New Mount Gay Black Barrel rum launches in UK

Mount Gay Black Barrel small batch hand crafted rum has been launched in the UK. The new rum, which has only selected worldwide availability, has been released in celebration of the brand’s 311-year history, reinforcing the Barbados distillery’s rum-making excellence since 1703.

Produced from sugar cane molasses and water filtered through the coral heart of the island, Mount Gay Black Barrel boasts double pot distillation and a second maturation in bourbon oak barrels.

All Mount Gay rums are made from a blend of single column and double copper pot distillates and are matured in toasted oak barrels. Black Barrel has a higher proportion of double distillates and, after selection by master blender Allen Smith, Black Barrel is the only marque finished in charred bourbon oak barrels. The result is a bold tasting rum with notes of pepper, spice and wood that provide body and fullness. On the nose, Black Barrel is a blend of fruit, oaky vanilla, and sweet caramel.

According to Smith, Black Barrel is “ready when it’s ready, not before”. Smith, who oversees the brand’s maturation facility in Barbados’ parish of St Lucy, joined Mount Gay distilleries in 1991, and was instrumental in the development of the award-winning Extra Old blend.

“Rum blending is an art passed down for generations, and I am honoured to continue the brand’s focus on innovation and refinement with the introduction of Black Barrel. We are thrilled to give our consumers an exceptional, high-quality spirit to appreciate for years to come,” says Smith.

New packaging is being introduced to the entire Mount Gay portfolio of premium rums: 1703 Old Cask Selection, Extra Old, and Eclipse.

Mount Gay Black Barrel, targeted at high end specialists and department stores, has a RRP of £29.99.

27 May 2014 - Felicity Murray The Drinks Report, editor