Review
208
4/4/14
Mount
Gay Extra Old Rum: 43% abv
Background: KCM has done multiple reviews on Mount Gay
Rum, a Barbados distillery which tends to produce great value-per-dollar rums
for the masses. Although Mount Gay Eclipse isn’t your sipping rum, the brand is
still reputable. So what happens when you go up in the range? Mount Gay Extra
Old is the middle range rum that offers a little bit more quality for a few
more dollars. Interestingly, Mount Gay is a double pot still distilled rum,
aged in ex-American whiskey white oak barrels. The Extra Old, in particular, is
a blend of 8 to 15 year old rums. Extra Old is proofed modestly, as most rums
are, but it is a slight improvement from the standard offering. Let’s look at
if this premium bottle warrants a premium price.
Straight
Nose: The
nose shows off a more clearly balanced rum aroma than you would find in other
bottlings. A mixture of fragrant floral notes, strong maple, and a prevalent
molasses make this a beautiful nose. Vanilla bean and banana also add mellow
soft notes to the scent. There is a light spiciness to the rum, but it is
mostly lost to the sweetness. Ripe apple, strawberry, and a slight pomegranate
all add to the complexity of the nose, which continues to be a very pleasant
experience.
Arrival: The arrival struggles to pull out a lot of
flavor. The molasses comes out strong the arrival, with a small hint of caramel
and apple as well. The arrival contains slight spiciness, and a little bit of
oakiness, but fails to make it noticeable. There is also a little bit of cookie
dough flavor in the arrival as well.
Body: The
body really takes on notes of apple and caramel, as well as vanilla and doses
of cinnamon and nutmeg. The spice blend in the body is very intriguing and
enjoyable, coupled with a nice, balanced sweetness. This is where this rum
truly becomes enjoyable. The confectionary notes from the arrival carry into
the body as well.
Finish: The
age in the rum starts to show a little more in the finish, with ripe fruit
notes, thick oak flavor, and a complex balance. The ripe banana comes through
very heavy in the finish, with ginger and cardamom being immediately noticeable
as well. There is no shortage of vanilla, with a little bit of a confectionary
flavor as well. The finish provides a slightly sugarcane-like vegetal note,
contributing sweetness and slight bitterness.
Final Comments: This
is a fantastic statement by Mount Gay. It does balance the sweetness of a rum
with some subtle complexity you would hope for. I would speculate that an extra
3% would throw this over the top in terms of flavor, but it still does a great
job of differentiating the brand’s range. This is a great sipping rum, and for
the reasonable price it offers, we would encourage this one. That beings said,
it doesn’t offer all of the complexity we would want, but it doesn’t
necessarily need to. The biggest accolade this rum has is the level of balance
it has. Worth a try.
Why you’d buy it: This is
a good rum for a good price, and you’re looking for a sipper.
Why you wouldn’t: You are
severely anti-gay, and the thought of buying a gay rum makes your bible cringe.
Score: 9.0/10
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