The Mount Gay estate was inherited in 1747 by his son, the ironically named, James Sober. During the latter part of the 18th century, both James and his son, Cumberbatch, spent a good deal of time in England, thus they were unable to properly regulate their property. Accordingly, Cumberbatch appointed his friend, Sir John Gay Alleyne, to control the estate. Sir John died in 1801 and Cumberbatch named the estate, Mount Gay, in his memory. The plantation remained with the Sober family until 1860. The Mount Gay plantation was acquired by the businessman Aubrey Ward in the early part of the 20th century. He expanded the company and marketed the product with his business partner, John Hutson. Mount Gay XO: Formally Mount Gay Extra Old, this rum contains selected casks that have aged for 8 to 15 years. Fermentation really begins when molasses and filtered water from Barbados are combined with yeast (selected exclusively for Mount Gay). Since the distillery opened in the 18th century, this process has been conducted outdoors, under the Barbados sky.

Mount Gay 1703 Old Cask Selection | Spirits Review

Compared to Jamaica for example, there are very few pure pot still rums from Barbados, and what little we have got comes all from the independent bottlers (with the deceased Mount Gilboa and the Mount Gay Origins as the only exceptions I am aware of). 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.Mount Gay Rum is made from molasses and water that has been filtered through natural coral. This mix is fermented using an exclusively selected yeast and then distilled in both copper pot stills and column stills, before being aged in oak barrels. They have four pots of two similar types, so definitely can produce different marques, but I strongly suspect the Barbados culture works against them for that – Barbados likes low ABV blended rum and traditional production has accommodated that. At Mt Gay they focus on consistency for export, and they also significantly reduce prior to ageing which will limit their ability to make higher ABV releases for a long time, though they do age the pot and column marques separately so can do pure still releases as the origin series showed. 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. 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 ] Contrary to popular belief the year 1703 is not the year Rum was first distilled on the island of Barbados. Mount Gay is often cited as the first Rum Distillery. It was the first legally recognised distillery but the noble spirit was produced much earlier than this date on Barbados.

Mount Gay 1703 Master Select | Rum Ratings Mount Gay 1703 Master Select | Rum Ratings

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. 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.

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Today, Mount Gay rums are matured in lightly charred American oak barrels that have previously been used to age American whiskey. Nose: Very intense, sweet and pleasant. It smells of vanilla, coconut, wood and a slight smokiness. 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. 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.

Things You Should Know About Mount Gay Rum | VinePair 9 Things You Should Know About Mount Gay Rum | VinePair

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] Mount Gay Rum Visitors Centre". Fodor's. 31 December 2008. Without question, Barbados is the "most British" island in the Caribbean. Staff (2007). "St. Nicholas Abbey". Archived from the original on 23 May 2007 . Retrieved 1 January 2010. Sir John Alleyne, as he later became, was a very close friend of John Sober. John Sober inherited Mount Gilboa Plantation/Distillery from his father William Sandiford in 1747, and upon doing so he appointed Sir John Gay Alleyne as the manager. Sir John did such a good job at managing the plantation that it was renamed Mount Gay in his honor after his death in 1801. Sipped the sweetness is dialled down a little. There is a nice spicy entry which is quite woody – ginger and a little hint towards a charred barrel and a little fire to the sweeter brown sugar and toffee notes. 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.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.

Mount Gay Rum | XO Mount Gay Rum | XO

Summary: This is a really excellent and smooth rum. It's kind of a smoother and more complex version of the Mount Gay XO rum. I'm not entirely sure the price difference between the two versions is entirely relevant, though. Nevertheless the Master Select is certainly better than the XO. I take half a point off for its current price. 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.

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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. The coconut notes are particularly good. Its not very spicy. There is interaction with the wood but it doesn’t seem to have developed beyond a little buttery spiciness. This is a light and sweet bajan style of rum which has a wonderful balance to it. Mount Gay’s current master distiller, Trudiann Branker, is the first woman to run things in the distillery’s history. A native Bajan, she studied Chemistry at Howard University in Washington, D.C., and also has an MBA. Following a five-year apprenticeship under Mount Gay’s previous master distiller, she took on her current role. The first special expression she’s been working on will debut in fall 2019. There are four main expressions.