The Mount Gay “Historic Distillery Experience Tour”
Barbados is a unique coral island in the Caribbean famous for its white sandy beaches, consistently warm weather as well as being generally considered the birthplace of rum. Hang-on – the birthplace of rum – think about the significance of that for a moment… Personally, I am grateful to the folks who created my favourite alcoholic beverage over 300 years ago 😉. A rum lover’s trip to Barbados would be incomplete without a visit to the oldest rum distillery in the Caribbean, “the rum that invented rum” – The illustrious Mount Gay Rum Distillery.
I was really looking forward to visiting Mount Gay’s historic distillery and taking their Distillery Experience Tour and I was not disappointed! It was great to get out of the hustle and bustle of the touristy south-west area and travel up to the north end of Barbados known as Saint Lucy Parish. The drive up the west coast was enjoyable, although the excitement really mounted when we drove inland. I love the Barbados countryside and this rural area of the island is beautiful. I knew we were getting close to the distillery when the gentle hills were covered with cotton fields and sugar cane crops.
Our mini-van pulled into a very unassuming lane on Mount Gilboa and after being welcomed by a Mount Gay Host, we were soon inside the Distillery’s impressive lounge listening to a knowledgeable Mount Gay Ambassador tell us about the history of the plantation and rum making on the island. Chester told us the fascinating story of how one of the original plantation owners, John Sober (Seriously – I’m not making that name up) named the rum distillery after his manager, Sir John Gay Alleyne. You see, it was John Gay’s leadership in the late 1700s that put Mount Gilboa (soon to become Mount Gay) Rum on the map and on the path that makes it one of the most reputable rum brands in the world today. Listening to Chester talk you would think he was referring to a small family run business, even though the company was bought by a major corporate conglomerate a few years ago. Throughout the tour, it became genuinely apparent that the folks working there, many of whom live in the nearby village, really do behave as a close-knit family.
I’ve been on a few rum tours before, however it was on this outing that I heard that saccharum officinarum, commonly known as sugar cane, contains the word ‘rum’ twice – Hhmnnn… Is this where the sweet liquid’s name came from? Chester also pointed out Barbados’ importance in all Caribbean rum production as it is home to the West Indies Central Sugar Cane Breeding Station – The place where different Sugar Cane varieties and strains come from!
It wasn’t too long before our small group (< a dozen) journeyed outside to the warm and beautiful grounds where our host Tina walked us over to the well used to source the water for Mount Gay rum. Chester explained that Barbados’ unique coral limestone terrain acts as a natural filter for the island’s underground water system. It’s absolutely amazing to hear that Mount Gay uses the same well as they did hundreds of years ago. It was also mentioned that the water is triple filtered before being used for their rums.
While Mount Gay grows its own sugar cane, we were informed that sugar production on the island is just a fraction of what it once was and as a result, they also use molasses from cane imported from other parts of the Caribbean. That said, they work with the government-run sugar refinery (used by all the island’s rum producers) to maintain control over their molasses content/mix. Chester informed us that Mount Gay is planning to increase their own sugar cane production as well as build their own sugar refinery in the near future. This can only help manage the consistency and quality of their products.
Speaking of molasses… our tour coincided with a truck pumping the oil-like substance into Mount Gay’s holding tanks. The air was filled with the strong aromatics from the bitter/sweet liquid I like to call ‘the other black gold’. We made a quick stop inside the low-roofed building to view the molasses containers before entering the large distillery building next door. Here, we got to taste local Barbados molasses as well as the “other Caribbean” molasses. I thought the local product was much thicker with both sweet and tart notes than the other thinner syrup. I’m sure it’s an interesting process for the Mount Gay experts to blend the two.
We then moved into another room that contains giant barrels, of which we can only see the top few feet. I believe these barrels were made from French Oak. The first vat is a yeast “hot tub” where the initial molasses-based ‘mash’ is made. This liquid is then transferred barrel to barrel through an open-air fermentation or ‘wash’ process.
The next room we visited is where the actual distillation takes place. Mount Gay’s Scottish and Spanish ‘pot’ stills, along with a copper column produce the alcohol that’s almost rum. I found it interesting that the column still was just recently brought back into the Mount Gay rum-making process.
This was all very interesting, however the group may have been getting a little restless at this stage – We wanted to taste the result of all this love and science. Lucky for us, our next stop was a short distance across the grounds to another building that housed a large kitchen-like room – Here’s where the hands-on fun began! Like a high-school science class, we each had our own station for this portion of the tour.
We started by sampling 7-year-old versions of both pot still and column still rums. We were now hosted by a member of the Mount Gay blending team, who was very helpful in encouraging us to recognize the more subtle differences in the rums – The citrusy aroma and mild taste of the column still rum, in contrast to the spicy smell and more complex flavours of the pot still rum. Honestly, to me, the rum from the column still was very fragrant and tasted a bit sweet, while the pot still rum had a strong alcohol aroma and a stronger flavour with a little burn. After sampling, we blended our own rum creations. For my signature rum, I chose a 60-40 Pot-Column mix. While I hope it tastes good, before we left the island I picked up a bottle of Mount Gay Black Barrel rum… You know, just in case.
On the move again… We went back into the Mount Gay reception building and relaxed in the bar for some much-anticipated sampling. Our friendly host Tina was behind the bar to offer us samples of their Black Barrel, XO and XO Peat Smoke Expression rums. It was astonishing to actually be able to discern the diverse flavour profiles of this fine collection – The Mount Gay Master Blenders are certainly doing something right!
I found the Black Barrel surprisingly smooth and sweet – My palate really appreciated the extra aging/maturation in heavily charred bourbon barrels. XO is a staple in my bar at home, so I was not surprised to enjoy the hint of vanilla within its flavour depth. Finally, the Peat Smoke XO, which I understand includes a final maturation in Scottish peated whiskey casks – Absolutely Brilliant. Smooth with a serious earthy/nutty flavour profile similar to a fine scotch whiskey (I suspect, as I don’t drink Scotch). For the true rum connoisseur, this rum is worthy of the >$250us a bottle price tag.
A few folks had left the tour prior to entering the bar, leaving a small affable group of British, Canadians and Americans to get to know each other a little bit better. I enjoyed the lively conversation with my new friends, which of course focused on our common love for rum and the Caribbean – A good time was had by all!
… and the tour wasn’t over just yet – We went outside for some fresh air as we walked over to one of the ‘barns’ where they warehouse, or more accurately ‘age & mature’ their rums. Mount Gay rums are typically matured in used American whiskey casks – We noted a number of Jack Daniels stamps on some of the old barrels. I understand that cognac casks are utilized in some of their specialty rums. We also noticed an area with new/future products – Looks like they’re being aged in used wine casks. I guess we’ll have to wait to find out more about these creations…
Our super-friendly and unpretentious tour had to come to an end. The overall vibe of the Mount Gay Distillery was informative, yet informal and fun – It was almost hard to believe that some of the best rums in the world really come from a distillery with such a low-key ‘small town’ feel to it. Bravo – Well Done!
ACT Staff
If the Historic Distillery Experience Tour sounds like fun, you can book your own via the Mount Gay website or by visiting their facebook page. Please note that Mount Gay also offers a number of other Rum Tasting Tours and Workshops at their easily accessible Bridgetown Visitor Centre location.
If you’re interested in reading more about rum, check out our Caribbean Rum page and our Barbados Rum page, which includes a list of Tour Operators who will get you sampling Barbados’ finest.
For an overview of beautiful Barbados, take a look at our Barbados Vacations page
For other great Tourist Attractions on the island, check out our Things to Do in Barbados page
If you’re looking for more ‘active’ things to do while vacationing on the island, click on our Barbados Adventures blog post for some great ideas!
