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

Product Information

Like the Eclipse the MGXO has Mount Gay Distilleries etched into the glass of the bottle, as pictured. What isn’t addressed is the proportions – based on the taste comparisons made by a number of talented tasters, the new MGXO does not stand up to the old. If mount gay ever got brave and added more boldness to the rum (larger amounts of ingredients per batch ) we could be looking at a perfect rum. I like the presentation of the MGXO and I also like the robust card sleeve which the rum is housed in.

This version has much more robust fruit flavors that are instead augmented by earthier flavors that create a lighter flavor profile. The master blender at Mount Gay is in the shape of Allen Smith who has been with the distillery over 20 years. Whilst an ice cube wasn’t necessary due to the smoothness of the spirit I found it opened it up a little. The rum is blended to 43% ABV using water from the estate’s well and bottled on the island for distribution.

Darnely DaCosta Ward, Aubrey’s son, continued the business until his death in 1989, at which point Rémy Cointreau bought up the majority interest. The Black Barrel expression, a mix of pot and column distillates, spends time in repurposed bourbon barrels as well. 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.

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. One of the first rums I was aware she had changed was Mount Gay XO, and I was curious to see how well it held up to the original blend that was such an essential part of my rum foundation.The company produces a variety of rums, including Mount Gay Eclipse, Mount Gay Extra Old, Mount Gay XO, and Mount Gay Black Barrel. Raisin, prunes and currants with a little banana and some tropical fruits a little pineapple perhaps. I trust I will gain an even higher appreciation for this rum after sampling more rums of similar quality. Swirling the glass creates a thin band that slowly thickens and releases a single round of slow moving legs.

Before publishing reviews on staples such as Appleton Reserve (8 Year Old) and R L Seale’s 10 Year Old I felt I had to have a good feel for those kind of rum’s. It has been suggested the quality of this rum has diminished over the years due to the competitive nature of the rum market and the aggressive advertisting used by Diageo and the huge tax subsidies afforded to the likes of Diageo. During 2014, we saw the company get purchased by Remy Cointreau, and many people wondered how the brand would change. While an enjoyable sipper, this new incarnation of XO is a very different experience that demonstrates the creativity and skills of the blender in how they created this product with roughly the same components of the original rum.Each cask will be different and the skill in making rum “uniform” comes in the shape of the master blender. 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. This 'extra old' rum is made by Mount Gay Distillery, in Barbados, from a blend of rums that have been aged for up to 17 years. Fruits, caramel, woods and cocoa linger a bit longer after all, with three toast crumbs remaining at the end.

It's characters of the bourbon barrel are very distinguished and give this rum 90% of its characters.

Great smell, complexity of taste, smoothness, all qualities I appreciate in a good (top of the line) rum. Whether you’re familiar with Mount Gay or not, here’s everything you need to know about a brand that’s been distilling rum for more than three centuries. Sipping the rum leads with strong notes of caramelized vanilla and robust fruit flavors of banana, grilled pineapple, red apple, apricots, and raisins. The rum from the distillery is full bodied and rich with classic notes of brown sugar, tropical fruit and a hint of chocolate. It has aromas of vanilla, spice and oak, flavours of salted caramel, dark chocolate and clove and a long, creamy finish.