Mount Gay Port Cask Expression (2020 Master Blender Collection)
Classification: Barbados Rum
Country: Barbados
Region: Saint Lucy (Mount Gay:
13.289N, -59.614W)
Mash Bill: 100% Molasses
Strength: 55.0% ABV (110.0° Proof)
Color: Natural Color
Filtration: Non-chill Filtered
Maturation: Column-distilled rum aged for 5 years in tawny port barrels. Pot-distilled rum aged for 14 years in ex-bourbon followed by 1 year in tawny port barrels
Price: $194.99 (Total Wine)
Tl;dr summary - An experience that redefined what I thought was possible from a rum. Expensive and limited, but also a milestone experience whose first pour I will remember for the rest of my days. One of the very few triple-digit priced spirits that I actually felt was worth more than the price paid. While a safe bet rum lovers will gush, those who are not super-fans of sipping rums should exercise caution as the spirit does not transcend the category and automatically convert any who taste into a rum lover.
Rum’s current status in the world of spirits is a perfect embodiment of the popular adage ‘a rising tide lifts all boats’. As whiskey’s popularity surged in the previous decade, fans of distilled grain inevitably began to seek out and sample other distilled spirits. Many found a second (or third) love in distilled molasses/sugar (rum), distilled fruit (brandy, Cognac, and Armagnac), or distilled plant (Tequila and Mezcal courtesy of the agave plant). While certain rum producers already embraced higher-end offerings (well aged rums, rums bottled at cask strength, etc.), the influx of whiskey fans scouring liquor store rum shelves resulted in a significant uptick in premium offerings from rum producers across the globe. One such offering is the topic of today’s post, but before we jump into that, allow a brief indulgence to delve into rum’s story, and what a story it is.
It is no exaggeration to say that the history of rum is inextricably tied to the history of the New World. Sugar cultivation quite literally shaped the Americas and Caribbean Islands while simultaneously generating empire-building levels of wealth. It will never be known who first distilled rum, theoretically any group that cultivated and refined sugar could very well lay claim to that accomplishment. The first documented reference to rum comes from a mid-1600s correspondence sent from the British colonists on the island of Barbados back to England describing a drink called “Kill-Devil”: “a sugar cane distilled, hot, hellish, and terrible liquor (…), made of the skimmings of the Coopers that boil the sugar.” Further, a deed recorded in 1703 for a parcel of land on Barbados lists “two stone windmills (…). One boiling house with seven coppers, one curing house, and one still house.” Neither is conclusive proof that rum originated on Barbados but it is the earliest documented mention of rum thus far found and Barbados ran with the distinction proclaiming itself as the birthplace of rum. Oh and that deed mentioned above is for the precise chunk of Barbados that the Mount Gay distillery sits on, leading Mount Gay to proclaim itself as the oldest rum distillery in the world.
Putting aside the debate over absolute historical accuracy, what is beyond dispute is the fact that Mount Gay produces outstanding rums. So outstanding in fact that when submitted for approval alongside the rums from a second Barbadian distillery, Foursquare, the rums of Barbados are recognized the world round as a genre-defining benchmark of excellence. While some might debate Barbados’s claim in originating rum, few dare to dispute that some of the finest rums produced in the world emanate from that humble island on the eastern edge of the Lesser Antilles.
All of Mount Gay’s rums begin life as fermented molasses derived from sugar cane harvested in the Carribean, including cane raised on the island of Barbados itself. Mount Gay utilizes two fermentation styles - a closed fermentation using a cultivated yeast and an open fermentation where only the wild yeast present in the atmosphere at the distillery carries out the fermentation duties. The closed fermentation mash is distilled in a column still whereas the open fermentation mash heads to a pot still. Once maturation is complete, Mount Gay blends the column-distilled rum with the pot-distilled rum for the desired product. Speaking of maturation, Mount Gay predominately matures their rum in ex-bourbon casks, but sometimes, as in the case of today’s rum, other cask types are utilized which brings us back to the notion of rum producers offering higher-end products to entice wandering whiskey eyes.
Beginning in 2018, Mount Gay debuted their Master Blender Collection. An annual release of premium expressions of Mount Gay rum that are viewed as pet projects/experiments of the distillery’s master blender. Introduced by Allen Smith and continued today by Trudiann Branker, 2020’s installment of the collection focuses on port casks. Specifically, the accurately named Port Cask Expression features two varieties of rum: column-distilled rum that was aged for 5 years in tawny port casks and pot-distilled rum that was aged for 14 years in American whiskey casks and finished in tawny port casks for 1 year.
I was no stranger to premium rum offerings by the time the Port Cask Expression appeared on my retailer’s shelf. For years my much better half and I have enjoyed the installments of Foursquare’s Exceptional Cask Series, especially those that utilized ex-wine barrel finishing. Further, some of my favorite whiskeys are those that have been partially matured in ex-port barrels, so when I saw the crimson red box of the Mount Gay Port Cask Expression, my interest was immediately piqued. This was not an automatic purchase however. With an asking price flirting with $200, the Port Cask Expression is priced on the high-end of comparable Scotch Single Malts, but perhaps more eye-opening is that Foursquare’s premium offerings typically cost half as much. It took a little over a week to convince myself to take the plunge. Ultimately it was Mount Gay’s reputation combined with the strong port influence and complete transparency in regard to age, bottling strength, and filtration that justified the purchase in my mind.
It was a late Saturday afternoon last summer when I had my first pour of this rum. My expectations were high, but a tinge of doubt crept across my mind as I was removing the shrink-wrap capsule - ‘how can a rum be worth $200 … there’s going to be some disappointment …’. Anticipation quickly replaced doubt however as wave after wave of aroma wafted up from the glass as it was sitting on the counter. Despite my nose being a good distance from the glass, I was being bombarded by vanilla, caramel, raisin, and almonds. To date, only Islay’s peated single malts have delivered such a pronounced aroma upon pouring. My first few sips were overwhelmed by the rum’s high proof, the ethanol washing over my mouth like camera flashes on a gala’s red carpet. Time and water helped tame the ethanol, and once dialed in the rum delivered a near-endless parade of dense, viscous flavors. There are very few spirits I’ve enjoyed that have delivered such a profound experience - the flavors linger so long that the smell, taste and finish seemingly combine into one unified event. By my fourth or so sip, I simply held the glass at eye-level, slightly tilted, and just stared at the remaining liquid for several minutes in absolute awe.
Nose
Molasses, vanilla, almonds roasting in the oven, raisins
Taste
Oak, pepper spice, oily molasses, dark chocolate, prunes/raisins, faint dried cherry. A mouth-coating, ‘greasy’ texture (meant in a positive connotation). For me, the addition of water is mandatory. You can certainly sip the rum at 55% ABV, but the ethanol overwhelms quite a bit of the flavor. My personal sweet-spot was in the 45% (ish) ABV range.
Finish
Oak, pepper spice, port/raisins, molasses and brown sugar. A long finish that lingers with the oak and pepper spice lasting the longest. A hallmark of Barbadian rum is its heavy use of former American whiskey barrels for maturation. American whiskey barrels will deliver a wallop of influence during aging - vanilla, charred oak, brown sugar that all influence the rum itself. Other styles of rum use less potent barrels, but in Barbados, expect a strong American oak influence in their aged rums.
Overall
A masterpiece of a spirit. I am astonished at how beautifully this spirit weaves together the molasses-based rum and the large influence of port. Like gracefully clasping one’s hands together with fingers interleaving each other, the rum and port seamlessly converge and propel this rum to a special place. A rare occurrence where the sum is greater than its parts. This rum’s lofty asking price was a point of fixation and concern entering the experience, but within a few sips I began to feel as though Mount Gay had undercharged for the experience.
In all honesty, penning such an enthusiastically glowing writeup for this rum has created a nagging sense of self-conscious objective guilt in my mind. While I have zero critiques of this rum, I feel there are caveats that must be disclosed on the off-chance anyone reading this feels compelled to plunk down their own hard-earned and procure a bottle of their own. First caveat - this is a rum first, there is never any doubt as to its molasses origins which means no matter how great this rum is, it will not convert those that do not care for the taste of rum when sipped neat. Second caveat - the port-influence is strong so if you like rum but dislike port or port’s influence on distilled spirits, then this rum will not convert you either. Lastly, in my decades of food and beverage explorations, I’ve come to discover that the collective ‘we’ of humanity often experience a divergent set of impressions, opinions, and perspectives for any given object. It is not without precedent that a restaurant or recipe or libation that I adore receives the ‘friend-zoned’ treatment by being deemed merely ‘nice’ by the person I recommended it to. A great paradox in life is that in situations like these, both parties are simultaneously right and wrong; one person’s euphoria is another person’s ‘meh’. All this to say that yes, I adore this rum but that is no guarantee that someone else will (or even consider it ‘good’). My recommendation is to base your purchasing decision on your personal likes and dislikes, not what some rando spews out on the Internet.
A final thank you to Mount Gay. Advocates of rum have long felt that rum should be considered an equal to the revered spirits of Scotch, Cognac, and Bourbon. Releases like the Port Cask Expression provide compelling proof that rum easily deserves a place on the top shelf in the hierarchy of distilled spirits. In fact, the Port Cask Expression can, for some, invert the commonly perceived hierarchy and leave the old guard spirits aspiring to be considered an equal to rum. Until next time, cheers to all.
