles for a fill up of “Old Rum”, so called because of its
distinctive smoothness. Eventually the
black rum was sold in champagne bottles, reclaimed from the British Officer’s
Mess, and the corks sealed with black sealing wax. Pretty soon people began to
ask for the “Black Seal”. Many years later a play on words and images gave
birth to the little, barrel juggling “Black Seal”.
Nancy Gosling, President and CEO of
Gosling Brothers Limited explains: “We are very proud of reaching 200 years as
a family business in Bermuda, and it is imperative that we recognize all those
who have helped to make that possible.”
It sums up by saying, “For 200 years now, this most special island has
been our home. We want to thank all of you–young and old–for making it
possible. Yes, we’ve seen a lot of changes here, but we’ve seen a lot of
preservation, too. Because when you have
something unique, something remarkable, why mess with it? That’s been our philosophy for seven stubborn
generations.”
