Velier Mount Gay Warren Khong Mount Gilboa 2008

This is a single-still Mount Gay selected by Velier, the Italian house known for full-proof, additive-free Caribbean rum, released under the old Mount Gilboa name once used for the distillery's pot still spirit. Mount Gay markets itself as the world's oldest rum distillery, and this 2008 is a rarer beast than its smooth blended range: 100 percent pot still, tropically aged and bottled with nothing added.

At a fierce 66% it leans dry, woody and wild rather than soft. The nose carries vanilla, wood, orange peel and roasted notes, while the palate turns herbal and spicy with orange peel and tropical fruit over a dry, tannic, brandy-like frame, finishing on oak, tannins and roasted wood. This is the assertive, characterful side of Barbados rather than the balanced house style, and it asks for a rest in the glass and a splash of water to show its complexity. A pour for experienced drinkers who like dry, cask-strength Bajan rum but want something wilder and more untamed.