J Gow Fading Light XO. I reviewed the original J Gow Fading Light way back before COVID in 2019. Doesn’t time fly? Since then I have reviewed a few more expressions from this tiny distillery on Lamb Holm, Orkney – all positively I must add. So, today I am quite excited to be trying this longer aged variation of Fading Light.

The original release of Fading Light was aged for 12 months in Chestnut casks. This J Gow Fading Light XO has been aged for a whopping 6 years in a Chestnut cask. It is a Limited Edition, one cask release totalling just 260 bottles.

It enjoys a 14 day fermentation prior to the Pot Still distillation. The marque’s used in this rum are SD/DS the same as last years Hall of Clestrian release. It has been aged in a 2nd fill Chestnut cask.  Which was filled on 04/09/2018 and bottled at Cask Strength 53.5% ABV on the 05/09/2024.

You can still buy a bottle direct from J Gow here and a 70cl bottle will set you back £75. It received a very positive review back in October from Alex over at The Rum Barrel.

Presentation wise J Gow Fadling Light XO comes in a very nice 3/4 stubby style bottle with a nice chunky cork enclosure.

In the glass despite the 6 years of ageing the rum is still quite light. A straw/white wine like colour. It should be remembered that this isn’t being aged in a Caribbean climate. Nor has any spirit caramel been added. No additives are present in this rum, as is the way they do things at J Gow. Their Spiced Rum aside of course…..

The nose is a touch sweet with a nice hit of caramel and molasses. There is also a more floral/perfumed note going on as well.

Nail varnish and some light tar. Beneath this I am also getting some savoury notes. Cream crackers and some plain digestive biscuits perhaps. Definitely some Walnuts and a very definite aniseed note floats nicely above everything else.

Sipped you get a fair amount of molasses and caramel initially. This quickly moves into a spicy heated entry. Chilli powder and black pepper, a touch of cardamon. There is a nice woody-ness to the rum but it seems a little fresher than the usual oak casks.

Further sipping reveals more of the aniseed notes and some black tea. Hints of ginger float in and out of the mix. The mid palate really grows and becomes a big and very enjoyable experience.

Some hints of banana provide a little sweetness alongside the molasses and aniseed. The woody notes are nice as is the mixture of spicy heat.

Even at the full 53.5% ABV J Gow Fading Light XO never feels too hot and it certainly doesn’t have a lot of unpleasant alcohol burn. This is a well integrated spirit.

The development of this rum from the original 1 year old is clear. This is a much better sipping experience. It has a clean and pure kind of taste that reminds me of Scotch Whisky but without tasting too much like Scotch Whisky. (That might only make sense in my mind).

Finish wise the rum is again very strong with a lovely long fade and lots going on. There is plenty of interaction with the cask and the long spicy finish is really lovely.

All in all this is better overall than the original J Gow Fading Light and it really is an excellent rum.