Nosing Mount Gay XO Triple Cask Blend, I am immediately reminded of just how nice the nose on MGXO always was. The signature coconut aromas burst out at you. There is nice fruity note on the nose as well as the coconut – a kind of rum and raisin like aroma going down. Mount Gay Rum Visitors Centre". Fodor's. 31 December 2008. Without question, Barbados is the "most British" island in the Caribbean. In the glass the spirit presents itself as rich dark brown with an orange hue. It’s a “traditional” dark spirits colour. Maybe a dash of E150 for consistency. Mount Gay do not do any other additives. 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.

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!). The distributors of Mount Gay rum are sponsors of the nonprofit United States Sailing Association. [14] They also sponsor over 110 regatta events worldwide, with approximately 50 of those based in the United States. Mount Gay gives away distinctive red hats to top competitors at its sponsored regattas. 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. Howard, Randy (19 July 2007). "Mount Gay doubles sales in US market". Barbados Advocate. Archived from the original on 14 December 2007 . Retrieved 3 March 2010. OVER 65 visitors were in Barbados (17–21 February 2010) enjoying a welcomed break from their cold countries thanks to Remy Cointreau, the parent company of Mount Gay Rum. This “new” Mount Gay XO is pretty impressive I must say. However, maybe the question on everyone’s lips is “Is it better than the Old Mount Gay XO?”Mount Gay Eclipse: An aged rum developed in 1911 and named for the total solar eclipse and the passage of Halley's comet in 1910. The company throughout the 20th century was in the hands of the Ward family in the parish of St. Peter. The Ward family resides in the northernmost parish of St. Lucy, where they have extensive agricultural holdings. The last Ward family member to managed the distillery was Frank Ward, who also the Executive Chairman of the West Indies Rum and Spirits Producers Association.

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. Please, nobody tell Appleton, but their 12 year was better than Mount Gay XO all along, and looks like an even better bargain now.The little red star on the image of the island on Mount Gay Rum's former bottle label represents the capital of Barbados, Bridgetown, not the location of the distilleries, which are actually in the northern part of the island. [8] [9] In the Bridgetown area, Mount Gay maintains the Mount Gay Rum Visitors Centre on the Spring Garden Highway in Brandons, St. Michael. [10] [11] The Mount Gay Visitor's Center is a tourist attraction that hosts several tours and events. [12] Sounds good, but how do the new bottlings fare? Let’s taste (including a comparison against a 2008 vintage bottle of Mount Gay Extra Old). Records the default button state of the corresponding category & the status of CCPA. It works only in coordination with the primary cookie. If you are a hardcore regular Mount Gay XO drinker then the differences may seem more dramatic. For me the rums are still pretty similar. Overall in terms of profile length and delivery, they are pretty similar both start sweet and have a fairly spicy and dry mid palate which leads to a long dry woody finish.

Mount Gay Distilleries has released several limited edition rums over the course of their history to honor their nautical heritage or commemorate important occasions in the history of Barbados. [7] Visitors Centre in Parish of St. MichaelIn the glass the re is no discernible difference between the rums. They could be switched around quite easily and I wouldn’t have noticed. They are your standard aged spirit colour. In many ways the rums are very similar and very typically Mount Gay. The “old” Mount Gay is perhaps more “clean and crisp” where the “new” bottling is just a tiny bit richer and every so slightly sweeter.

y solid rum, one which does sometimes fly under people’s radars. It is easily as good as R L Seale’s 10 Year and Doorly’s XO and to be fair thats not bad company to be in now is it? Staff writer (20 July 2007). "EU Rum Project finances Distillery blending and ageing facilities in Barbados". Barbados Advocate. Archived from the original on 14 December 2007 . Retrieved 3 March 2010. I would say that this is a tiny bit “better” (or more to my tastes) than the previous Mount Gay XO. That said and as I’m sitting here really enjoying it – I’m not sure if it’s worth an extra point. Perhaps one of the most iconic rums in the world MGXO for short, has been a constant and readily available companion for the Barbados rum lover since it’s launch in 1992.I like the presentation of the MGXO and I also like the robust card sleeve which the rum is housed in. It isn’t cheap and flimsy and gives some nice information regarding the heritage of MGXO. Things like cork stoppers and cardboard sleeves may seem slightly superfluous but sometimes they can be very important when deciding which rum to take to the counter and buy. Sipped, the rum is much drier than the nose suggested. I have always found Mount Gay XO to be quite a dry, oak driven spirit. This has not changed. Then entry has nice sweet hit of coconut, dark chocolate and vanilla. A little toffee as well. 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.