Overview
Brand: Mount Gay
Origin: Mount Gay, St. Lucy, Barbados
Still: Pot & Column Blend
Age: NAS
Finish: ex-American Whiskey, ex-Bourbon, ex-Cognac
ABV: 43%
Now a bottle that many of us have likely seen on shelves, but perhaps haven't made the conscious choice to purchase. We may have our preconceived notions about "XO" on a rum label, or enjoyed the more entry-level Mount Gay offerings and remain unconvinced there's much to improve upon.
I'll be honest and say those thoughts have bounced around in my head for years, until I was in Barbados and embarking on a tour around the Mount Gay estate. At the end of our afternoon, we had a guided tasting where I first tried XO, and perhaps I got caught up in the moment being there, or just that I was tired, but it really stood out to me.
Today, I get a chance to give it a review in a controlled environment; I picked up this bottle locally in Memphis for around $70 after taxes.
Mount Gay XO is a molasses-based pot and column still blend of rum produced by Mount Gay at their facility in St. Lucy, in the north of Barbados. The distillate spends 5-17 years aging in three different cask types– American whiskey, bourbon, and cognac– before being blended and bottled at 43% ABV.
Fun fact: according to XO's product page on the Mount Gay website, this was the first rum in the "XO" category, first created in 1991 by Master Blender Jerry Edwards.
Appearance
Amber, low viscosity
Nose
Vanilla, brown sugar, marzipan, vanilla custard, hint of nutmeg, orange rind
Palate
Vanilla bean, salted almonds, custard, nutmeg, milk chocolate
Finish
Medium, nutty, dry; vanilla, prunes, nutmeg, chocolate
Rating: 6/10
Summary
Mount Gay XO brings subtle complexity to the esteemed distiller's core lineup, and yields an enjoyable pour. It's not the most complex, but does add onto its siblings Black Barrel and Eclipse, thanks to that triple-cask maturation.
XO's bouquet is classically Bajan: vanilla, brown sugar, custard, some almonds in the form of candied marzipan, and a touch of nutmeg. The palate follows closely, with a more earthen vanilla bean note, salted almonds, and the addition of milk chocolate. The medium-length finish is nutty and dry, enjoining the palate with prunes, perhaps as a consequence of the ex-Cognac cask aging.
While it's not the most engaging rum out there, I think this is a great rum to keep around as an everyday sipper. It does its job as the "premium" Mount Gay offering and is accessible in price for the budget-conscious. If I could change one thing about it, I would bump up the proof ever so slightly to 47% ABV; still, I appreciate that this was given a bump over the legal minimum for us to enjoy.