Mount Gay Barbados Golden Rum, XO Triple Cask Blend, 70cl

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The initial taste is less watery, you get immediately the wood and the orange peels. The taste is also less spicy and more balanced. And the rest is the same story, tannins, some vanilla, The master blender at Mount Gay is in the shape of Allen Smith who has been with the distillery over 20 years. Again this adds a guarantee as to what you will get in the glass. The spirits world loves its superlatives, and Mount Gay can claim one of the most coveted. With a deed of sale for the original plantation dated Feb. 20, 1703, Mount Gay is the oldest continuously operating commercial rum producer in the world. The team at Mount Gay strongly suspects production was going on even earlier, and has recently uncovered a deed from 1654 that might seal the case. Today, Mount Gay produces the majority of Barbadian rum that is exported globally. Old Brigand is another locally popular brand, but it’s not nearly as exported. It was a Sober family affair for centuries. The new presentation of the Mount Gay Extra Old Cask Reserve Rum is in keeping with the Eclipse (Mount Gay’s entry level offerings). The bottle is slightly shorter and rounder. It also has a very nice cork stopper. Like the Eclipse the MGXO has Mount Gay Distilleries etched into the glass of the bottle, as pictured. One such variety in use is BT7782, which translates to bred in Barbados, selected for growth in Trinidad in 1977, and assigned the number 82 during research.

Ein perfekt ausgewogener, harmonisch ausbalancierter Rum der Freude macht. Könnte aber etwas intensiver und tiefgründiger sein. Für Liebhaber "purer" Rum, Geniesser und alle die Freude am Leben haben. The flagship of Bajan rum rightfully now passes to Seales and any of his offerings. This is not to say that the current MGXO is bad – it appears they are saving the honest, good old stuff for the 1703 which is perhaps the finest Bajan rum we have ever experienced, period. Light and soft on the palate. The triad of barrels creates its own symphony of flavors. Caramel drips in rhythm from lightly toasted wood on a toast topped with tropical fruit, a leather pouch of fine tobacco drones on, and a bar of chocolate hums along. Further experiences are guaranteed.

As part of the nosing (and tasting process) I also tried the R L Seale’s and Captain Bligh XO. Of the three rums I found Mount Gay to be in the middle in terms of fruit aroma’s. It was also in the middle in terms of oaked notes. Captain Bligh has a slightly more fruity sherried approach (much like Doorly’s XO). R L Seale’s more complex and woody to the nose with fruit only intermittently coming through. The Mount Gay estate was inherited in 1747 by his son, the ironically named, James Sober. During the latter part of the 18th century, both James and his son, Cumberbatch, spent a good deal of time in England, thus they were unable to properly regulate their property. Accordingly, Cumberbatch appointed his friend, Sir John Gay Alleyne, to control the estate. Sir John died in 1801 and Cumberbatch named the estate, Mount Gay, in his memory. The plantation remained with the Sober family until 1860. The Mount Gay plantation was acquired by the businessman Aubrey Ward in the early part of the 20th century. He expanded the company and marketed the product with his business partner, John Hutson.

Ich habe die beiden XOs gegen einander getrunken. In der Nase sind die beiden sich sehr ähnlich. Der alte XO ist etwas ausgewogener der Triple Cask hat etwas mehr süße und ist etwas kräftiger. Am Gaumen zeigt der Triple Cask angenehme Mount Gay typische Noten. Durchaus süß hat er deutliche Eichen Noten mit Karamel, Vanille und etwas Nuss. Im Gegensatz zum alten XO zeigt er etwas Frucht. Dafür fehlen aber die Röst und Rauch Aromen bzw. sind nur am Rande erkennbar. Finde ich etwas schade. Der Abgang ist sehr ähnlich, schön lang mit Tabak und viel Holz. Mount Gay co-ferments local and imported molasses. The proprietary yeast strain is based off a captured wild yeast, which Mount Gay’s team then bred for consistency. You’ll know a Mount Gay fan when you see them.In the nose discreet and somewhat shy. Like a softly sounding triangle, the scents rise from the glass. Harmonious wood tones and caramel notes float up together with tropical fruits and exotic flowers. Spices, citrus zest and something familiar can be found in this euphony. Tastewise I found the Mount Gay to be very nice and quite easy going despite the 43% ABV. Whilst an ice cube wasn’t necessary due to the smoothness of the spirit I found it opened it up a little. I also found leaving the rum on the radiator for a short while enhanced it (especially on a freezing English winter afternoon). The rum does have a slightly sherried taste with strong fruit flavours. It is spicy especially on the finish and a little bit short. It’s not quite as dry or oaky as R L Seale’s but it is close in terms of overall profile. I drank the two XOs against each other. In the nose, the two are very similar. The old XO is a bit more balanced, the Triple Cask has a bit more sweetness and is a bit stronger. On the palate, the Triple Cask shows pleasant Mount Gay typical notes. With a nice sweet note it has clear oak notes with caramel, vanilla and some nut. In contrast to the old XO, it shows some fruit. However, the roasting and smoke aromas are missing or are only recognizable on the margins. I think it's a pity. The finish is very similar, beautifully long with tobacco and lots of wood.

The Mount Gay XO Triple Cask is the direct successor to the XO Old Reserva. In contrast to the old XO, the new XO is not only stored in oak barrels, but also in American whisky and cognac barrels. The exact age is not known. At 43%, the XO is bottled in the classic Mount Gay bottle. The rum comes naturally from Barbados and is therefore without additives. Sipping the rum leads with strong notes of caramelized vanilla and robust fruit flavors of banana, grilled pineapple, red apple, apricots, and raisins. The smoky oak notes form an earthy foundation, but never dominate the flavor profile. These notes deliver a subtle hint of dark chocolate, a bit of tobacco leaf, toasted coconut, cinnamon, graphite, and cashews. As these flavors swirl and begin to fade, the fruit flavors drift and fade first, letting the oak tannins dance across the palate in a pleasantly long finish. Review The distillery currently features four different types of stills: small Spanish and Scottish pot stills, a Coffey column still, which was introduced in the 1970s, and the most recent addition, an Irish column still. Though the distillery’s first Coffey still only dates to the 1970s, other column designs were added to the mix around the time of American Prohibition. No matter what still is being used, all distillates are co-fermented (more on that right below). There’s something familiar in the air.Quiet and pleasant on the finish. Fruits, caramel, woods and cocoa linger a bit longer after all, with three toast crumbs remaining at the end. Mount Gay rum has won numerous awards over the years, including the prestigious Grand Prix d'Honneur at the International Rum Conference. In der Nase dezent und etwas scheu. Einer leise erklingenden Triangel gleich steigen die Düfte aus dem Glas. Harmonisch schweben Holztöne und Karamellnoten zusammen mit tropischen Früchten und exotischen Blumen empor. Gewürze, Zitruszesten und etwas Vertrautes sind in diesem Wohlklang zu finden.

From a geological perspective, Barbados is different from volcanically formed Caribbean islands. Barbados is actually the product of accumulated and uplifted coral limestone. That means the island has lots of underground water, a key element in what makes Mount Gay unique and why the British decided to focus sugarcane and rum production here in the 17th century. The distillery and plantation grounds are home to a centuries-old, 300-plus-foot well. The water drawn from this well is still used for the distillate and dilution. There’s a virtuous Caribbean circle.

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Sipped, the rum is medium bodied with a semidry, honeyed mouthfeel. The taste opens with buttery, dark chocolate, coconut and vanilla, before moving onto some more earthy notes of tobacco and leather in the mid palate. In the glass the rum exhibits itself to be a lot lighter than in the bottle. However it still shows to be a lot darker than the Eclipse. It is a nice dark reddish brown colour. Nicely aged. BTW, the term “XO” is perhaps one of the most abused and meaningless stamps every used. Like “premium” and “super premium” it is practically meaningless. Mount Gay never used age statements and didn’t have to for so many years. To be fair rogue rum’s age statements were never enforced and are mostly made up. Reporting color is another fool’s errand, as rum is widely and often heavily colored (and altered). The nose is very fruity. Raisin, prunes and currants with a little banana and some tropical fruits a little pineapple perhaps. There is good evidence of ageing on the nose with nice woody notes. There is still a very spirit like smell present but it is nothing in comparison to the Eclipse.