(Photo: Mount Gay)
Mount Gay, the world's oldest rum distillery, rebuilt a decommissioned copper Coffey still to deliver something special for its seventh annual Master Blender Collection release.
On Tuesday, the Barbados-based distillery unveiled just 5,004 bottles of the aptly named Coffey Still expression. Aged for four years in heavily charred ex-bourbon casks, the rum was produced using a still installed in the early 1940s and officially retired in 1976. The brand says it had to collect its various pieces from across the distillery and the Mount Gay Museum to rebuild the ancient still.
"This expression has nothing to do with coffee you drink in the morning, and everything to do with the person who developed this style of distillation and still," Master Distiller Trudiann Branker remarked during a media roundtable.
The namesake still was invented by Irishman Aeneas Coffey in 1830. Commonly referred to as the column still, the apparatus can continuously distill spirits without manual cleaning between each batch. The process typically results in higher proof spirits, a legacy that Mount Gay pays tribute to at 58%-ABV in its latest release.
Equally instrumental in the expression's influences is Reynold "Blues" Hinds, a distillation expert who helped rebuild the still two years before he passed in 2021. Now succeeded by his son Wave Rollock, who also works at the distillery, Blues joined Mount Gay back in 1963. The antique Coffey still has been renamed the Blue's Still in his honor.
"Crafting this expression was a journey into the heart of Mount Gay's history," Branker said. "Blues' influence on the rums we all enjoy today is immeasurable, and this release is a tribute to his legacy and the craftsmanship that defines Mount Gay."
The Coffey Still expression is said to balance aromas of pear, vanilla, nutmeg and leather with a toasty palate of grapefruit, honey and cinnamon. The bottling will soon be made available online at $199.
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