Notes: Distillery founded in 1703. Fermented in oak vats (many distilleries now use stainless steel) using using water filtered through the islands coral geology (limestone aquifer) from of a  almost 250 ft deep well. A blend of rums, some of the blend is double distilled in copper pot stills and other parts distilled in a copper Coffey column still (a Coffey still is usually used for Irish whiskey) – then aged in ex bourbon oak casks for various periods of time then blended to profile for each Mount Gay product so proportions of each distillate and the ages of each component may vary widely but it tastes the same. An analogy would be the blending of blended Scotch- the component spirits may differ widely from year to year but the customer always gets the same taste. Oldest of the Mt Gay line the youngest being Mount Gay Eclipse Silver and it’s older sibling of the Mount Gay Eclipse.

Appearance: Dark baltic amber red/gold,burnished bronze. Sparkling clear with no hazing separation or floating sediments. Long legs and crenellated edges develop on swirling.

First Impression: Slightly sweetish, caramelized molasses, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, allspice, spice and flowers, buttery nuts (macadamia, hazelnuts etc.). A bit spirity, alcohol fumes.

Taste: Spicy, paradoxically sweetish and drying entry, some citrus, dried fruits and flower notes ,walnuts, persimmons, medium to heavy bodied. Lovely oak peeper and vanilla notes intermixed ginger, leather and tobacco. Nice drying finish to it. Finish is medium-long with a spicy dry tingling to the lips.

Drinks: Works well for the classic older style (read non-umbrella) drinks.A drier alternative to many other anejo rums out there (particularly the Venezuelan or Guatemalan).

Cigars: A better cigar is called for here- like a Avo, or Davidoff, natural wrapper.

Bottle/Packaging: Slightly different than the other Mount Gay bottles: it’s a bit wider and shorter.The heavy clear glass bottle with decanter style base flask shaped with rounded shoulders and straight neck resembles a single barrel bourbon bottle. Front of bottle has embossed “SINCE 1703” and a coat of arms. Paper label with drawing of Barbados and multicolored lettering also add to the antique feel. Black neck foil with red lettering , and a real cork closure complete the package and gives it a nicer more premium feel. Clear glass shows off the color of the rum nicely.

Final Thoughts: A very nice example of a West Indies rum – dry, full bodied, complex. A much more heavy and flavorful rum than it’s younger siblings. If you have to chose between the Eclipse and this one, pay the extra money- it’s worth it!

Web site:http://www.mtgayrum.com

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