Cockspur XO Masters Select

Cockspur is a Barbados brand from West Indies Rum Distillery, the island's high-volume producer in Bridgetown with its varied still park of columns and pots. This Masters Select XO is a no-age-statement blend matured in ex-bourbon and Spanish Oloroso sherry casks, bottled unsweetened at 43%.

The pot-and-column WIRD distillate gives a round, fruity and spicy profile, with clove, cinnamon and orange on the nose over vanilla and a little wood. The palate brings vanilla, caramel and barrel notes with the sherry cask showing quietly, before a sweet, spicy finish that runs a touch thin and diluted. It is a gentle, easygoing Barbados rum rather than a deep or concentrated one, the spice the most appealing element. An approachable, lighter sipper for relaxed drinking, honest in its modest weight and friendly price point.