Review: Mount Gay Exceptionally Aged 15 Years Old and 25 Years Old

Barbados’ Mount Gay surprised us recently with the launch of a new rum collection: Exceptionally Aged. As you can imagine, the focus of these releases will be extended maturation, with the first two offerings hitting 15 and 25 years of age, respectively. Both are aged entirely in ex-bourbon casks at the distillery in Barbados and include no added sugar or flavoring. Three generations of Mount Gay Master Blenders — Jerry Edwards, Allen Smith, and current Master Blender Trudiann Branker — collaborated on these initial releases.

Mount Gay Exceptionally Aged 15 Years Old Review

Even at 15 years of age (all in ex-bourbon casks), this rum hits the nose with exuberant freshness, filled with apple-driven fruit and fully laced with caramel and vanilla. Brown butter notes are insistent and arrive alongside a healthy baking spice complement. There’s so much of it on the nose that this could easily be used as a spiced rum for mixing, assuming your pockets have a bit of extra coin in them.

Things are a bit more austere on the palate, which settles into a slightly winey groove that’s backed up by ample barrel char and overtones of cocoa powder and ground coffee, the spice hitting a bit more savory, with a cardamom quality and a pinch of saffron. An initial rush of sweetness tempers as the finish leans into notes of toasted coconut, grapefruit peel, and red wine. Refined and, in the end, rather mysterious. 4942 bottles produced.

86 proof. A- / $90

Mount Gay Exceptionally Aged 25 Years Old Review

At 25 years of age, things really start to get wild. The nose is shockingly dry — and quite winey, evoking thoughts of sherry even though this rum has no wine cask involvement at all. Austere with overtones of furniture polish and leather, the rum’s aromatic profile soon turns rather ashy, with creosote notes becoming dominant in time.

The palate perks up quickly with notes of coconut, orange, and a light honey character, but this all evaporates almost immediately. Notes of very dark chocolate replace all of the above, leading to a finish that is dry as dust, though some tight notes of toasted coconut and bitter orange peel linger. Has this rum simply sat in the Caribbean heat for too long, burning away all its charm? Those in a better headspace than me may enjoy it, but I really can’t see it any other way except to call this one simply too far gone for easy consumption. 2376 bottles produced.

92 proof. B / $199

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