The northern tip of Barbados, summer 2018. The cane on Mount Gay Estate in St Lucy stands heavy, and harvest only starts at the end of July, later than usual. One season, one estate, two distillations and five years in cask. It added up to 5,418 bottles.
Expert description
Mount Gay Single Estate Series 2024 is a Barbados Rum matured for five years in ex-bourbon casks of American oak and bottled at 55%.
This is the second release in the Single Estate Series, and the first one built on a single harvest year. The debut was a blend of 2016 and 2017. Here every drop comes from 2018 cane grown on the distillery's own land in St Lucy, land Mount Gay bought in 2015. That purchase is what the whole series rests on: a rum house controlling everything from field to bottle. Master Blender Trudiann Branker is behind the blend.
The rum is made from 100% molasses from cane grown on the estate. The 2018 harvest gave 1,695 tons of cane and 136 tons of molasses, with a sugar content of 72%. Distillation is 100% pot still, on pot stills no. 82 and 83, and two separate distillations were blended. After that the rum rested five years in ex-bourbon casks of American oak. Barbados is hot, and maturation runs faster there than in cooler climates, so five years tastes like more than the number suggests.
It is non-chill filtered and has no added colour. The packaging is worth a mention too: the bottle is made from over 70% recycled glass, and the gift box and cork are a single material.
Tasting notes
Nose
Light golden in the glass. Citrus and grapefruit open the nose, followed by sweet plums and banana. Almonds, sea salt and a touch of milk chocolate sit underneath.
Palate
Brown sugar and oak first, then the grapefruit again. Something floral runs through it, and the salt stays with you all the way.
Finish
Medium to long. Light wood, sea salt and a little dark chocolate, with dried fruit at the very end.
Specifications
Name: Mount Gay Single Estate Series 2024 Barbados Rum
Distillery: Mount Gay
Region/Country: St Lucy, Barbados
Type: Barbados Rum
Age: 5 years
ABV: 55%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Ex-bourbon casks of American oak
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distillation method: Pot still, two distillations blended
Distilled: 2018
Bottled: 2024
Number of bottles: 5,418
Edition: Single Estate Series Release 02 24_02_Vt18d2
Flavour profile
Citrus · Fruity · Salty · Oaky · Floral
Investment potential
Medium. Only 5,418 bottles worldwide, the first single-vintage release in the series, and a rum from a house that grows its own cane. Bottles like that rarely get easier to find as the years go by.
Did you know?
The molasses fermented for nine days. The standard is four. That long fermentation triggered a secondary fermentation, which brings in notes of pineapple and guava you rarely find in Mount Gay.
See our full selection of Mount Gay Rum
Listen to our podcast:
