Mount Gay Eclipse Heritage Blend Barbados Rum. This was one of the “first batch” of reviews that I published on this site back in March 2014, with an update to the review in 2015. Which might have involved the then new style bottle.

It’s 2024 and the bottle (well the label) has once again been update to add “Heritage Blend” to the moniker and also to update the present Master Distiller/Blender Trudiann Branker.

The old review will stay live on the website as I think its worth keeping the older reviews – I don’t often re-review rums.

The price of Eclipse as with just about everything else in the UK, has crept up over the past few years. Its went from around £15 per 70cl bottle to around £20 now in most places. I picked up a few bottles of this Duty Free at £13.75 per 1 litre bottle.

In my original review I wasn’t a great fan of this rum. I don’t often buy it to be honest but there wasn’t much else in the Duty Free. It’ll do as a weekend mixer. From my hazy recollection this was more forgettable than out and out bad.

In my original review, I seemed to be under the impression this was 100% pot still rum, its not of course its a blend of column and pot still rum. Mount Gay Eclipse Heritage Blend Barbados Rum is aged in ex-bourbon barrels for around 2-3 years.

As with all continuous releases – the rum will change over time as it is nigh on impossible to produce exactly the same rum year in year out. Since my review we have also seen a change in the Master Distiller/Blender. To be fair Trudiann has put her stamp on other Mount Gay Rum’s – XO and especially Black Barrel so I might well find myself with something quite different to the bottling I previously reviewed.

It also should be noted that I am now in my mid forties rather than my thirties and much further along in my Rum Journey.

Mount Gay Eclipse Heritage Blend Barbados Rum is a classic “Gold” rum in colour when poured in the glass. A bit of orange around the edges and a nice golden brown colour with a slight shimmer.

Not that I really give much of a toss about the colour to be fair….

Nosing Mount Gay Eclipse Heritage Blend Barbados Rum is a gentler much mellower experience than I remember. It’s seems much less “harsh” and boozy. I recall an almost chemical like note from back in the day, which seems to have disappeared in the 2024. vintage.

There is a nice top note of coconut and banana. There are lighter notes of vanilla and bourbon like aromas but again it doesn’t seem a whisky (as in Scotch) like as before. Definitely more of a Bourbon/American Whiskey note.

There’s not a huge amount going on with the nose beyond the more obvious notes outlined above – maybe a little green apple and hint of toffee. The nose is pleasant enough though and certainly complex enough for a £20 mixing rum.

I’ll try this as a sipper and a mixer.

When sipped Mount Gay Eclipse Heritage Blend Barbados Rum is pretty light. Not as harsh or as heavy as I remember. Either it has mellowed or my taste buds have changed after 10 years. Likely a bit of both. It’ doesn’t taste especially young or rough. All round it is best described as agreeable.

It’s a little bit “thin” if I’m being honest. I’m usually okay with 40% ABV rum but as sipper this definitely tastes a little watery.

Complexity wise again it is okay – it delivers an initial bite followed by lots of vanilla. It’s short and quickly loses flavour in the mouth.

Overall its reasonably sweet and it is smooth enough to sip but pretty average really. A couple of glasses and I think I might get a little bored.

As a mixer it does a decent job of adding some “rummyness” to mixed drinks. It makes perfectly serviceable rum and cokes etc but it doesn’t really stand out all that much.

Overall I do like this bottling more than I recall from previous interactions with Mount Gay Eclipse. It still doesn’t grab me the way the “entry level” Jamaican rums from Appleton and Worthy Park do. Nor do I find it something that I would regularly pick up. Even on a Supermarket run there are rums I would pick ahead of it.