Mount Gilboa is a triple distilled Pot Still rum. This in itself is fairly unusual, I think. I’ve heard little about multiple distillation in rum, unlike Vodka for example. That’s not to say it doesn’t occur just that is rarely mentioned. Mount Gilboa is a product of Barbados and from the name and product design you could be mistaken into thinking you are getting a cheaper Mount Gay product or a copycat.
Tag Archives: bajan rum
Foursquare Rum Distillery, St Philip, Barbados really should need no introduction. Originally set up by Reginald Leon Seale the great-great grandfather of the current Master Blender and Distiller Richard Seale, the distillery has become the byword for classic Caribbean rum.
Any new release from Foursquare is always welcome. The 2012 UK release of Rum Sixty Six was a welcome edition to the Foursquare portfolio, which also includes R L Seale’s 10 Year Old and the Doorly’s series of rums. US drinkers may also be familiar with The Real McCoy range of rums. In 2015 (and in particular August) we have been well and truly spoiled here in the UK. Not only has Richard released the long anticipated Doorly’s 12 but has also decided that 9 years (quite an unusual age for a rum) has been long enough for us to wait for this latest offering.
Today I am reviewing an offering from the wonderful Foursquare Distillery, Barbados. The island often cites itself as the birthplace of rum. The oldest “official” (ie legal) rum distillery in the world is the Mount Gay Distillery, so its a fair enough claim to make. They also have plenty of other facts to back up their claims if you look into rums rich history.
Mount Gay Black Barrel was new to the UK Market in 2014. More Traditional Mount Gay drinkers bemoaned the addition of this new rum. Not only did it come complete with the newer “Mount Gay 1703 Barbados Rum” presentation but it also replaced the Eclipse Black which was bottled at 50% ABV.
The Duppies are Caribbean spirits who steal Caribbean rum hopping from island to island, keeping the best for themselves.
The Duppy Share is named after this fairy story (or the story was made for the rum I’m not sure). It’s a twist on the Angel’s Share tale. I was initially pretty disinterested in trying this rum which was released just last year. I read the press release and gave a little groan. Rums blended from different sources don’t really grab my attention and I don’t tend to buy my rum based on fairy tales….. However, fair play to the team behind The Duppy Share they have certainly produced a very attractive website. Their marketing team is also doing something right because the rum is available in a number of premium Department Stores in the UK.
Plantation 3 Stars is a white rum from the French based bottling giant Plantation . The name is coined from the 3 “stars” of the Caribbean from which the rum is obtained. Namely Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad. As with most of the Plantation rums there is no age statement.
White rum hasn’t featured a great deal on the site so far. This is something I am trying to address. Whilst white rum is often seen as mixing rum for cocktails such as the Daiquiri and the Mojito, I have noted that this and the El Dorado 3 Years Cask Aged have received favourable reviews by other reviewers.
Mount Gay Extra Old or XO as they seem to have re-branded it. For those in the know Mount Gay Extra Old is often known as MGXO. The XO notation on the Mount Gay is pretty standard across the rum and spirits industry to denote an aged spirit (without actually noting how old it is!).
As the Mount Gay Distillery is the oldest official distillery in the world established 1703 as the label denotes, I don’t think we need to worry too much about the heritage and authenticity of the contents of this Extra Old rum.