While Mount Gay (Barbados) recently announced their new expression, the Andean Oak Cask, I’m still dwelling on the past as I managed to get a couple older Mount Gay offerings in my glass. Wish I would’ve written about these sooner, but better late than never I guess.
Since Trudiann Branker took over as Master Blender we’ve seen a steady flow of limited editions coming out of Mount Gay which is a good move given that their Barbadian neighbours, Foursquare, were kinda monopolising the market with their Exceptional Cask Selection range. The Port Cask was already revered by other reviewers such as the Rum Shop Boy and, naturally, it isn’t available anymore – that never stopped me though.
Worth mentioning that this expression scored gold at the IWSC with a total score of 96 points which is no small feat – now let’s see my scoring!
Mount Gay Port Cask Expression is molasses based, a blend of pot and column still distillates with the column still juice being aged for 5 years in Tawny Port casks and the pot still aged for 14 years in ex-Bourbon casks and finished for an additional year in Tawny Port casks as well – all in the tropical climate of Barbados. Bottled at 55% ABV without any chill-filtering or adulterating – only 6570 bottles were launched in the wild.
On the nose there’s a lovely citrus fruit note. Blood orange, pink grapefruit, thyme and burnt match stick. Sweet cherries, pink pepper and a touch of bubblegum. Red grapes, ripe bananas, new leather shoes and ginger. Very, very inviting.
On the palate it becomes a bit more spicy. Red apples, strawberry jam, sweet chilli and plums. Dark chocolate filled with cherry cream, passion fruit, liquorice and a bit of ginger. There’s a mineral note to it, slightly salty. Figs, caramel and cinnamon shortbread. The finish is long with sweet tomatoes, cayenne pepper and toasted oak.
Lovely drop, very balanced and the Port influence is well integrated. Nothing too out there, pretty easy to drink while retaining complexity. A bit pricey at £135 if we were to compare this with what Foursquare usually dishes out and their price point, but very good nonetheless – it sold out fairly quick so I see the price wasn’t a problem.
Mount Gay Port Cask Expression score:
Flavour/taste: 58/70
Value for money: 13/15
Transparency/purity: 15/15
Overall: 86/100
Cheers!