It’s all very nice and polite and very nicely balanced. But its just not overly exciting. I think at this price point we need more from Mount Gay. They need to get out of that comfort zone. A re-brand is all very nice but they must be looking at Foursquare. St Lucia Distillers, Worthy Park and even Plantation and thinking – we must spice things up. We need to change, innovate, maybe try some different finishes – up the ABV (this is 43%) and just offer something more exciting and more 2018. Blending has been elevated into an art form: a complex alchemy that sits between expert intuition and controlled expertise. Allen Smith is the master of this craft of blending at Mount Gay.

Mount Gay Rum | XO Mount Gay Rum | XO

Mt Gay I expect to do some really interesting things in the near future because they have just rebuilt and installed a classic Savalle column in their batch production area which gives them some flexibility for blending. They are also doing a lot more cane management so I expect some juice distillates to come onstream in the next few years. The ageing process is particularly unpredictable in the tropical Caribbean climate, and at Mount Gay, we prefer to talk about maturing. In two or three years, our rums can reach the same level of maturity as an eau-de-vie aged for two or three times as long in a temperate climate. Flavour: Slightly sweet and smoky. It is very mild and does not burn on the palate at all. I could detect vanilla, spices (cloves, nutmeg), coconut, butterscotch, cocoa and a slight woodiness. Today, Mount Gay rums are matured in lightly charred American oak barrels that have previously been used to age American whiskey.

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. This is the oldest (but newest edition to their line) of the Mt Gay line the youngest being Mount Gay Eclipse Silver, an older sibling of the Mount Gay Eclipse , and the former oldest Mount Gay Extra Old. The 18th century was a time of oceanic exploration, discovery and pirateering. Many told stories of reaching the islands of the Caribbean. Of blinding white sands and waters of emerald and sapphire. Since this is a brand that gets more distribution, I hope Malt readers looking for Malternatives will try some of these.

Mount Gay 1703 Master Select Rum - 2017 Release Mount Gay 1703 Master Select Rum - 2017 Release

It is very close. These are both very, very similar, but I think maybe I could tell them apart as this one was ever so slightly sweeter (but just barely). Otherwise, they are both about the same to me. Campbeltown Single Malt Whisky Highlands Single Malt Whisky Island Single Malt Whisky Islay Single Malt Whisky Lowland Single Malt Whisky Speyside Single Malt Whisky Blended Scotch Whisky Final Thoughts: Proof that rum can hold its own against other spirits as a respectable high end spirit. Lovely, complex but subtle, nuanced and a wonderful rum to sip and contemplate.

For over three hundred years, the distinct and pure character of Mount Gay rums has come from distillation in traditional column and copper pot stills. A ground-breaking distillation technique in 1703, this process has been in continuous use by Mount Gay ever since. Nose: Very intense, sweet and pleasant. It smells of vanilla, coconut, wood and a slight smokiness. Here it is, The RUM that invented RUM" is Mount Gay 1703. A premium Rum from a premium Rum maker that can lay claim to starting it all. Blended entirley from treasures of Mount Gay's prized reserves, each aged for 10 to 30 years, It is a master piece of perfect sumptuousness, nectar created by the oldest producer of refined rum in the world. Exceptionally luminescent, it presents a deep, rich bouqueut of oak, toffee and leather, seamlessly intertwined with mellow notes of ripe banana, candied fruits and soft spices, melting slowly into a smooth lingering finish.