Mount Gay Single Estate Series Release 25 | 03 | Vt24CF 2024

Mount Gay, the heritage Barbados distillery dating its deed to 1703, here steps into unaged, pot-still territory with this Single Estate Series release from 2024. It is bottled by the distillery at a lively 48 percent, unsweetened and island-made in keeping with Mount Gay's support for a stricter, additive-free Barbados standard. This is a fresh, white expression rather than the aged rum the name is known for.

Distilled from molasses on the pot still, it carries a surprising amount of cane character: sugarcane, citrus and floral notes on the nose, then a sweet, fruity palate of prunes, citrus and spice, with floral, caramel, citrus and pruney notes on the finish. There is a distinct plum-spirit quality here, recalling a fruit eau-de-vie as much as a rum, along with a subtle rubber and almond edge. Bright and characterful at 48 percent, it works neat or in fresh, citrus-driven cocktails.