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

Product Information

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. 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. 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.

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. Presentation wise, Mount Gay have adopted a cleaner colour scheme. More in keeping with their more recent Limited Edition bottlings. This is a good move as the previous XO’s colour scheme, did look a little washed out. Almost like camouflage!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!). 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. Now for the review and this will be in two parts. First up I am going to review Mount Gay XO Triple Cask Blend on it’s own. With no comparisons to it’s predecessor. Then I am going to try it alongside a glass of my freshly opened Mount Gay XO non Triple Cask Blend. 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. 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.

P. J. T. (13 January 2013). "Mount Gay Rum now a household name". The Barbados Advocate. Archived from the original on 2 January 2014 . Retrieved 20 January 2013. G., M. (20 July 2007). "Mount Gay opens new blending facilities; Prime Minister lauds project". Barbados Advocate. Archived from the original on 14 December 2007 . Retrieved 3 March 2010. 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. Spirits of St. Lucy". Barbados Today. 17 January 2013. Archived from the original on 30 January 2013 . Retrieved 20 January 2013. {{ cite news}}: External link in |newspaper= ( help) 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).

Paul Senft

Mount Gay XO: Formally Mount Gay Extra Old, this rum contains selected casks that have aged for 8 to 15 years.

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?” 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. Mount Gay Rum is produced by Mount Gay Distilleries Ltd. of Barbados, the easternmost island of the West Indies. The oldest surviving deed for the company is from 1703, making Mount Gay Rum the world's oldest commercial rum distillery. [1] The current majority shareholder of Mount Gay Distilleries since 1989 is Rémy Cointreau. [2] [3] Mount Gay Rum is sold in 110 countries, [4] and its primary export market is the United States of America. [5] History [ edit ]That has definitely changed over the past 3-4 years as Mount Gay have upped their game and put out some very interesting limited edition releases. Such as a Cask Strength XO (I wonder if we see this as Cask Strength in the future?) and a Selected Blend bottling for The Whisky Exchange, amongst others. 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.