Mount Gay is located in the north of the island, in the parish of St Lucy, on a mount which used to be called Mount Gilboa and was renamed Mount Gay in honor to our namesake Sir John Gay Alleyne, and is the oldest of the four distilleries still in operation in Barbados. That is where the Master Blender, Allen Smith (note: Trudiann Branker is the Master Blender since March 2019 ), blends rums distilled in pot stills with rums distilled in column stills. It is there that for his latest creation (Mount Gay Black Barrel), he used bourbon barrels which have undergone a process of deep charring (black barrel), to extract more toasted aromas.
Nose: The first wave of sugar cane quickly leaves room for guava paste and the silky scents of passiflora (flower of the passion fruit), then to the spicier scent of cinnamon.
Palate: Initially floral, it moves towards bourbon vanilla, a minty freshness and the more coniferous aroma of the maritime pine. Cinnamon makes an unexpected reappearance on the length. Aging in deeply charred barrels plays a major role here.
Finish: The finish takes us through a banana grove, at a time when the fruits are very ripe. Notes of ginger are also present.