Ever since I tasted  my first  wee glass of Mount Gay Rum, especially the Sugar Cane Brandy version, I have been hooked. It must be one of the most delicious alcoholic spirits that I have ever tasted.

Prior to my first trip to Barbados in 2005 I couldn’t even  stand the taste of rum and my favourite tipple was Single Malt Scottish Whisky.

Mount Gay Rum is seemingly the oldest rum maker, not only in Barbados but also in the world. There is actual surviving written documentation dated 20th of February 1703 that proves that rum was being produced on the Mount Gay estate from at least this period in time. I haven’t had the opportunity to enjoy the tour yet, but I will in the near future.

Being a Scottish born and bred loon and having lived in Scotland for most of my life so far, my favourite alcoholic spirit was of course Scottish whisky. Not any old Scottish whisky, I must admit I didn’t care too much for blended whisky. My whisky of choice would have been a good bottle of Single Malt such as Macallan 10 year old, Glenmorangie 10 year old or Dalwhinnie 15 year old. Each of those whiskies’s taste real smooth and I would periodically enjoy a wee glass or two of Scotland’s finest firewater.

When I was living in Scotland I suppose there wasn’t really a great choice of rums to choose from, I had tasted rums such as Morgans Spiced Rum, Captains Morgan and Havana Club all of which I didn’t really rate that highly. There was no way I would have ever had a glass of one of those feeble rums, instead of one of my favourite whiskies.

My viewpoint on rum changed forever when I visited Barbados for the first time during the summer of 2005. As usual when I go on holiday I try to immerse myself into the local culture of the country I’m visiting, I will taste as many local foods and drinks as I can. I can even remember the first time I tasted Mount Gay Rum. I had been taken out for drive up to St Lucy, by soon to become family members and was in a local rum shop, when I had my first glass of Mount Gay rum mixed with Sprite. I must admit I only accepted the drink out of politeness and I wasn’t expecting it to taste too good.

I was wrong, my first glass of Mount Gay rum totally changed my perception of rum, it was unbelievable sweet and smooth. I couldn’t believe I had never before tasted this rum, I thought it was one of the most delicious beverages known to mankind. The 4 of us soon polished off the first bottle of rum and another one was swiftly purchased. The best thing of all for me was that I woke up the next morning without a headache, which was a miracle considering how much rum I had consumed. I tell you I will never drink more than 3 or 4 nips of whisky in the same evening, because I know I will wake up the next day with a real bad headache.

I find it amazing that Mount Gay Rum is made from only, sugar canes and coral filtered water; the ingredients are of course then blended and aged to create an amazingly delicious beverage.

I have sampled Mount Gay Rum with sprite, coke and even Suplegen, and the other night I drank it with some fizzy lemon and limejuice. What can I say, apart from that Mount Gay rum tastes unbelievable good no matter what I drink it with. I’m just wondering how good it would taste if I poured some into a coconut and mixed it with the water that is something for me to try out sometime.

I have found since I moved to Barbados that a wee glass of rum and something is a great way to end another day in paradise, it sure helps to send me to sleep. The best thing of all is that a bottle of Mount Gay Rum, Sugar Cane Brandy only costs about $21, it would cost me around 3 or 4 times that to buy a bottle of one of my favourite whiskies back home in Scotland.

The above article was originally published on The Barbados Blog, which is probably the best and most informative blog relating to the Caribbean Island of Barbados, Barbados A Caribbean Island Paradise.

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