Review 156: Mount Gay Extra Old

Bit of a hiatus there, but I'm back with another rum review. This time it's Mount Gay Extra Old. The Mount Gay distillery is in Barbados and is certainly one of the oldest still-active distilleries in the world. The bottle states the origin as 1703, which some quick research confirms. Older than the United States even! So, given this level of experience the rum should be excellent, right?

Mount Gay Extra Old

Color: Amber +2

ABV: 43%

Aroma Neat:
Rich Caramel Sauce (with peanuts), Vanilla Ice Cream, Ethanol/Sugar Cane (white rum), Overripe Bananas,  Brown Sugar/Rum Raisins (too easy?), Light Roast Coffee, Shaved Dark Chocolate, Ground Cinnamon.

I haven't been tasting spirits recently, so maybe my sensitivity towards alcohol is heightened. I'm noticing traits of unaged rum here, but it's a very clean and natural spirit character. It must be me, because the other notes I'm getting are rich and consistent with older rums.

Aroma Water:
Brown Sugar, Overripe Bananas, Oaky Caramel, Buttery Toffee, Cloves/Cinnamon, Dusty Raisins/Prunes, Watered-Down Cola, Aero Chocolate Bars, Espresso Crema/French Vanilla.

Much rounder and overall mature-seeming with water. A bit less spicy too.

Taste Neat:
Cinnamon Sticks, Spicy/Nutty Oak (some French wood, cedar too?), Ashy Barrel Char, Clove Oil, Salty Roast Peanuts, Cola Nuts.

Spicy! Lots of cinnamon and spices that I associate with French oak. Certainly an interesting and vivacious rum, but at the cost of rich unctuousness, like that found in Appleton 12.

Taste Water:
Brown Sugar/Molasses, Buttery/Nutty Oak, Cedar Chips, Cinnamon Candies, Ashy Barrel Char, White Pepper, Clove Oil.

More rounded and sweet with water, like the nose. Still pretty spicy.

Finish:
Tannic Oak, Cinnamon Candies, Cloves, Barrel Char, Burnt Caramel (salted), Burnt Coffee.

Similar to the palate, though more tannic. Medium duration.

Conclusion:
Decent nose, with expected and unexpected notes, but not entirely harmonious.

Surprisingly spicy palate makes for an interesting and atypical rum experience.

Palate similar to the nose. Not bad, a bit new experience.

Rating: 81/100

Much spicier on the palate and finish than I recall from earlier tastings, but this bottle has been hanging around for a while so things may have changed. Overall it's a decent-to-good rum a few unique charms to differentiate it from the rest. Certainly quite woody and not too tropical, but it might be a good change of pace!

Josh