How many of you consider Pusser's Blue and Red Label interchangeable, with only a minor difference in proof (the Blue at 84 proof; the red at 80 proof)? We sure did.
Not so.
I was running low on my dear Blue Label once again, and happened upon a 750 ml. bottle of the Red Label at just $14.95. Nice. I thought that, at worst, the slightly lower proof might just take a tiny bit of the Blue's edginess and alcohol prickle off, but little else.
Wrong again.
Although the Red Label shows some familial resemblence to the Blue, it is really a very different rum experience. The Blue Label is a real man's, no guff taken glass of explosive rich pleasure. The Red is like your sophisticated, soft-spoken uncle who teaches Cuban literature. Related as day is to night. But I digress. Sue Sea, as usual will speak first.
Sue Sea:
Although my tastes run to the Cuban style, I have complete respect for Pusser's Blue Label, a true and real rum. Like the Blue, the Red Label rum is delivered in Pusser's traditional, short and wide-shouldered heavy bottle. It is labeled "British Navy Pusser's Rum" in gold leaf on a bright red outlined in deep blue and gold, with a hunky globular gold headed cork. Strong and serious, just like the Blue I thought.
From the pour the difference was clear.
Unlike the rich, slight cloudy amber of the Blue, the Red was a lustrous clear and brilliant gold! Lovely. In truth, the Red is lighter all the way through. Unlike the Blue, the Red presents a light and sophisticated honey sweet aroma, very easy on the nose. It presented more like my favorite Cuban Rum San Pablo in that regard.
Just under that I found a little oak and a bit of reed, over a deep, bitey celery/leather. With airing a high vanilla became apparent. Smooth as silk, the Red Label can be approached quickly and deeply without regret.
The Red Label opened with a lovely sweet honey - smooth and creamy - and continued in this manner until the end, when things heated up. There was a sense of underlying cinnamon - which can be slightly bitter - but that was balanced perfectly with the honey sweetness, making the experience pleasant. A perfect marriage
The finish was a lovely, medium hot white pepper over a cigar box, with both lingering in the aftertaste. All in the all, Pusser's Red Label is a terrific Cuban style rum, with a light and sophisticated marriage of sweet with peppery heat. It's smooth opening and transition to a warm and lasting finish was memorable.
I'd suggest Pusser's Red Label would be wonderful at a cocktail party with appetizers.
Me:
I won't soon forget my first experience with Pusser's Red Label. I'd run out of Blue, and considered this a near replacement for a go-to rum that I drink often. From the very first dram I poured casually (not for a tasting), I knew that Red Label was lighter, sweeter and very different.
Our tasting made this clear.
Pusser's Red Label is a brilliant, clear gold with medium legs growing from a pearl necklace. The aroma was light, with honey sweetness over a subtle background of sour leather, ginger and clove - akin to a castrated Blue Label. Unlike Blue, no particular care is needed.
This lighter Pusser's palate opens smooth and sweet and stays that way until the end, when a growing heat emerges for a prickly hot sweet finish and aftertaste. There was a bare hint of leather and cigar box astringency.
A fine Cuban style rum at a price that makes both the Red and Blue Labels must buys.
Rating (10 is best): Sue Sea - 8, Jim - 8.
Special Note: It is important to note that this tasting was done in conjunction with the Blue Label at hand (see review in Navy Rum or Jamaican section). It should be obvious to all that the Red Label is a very different rum. Although there is a familial resemblence, that's as far as it goes. Blue Label is rich, robust, explosive and Jamaican. Red Label is subtle, sweet and clearly Cuban in style. But I still needed to know whether the minor proof difference could possibly account for the significant difference.
It didn't.
As an experiment, we watered the Blue Label down, for certainly more than a 2% (4 proof) difference. Although this did tone the Blue down a bit, its profile remained, different and apart from the Red Label.