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. The finish has has some nice charred oak notes and ginger-like spices. There's an underlying sweetness to the taste which strikes a great balance with the earthy spices. The finish is quite long. Mount Gay rum has won numerous awards over the years, including the prestigious Grand Prix d'Honneur at the International Rum Conference. 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.

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. Unfortunately Mount Gay has fallen to the massive, multi-billion dollar subsidies given to Diageo, Fortune and Bacardi and the company has been sold in pieces. Mount Gay now jobs out their distilling to others – this is sure death to continuity and control. 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. Mount Gay Extra Old or XO as they seem to have re-branded it. For those in the know Mount Gay Extra Old is often known as MGXO. The XO notation on the Mount Gay is pretty standard across the rum and spirits industry to denote an aged spirit (without actually noting how old it is!).

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. 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.

As the Mount Gay Distillery is the oldest official distillery in the world established 1703 as the label denotes, I don’t think we need to worry too much about the heritage and authenticity of the contents of this Extra Old rum. 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. 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).A perfectly balanced, harmonious rum that is a joy to drink. But could be a little more intense and profound. For lovers of "pure" rum, connoisseurs and all who have joy in life. However, in my scoring I found personally found a little extra something in the Captain Bligh XO (not even a Bajan but very similar in style). Still MGXO come’s very highly recommended. It is a beautiful well balanced classic rum. The nose is very fruity. Raisin, prunes and currants with a little banana and some tropical fruits a little pineapple perhaps."