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Mount Gay XO Extra Old rum

Mount Gay XO Extra Old

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had this rum recently

Barbados | Aged | 40% ABV

Mount Gay Extra Old (often written "OX") is a blend of rums aged between 8 and 15 years in American bourbon barrels.

Mount Gay Distilleries is the oldest operating distillery in the Americas - producing rum in Barbados since 1703. It's original name was Mount Gilboa, and in 1801 renamed Mount Gay after the distillery's manager Sir John Gay Alleyne.

7.8/10
747 ratings
Recommendable to most
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747 Mount Gay XO Extra Old Ratings

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Mujuru 🇺🇸 | 152 ratings
Posted over 3 years ago

This rum has some wonderful attributes that could bump it all the way to a 8. Unfortunately it also has some serious flaws.

So let's get into the nitty gritty. I got this bottle for $44US which is roughly the same as other premium rums but twice as much as RL Seale's Doorly's line of rums. Given the high reviews here I was expecting great things from this rum, but alas it comes up just short of greatness.

The nose is Bananas, Vanilla, Caramel, Fine Tobacco, and notes of Leather. An interesting and fairly pleasant mix. When you take a sip you immediately notice the Oak which then transitions into a mix of Caramel, light Banana notes, Fine Tobacco, and Black Pepper. The combination is an interesting and pleasant mix which many will love. I like it a good deal, but I don't quite love it. The finish is Caramel with notes of Bananas that come and go (one sip the Banana finish is instantly noticeable, the next sip it only shows up as a light whiff). However, here is where the negative shows up. There is a lingering sour that remains on the back of my tongue and the roof of my mouth long after I put the glass down that can only be described as a leather sour. This kind of kills the nice memories the nose and palate build upon. The ultimate result is that this rum constantly morphs anywhere between a 9 (nose) and a 6 (aftertaste) with a mean experience I would quantify around 7.3 - i.e. solid but not spectacular; or more precisely wonderful but simultaneously flawed. You could analogize it to a football (soccer) team that is clearly talented, but doesn't have team chemistry yet - you see flashes of brilliance coupled with frustration.

I have no doubt that as I come back to this bottle, my rating will change...however, in which direction I just can't tell yet. I will say that Doorly's 12 year is a spectacular Bajan rum, with none of the drawbacks of MGXO, available for literally half the price of this rum so the fact that this rum is twice the price and still suffers the flaws it does drops this from an 8 to a 7 in the final tally.

*Update July 2020* Having let it sit for 10 minutes and then trying it in my snifter, the extra aeration does help marginally and adds a slight buttery flavor on the back end of the palate. That said the sour still lingers and still depreciates the experience. If they could eliminate the pucker sour on the back end, this rum would be a full 9. Alas, it remains and drags this rum down a bit...and that's a shame because the rest of the experience is quite pleasant. At $44US this rum is a bit too expensive to have a flaw of that magnitude stand out in an otherwise great experience. Doorly's 12 year has a similar but far superior profile, without the flaws, and can be brought here in the US for literally half the price.

*Update August 2020* A fellow rum aficionado suggested drinking this on the rocks over coconut water ice cubes. I took his advice and it absolutely floored me. It is the nectar of the Gods. MGXO+Coconut Water Ice cubes is insanely good because the coconut water nullifies the sour while adding another dimension to this rum. Drinking this rum neat is a just ok. Drinking it over coconut water ices cubes raises to magnificent.Granted it that is juicing, but it instantly turns this rum into a star player.

Nose: 8
Palate: 7
Aftertaste: 5
Smoothness: 6
Versatility: 9
Price: 6

Total: 6.8

Foggyrumrunner 🇨🇦 | 50 ratings
Posted over 3 years ago

Lovely, perfumed nose of refined wood, with integrated vanilla, honey and dark fruits, like raisins. On the palate, immediately I get something unexpected - like kirsch, stone fruits, and/or black currant. Really nice! The palate is quite smooth, dry and in great balance between wood and fruit. The finish has just a touch of black pepper bite. I think at this point in time, I like this XO more than Appleton 12. It’s a serious sipper for a reasonable price. Highly recommended!

Chavelo 🇬🇷 | 23 ratings
Posted over 3 years ago

Very well balanced and the pricing-quality ratio is hard to beat. Managed to buy a 1 Litter Bottle.

Simson 🇨🇿 | 133 ratings
Posted almost 4 years ago

Bottle: Such a tall flask with a long neck. I have to say that I don't like the shape very much. Stoppered with real cork with a wooden top.
Color: Slightly darker amber.
Aroma: Very pleasant. I didn't feel any unpleasant alcohol sharpness. I could smell mostly vanilla and ripe bananas, but not as "artificial" as with Bumbu.
Taste: I have been avoiding this rum for a long time, because it is written everywhere that it is dry and rough. This is not true at all! The taste is pleasantly sweetish. It is similarly sweet as Dos Maderas 5 + 5, which the review states as sweeter rum, but most importantly it is very smooth. It is definitely smoother than Dos Maderas.
This is a big surprise for rum of this age and ABV of 43%. The taste is vanilla and tropical fruits, especially bananas. There is also a little smell of nuts. I did not feel any "unpleasant" woodiness or oaks. Not even any unpleasant smoke.
Conclusion: It is smooth, medium long. It is not harsch on the palate.

Overall rating: 8.5

For me, it was the first tasting of this unsweetened rum from Barbados. I intentionally walked around it a little because I was afraid of the dryness and woodiness, but there was nothing to fear. Anyone who has already drunk some rums will be satisfied! It is pleasantly sweet, but somehow naturally. At a price of up to CZK 1,000, (EUR 38) this is one of the best choices for me. I will definitely buy a bottle.

LidorShwartz 🇮🇱 | 1 rating
Posted almost 4 years ago

smooth, sweet without added sugar like ALL other rums, the real deal! The best one. The price is also good.

charlierumber 🇦🇺 | 5 ratings
Posted almost 4 years ago

Beautiful well rounded rum. Mount Gay XO extra old is just truly great

Florianhagemann 🇵🇪 | 83 ratings
Posted 4 years ago

Tiene un hermoso color ámbar. En nariz el coco es intenso pero también madera, poco dulce. En boca se repite el coco, también el amargo de la madera. No quema en boca pero si calienta el estomago. Me gusta mucho. Debe ser uno de los mejores rones en relación calidad-precio.

vomi1011 🇩🇪 | 403 ratings
Posted 4 years ago

Heard a lot of the rum that is downright hyped in German forums/reviews because Mount Gay doesn't use additives. For this reason I was very excited to try it.
It has no added sugar, but is still moderately sweet.

For me it's a typical woody rum. This is almost the best representation of a woody profile, although Flor de Cana 18 is also not bad.
Wood is the first thing you get in the nose and the spice. It bites you in the nose like a dog.
But then you get used to it. Deeper the glas there is a lot of white oak with vanilla (wood from bourbon barrels). A mix of orange zests and apricot is also there but in the background.

Most of the taste is wood with vanilla and orange peels, this is also the profile.
It's not very complex in terms of flavours but well blended. Some caramel is also there, it's a little bit sweet ans spicy.
I think 76 is a good rating, you have to take into account that they doesn't use any additives.

Smell: white oak, vanilla, wet barrel, dry fruits (plum, orange peels), caramel, spice
Taste initial/middle: first watery with vanilla (light aromas), then white oak (almost too simple)
Middle: orange, some other fruit (like apricot), again oak with tannins, vanilla, some caramel (slightly sweet)
Finish: wet cask with earh, some spice, wet wood with orange peels

Material: molasses
Age: 8-15 years
Barrel: used American oak barrels that had previously held bourbon
Master Blender: Allen Smith

Sweetness: 2/5
Spice: 3.5/5
Fruit: 2/5
Mildness: 3.5/5
Value (32€): 3.5/5

Some similar rums: Barcelo Onyx, same wet cask taste, much more malt, not the same fruits, more apricot in taste.

In April 2020 threre a new XO triple cask was released.
I already rated it, see my rating if you liked this one.

GaryGary 🇬🇧 | 10 ratings
Posted over 4 years ago

This is my favourite rum for around £30 , quite dry and very oaky, good for an ld fashioned

wArChiEf 🇦🇹 | 17 ratings
Posted over 4 years ago

This is the real thing! For this price you get a very nice, smooth, sugareless premium crafted rum. The leaving is great and long, go for it !




Brand Details

Name: XO Extra Old
ABV: 40%
Type: Mount Gay
Raw Material: Unknown
Process: Pure blend (1 distillery)
Distillation: Unknown
Women leading Rum: Yes

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