Episode 89: Mount Gay XO

Episode 89 features Mount Gay Barbados Rum, the XO expression. From the birthplace of rum, Barbados, this rum is aged between 5 and 17 years, and bottled in 750ml at 43% ABV, or 86 and it retails for $65.

Enjoy this episode with a pour of Mount Gay XO neat.

Mount Gay's official website: https://www.mountgayrum.com/

Brief Historical Timeline:

1637 - Sugar cane is introduced to the island of Barbados
1703 - A deed of title noting commercial rum distillation on the plantation that became Mount Gay is produced.
1747 - John Sober buys the plantation and hires Sir John Gay Alleyne to manage it.
1801 - Sir John Gay Alleyne dies, but impressed the Sober family so much, they rename the plantation in his honor (there was already a Mount Alleyne, so they used his middle name)
1897 - Mount Gay Rum is singled out as one of the best rums in Barbados
1900s - Aubrey Ward purchases Mount Gay and consolidates it with other sugar cane plantations
1920s - Blending and bottling come under the control of new company Mount Gay Distilleries Ltd.
1948 - Aubrey Ward dies, leaving the Mount Gay holdings to his children
1980 - 60% of Mount Gay Distilleries Ltd. is sold
1989 - Rémy Cointreau buys the 60% stake in Mount Gay Distilleries Ltd.
2014 - Rémy Cointreau buys controlling interest in Rum Refinery of Mount Gay and the Oxford plantation adjacent to the distillery
2015 - Rémy Cointreau buys the Mount Gay Plantation land for $4.9 million
2019 - Trudiann Branker becomes the first female Master Blender for Mount Gay

Key Cocktails:

Just drink it neat, or with one large coconut water cube of ice.

References:

Rémy Cointreau Group Brand Listing

Cocktail Wonk Barbados Rum Cheat Sheet

Cocktail Wonk Mount Gay Rum Article

YouTube Video Featuring Trudiann Branker

YouTube Animated Brand Story

YouTube Taste the Islands Video

Wikipedia Article on Mount Gay Rum

Wikipedia Article on History of Barbados

International Sugar Organization Article on Molasses