The history of Barbados and the production of fine rum are indelibly tied together. Some history books suggest that rum is the oldest distilled spirit in the world, and that Barbados is the birthplace. Explorers to the new world are said to have returned with bottles of rum as proof that they actually discovered something ‘new’.
As a rum enthusiast, what we found was several brands of incomparable taste and quality. And we found an interesting mix of old world techniques and new age technology. Our favorites currently reside in our liquor cabinet…. front row! We took home two specific brands that particularly struck our fancy.
Our favorite is the St. Nicholas Abbey 10 year old Rum. Produced at the St. Nicholas Abbey plantation in the middle of sugar cane fields, this historic landmark is also indelibly tied to the history of Barbados. The house was built in 1658 from brick and limestone, so the fact that it survives to this day is enough to make it a site worth preserving. But now, with copper pot stills and oak barrels, St. Nicholas Abbey is producing a 10 year old rum that has a light complexion and coats the sides of your glass. It has a nose like a fine brandy. As it hits your tongue the first sensation is a peppery tang, followed by the lovely after bite of a fine brandy. All in all the effect is marvelous, and we would suggest that the St. Nicholas Abbey Rum would take quite well to being warmed up in a snifter.
We were also treated to Mount Gay Extra Old Rum. Mount Gay is a blended rum made from a combination of distilled and double-distilled rums. Mount Gay employs charred oak barrels that were imported from Kentucky, having once been used in the production of Kentucky bourbon. The result is a fine rum
with a distinct flavor and color. The Mount Gay Extra Old has a darker complexion and yet does not coat the side of the glass at all. The nose is quite bourbon-like, very sippin-whiskyish. But when the Mount Gay Extra Old hits your mouth, there is no pepper. There is just pleasure. To quote an old television show character I once watched; “Not enough O’s in smooooooooth”!
Mount Gay also produces the Apes Hill Club house brand. So when you visit Apes Hill Club and order your ‘black and coke’, you’ll still be getting the Mount Gay Extra Old. And that, as the saying goes, is a good thing!
