(Photo: Mount Gay)
On Monday, Barbados-based Mount Gay distillery unveiled the second expression in its Single Estate Series. The bottling, which bears the elaborate moniker "24_02_Vt18d2" (we'll simply refer to it as 24_02), is designed as an ode to the terroir of the Caribbean.
The expression was produced using 100% molasses from sugarcane grown on the Mount Gay Estate in 2018. After fermenting for nine days, the molasses was distilled in copper pot stills and matured for an undisclosed amount of time in ex-bourbon barrels. The end result was bottled at 55% ABV, just a couple of notches shy of navy strength.
It wasn't until 2015 that Mount Gay — the world's oldest-running rum distillery — acquired acreage on its estate that allowed it to vertically integrate production from field to bottle. Its Single Estate Series thus acts as an encapsulation of a time, flavor and place unique to its headquarters in St. Lucy, Barbados.
Master distiller Trudiann Branker says that the new expression balances bold aromas of citrus and sweet fruit with a complex palate of plums, banana, almonds, sea salt and slight milk chocolate. 24_02 has been limited to just 5,418 bottles worldwide, 1,200 of which are now available in the U.S. at a suggested retail price of $400.
"24_02 showcases the unique character of Mount Gay's Estate on a single year, made with 100% sugar cane grown on the Estate, in St Lucy, Barbados, illustrating further our connection to Mount Gay's heritage and terroir, allowing consumers to discover the influence of a warm and sunny season until the harvest," Branker remarked in a news release.
We had a chance to taste the first expression in the Single Estate Series when it dropped in 2023 and were blown away by the results. Similar to this year's drop, the expression was aged in ex-bourbon barrels and bottled at 55% ABV; unlike this year's, it was distilled from a blend of two harvests sourced from 2016 and 2017.
We found a lot to like in its spicy aroma and richened palate of sweet mango, coconut shavings, honey, toffee and cracked pepper. The expression currently sits at a Raided Score® of 93 — the highest of any in the distiller's portfolio. With luck, Mount Gay will be able to strike gold twice with its latest rendition.
Explaining the release's intricate name, Branker remarked:
"This detail is reflected in the stunning blue label - '24' representing for the release year and '02' for the release number in the series. As a new feature, 'Vt18' stands for 'Vintage 18', referring to the single-year sugar cane harvest used in this expression, and 'd2' stands for the fact that I blended together distillates from two distinct pot still distillations."
