I still look upon that trip to Astor Wines like Sisyphus looked at the top of the hill. Every time work ends and it’s just a few subway stops to get to it… I am just so not in the mood to go anywhere other than home.

However, it being summer, I have taken a few trips out into Pennsylvania, and every grocery store has a Fine Wine & Good Spirits attached to it. So, I popped in, and they had Pusser’s British Navy Rum. I’d never heard of it, but it was from Guyana (I’ve been meaning to try a rum from Guyana at some point) and it was (and actually still is) on sale for $23, so I figured that I gotta give it a shot!

Review

Smell

It has an absolutely incredible bouquet, somewhat resembling the overripe banana of jamaican funk, but also with bold notes of vanilla, molasses, cinnamon, and raisins, and smells very sweet, like a prune syrup.

Taste

It is extremely tasty. It tastes like I am drinking a sweet raisin liquer. It’s fruity and funky— not exactly like the typical Jamaican funk, as Pusser’s reminds me more of dried fruits, but it’s equally enjoyable. The taste lingers for a while and comes back on the exhale, similar to a good Jamaican pot still.

In a daiquiri, it is very interesting. It’s sweet and sour, and the deep, rich, raisiny funk adds a great complexity to the drink.

Mixed with coke, I just feel like this isn’t the place for it. As good as it is straight and in a cocktail, in coke, something just tastes off.

This wasn’t part of the experiment, but in the evening, I made myself a Mai Tai, and I realized that I had only enough Appleton for one drink. I made one and shared it with my family, and it was such a hit that everyone started asking me for Mai Tais. I was making Mai Tais all evening— using 3 parts Pusser’s and 1 part W&N OP, and I actually liked it even better. The complexity that it adds to cocktails is incredible.

Verdict 6.5/10

(Edited from 8/10 on 1/3/26)

I was super impressed by the complexity and feeling of sweetness that I got from this rum, and how well it carried cocktails. Not to mention, for its price, it’s competing among the cheapest rums from Appleton and Planteray. If Planteray 3 Stars is the workhorse one white rum that can do it all, this is the dark rum equivalent. I am not sure if I would sip on it in particular, since it kind of gives me digestif vibes, but if I ever make myself a tiki bar, this will definitely always be in it. 8/10.

January 3, 2026 Update:

Not much more to add, I am just amending the score down to a 6.5 to reflect my new scoring system. I tried it again when tasting gunpowder proof, and yeah, I think 6.5/10 is fair.