Mount Gay Distillery Barbados
Are you thinking of taking a trip to Barbados? If so, then visit the historic Mount Gay Distillery. During my last trip home to Barbados, I decided to visit our historic Mount Gay distillery. Barbados is the birthplace of rum; since 1703, Mount Gay Rum has been distributed all over the world and is a favorite among rum connoisseurs.
Located at 9RP+WP2, Mount Gay, Barbados, this facility is easy to locate as transportation is made possible when booking each visit. I decided to book the distillery experience, which lasted a full 2 hours. Check out my detailed visit below, leave a comment, and tell me what you think.
“HERITAGE.
NOT HISTORY.
Barbados, the birthplace of rum. The birthplace of Mount Gay. Since 1703.”
When I first arrived at the facility, its grandness stood out. I traveled down a long road, reached security, and was then led to the tour house to await the other guests. The smell of rum was very obvious in the air and was a little intoxicating at times.
The tour house was incredibly beautiful on the outside as well as on the inside. The veranda provided a perfect view of the facility, and the seating made me feel right at home.
“MOUNT GILBOA BECOMES MOUNT GAY.
A bit of irony here. Mount Gay and our historic landscape were originally owned by John Sober, who inherited a small distillery at the top of Mount Gilboa in the St. Lucy parish of Barbados, far back in 1703.”
When all of the guests arrived, we entered the tour home. This home is one of the original buildings that dates back to the 1700s. The interior was nice and cozy and displayed many of its original furnishings. The history of rum-making is on full display, from the use of sugar cane to fermentation and more.
Many books are also on display that detail the history of Barbados, sugar cane, rum making, and more.
Before the full tour starts, a welcome drink is provided to each guest. The ingredients are lime juice, simple syrup, eclipse rum, bitters, passion fruit, and water.
The tour starts with the tour guide providing a full breakdown of the history of Mount Gay, the main ingredients used for making Mount Gay rum, the name, and the rum-making process.
“HERITAGE.
NOT HISTORY.
It takes every drop of our heritage—past and present—to make Mount Gay rum. From the founding in 1703 to the legendary leadership of Sir John Gay Alleyne To the digging of our first and only well. The well still operates to this day, over 300 years later. To the single-strand fields of cane we’re planting at the estate today. It’s all part of Mount Gay. A story you can taste in every bottle And a heralded rum heritage. This is more than rum.”
Mount Gay Distillery Barbados
The Orchard
One of the first stops on the tour was the beautiful orchard that is on-site; we were able to pick from the cherry tree and sample a Bajan cherry. The orchard is also home to many banana, mango, and guava trees.
Coral-filtered water
Behind the orchard, we got to sample the coral-filtered water that is used in the rum-making process. The water comes from the hand-dug well on site that is over 300 feet deep. This all-natural water is collected and used solely on-site for making Mount Gay rum.
The next leg of the tour took us to the building where the distillation process takes place. We were not allowed to take pictures of the equipment, but we were able to sample the molasses used.
“DISTILLATION
PERFECTING THE POT AND COLUMN.”
The rum maker’s art blossoms during the process of distillation. Here, the secrets of generations materialize as rum vapors and flavors rise above the water in copper stills. The pot is still a true mark of rum-making, producing intense aromatics and flavor from double distillation. The column still is an ingenious single-distill design that creates a rum that’s markedly smooth in taste and character. Both of these are blended and mature. Creating the quality and legacy of rum that can only be Mount Gay
The Mount Gay Distillery sources molasses from both Barbados and other neighboring Caribbean islands. The local molasses, sourced from Barbados, has a higher sugar content due to the alkalinity in the soil, which adds acidity and flavor to the sugarcane, leading to a higher yield in production. The Caribbean molasses contains different minerals from the region, depending on where it was grown. The brand is rigorous in the quality control of its molasses. The combination of the two types gives the distillery a good balance, lower levels of sweetness, and a persistent flavor.
Source thespiritseducator.com
The best part of the tour was saved for last; we visited the warehouse where all of the rum was kept and aged. At Mount Gay, each blend uses different barrels to perfect the taste. The distillery uses many barrels, including virgin casks or ex-spirit casks like Bourbon, Cognac, whisky, Madeira, Port, a red wine from Burgundy, Sauternes, and Pedro Ximénez.
Information source: TheSpiritsEducator.com
Tasting of two (2) rums
Mount Gay Black Barrel Double Cask Blend and Mount Gay XO
The last part of the tour was very satisfying; we were all eager to try two of Mount Gay’s finest rums. We got to sample the Mount Gay Black Barrel Double Cask Blend and the Mount Gay XO. The tour guide did a wonderful job breaking down the different smells and tastes associated with sampling Mount Gay rum.
This truly was an amazing experience. Visitors and locals should visit this historic site. Besides visiting the distillery, Mount Gay is also host to various events, such as An Evening at Mount Gay, a masterclass cocktail workshop, and more.
I simply loved the distillery experience tour from Mount Gay. From start to finish, it was well-organized and engaging. The experience left me wanting to book more tours offered by Mount Gay. If you're visiting Barbados or a local, this is an amazing experience. Mount Gay offers additional tours that can be booked directly from their website. HISTORIC DISTILLERY TOURS.
All pictures were taken by FoodNFashion. Many areas of the Mount Gay Distillery tour were restricted, and pictures were prohibited. Should you be interested in this tour, please book on their official website.
