Mount Gay Rums

[coviepresb1647]

I have seen and tried 4 Mount Gay Rums: Sugar Cane Rum, Sugar Cane Brandy, Eclipse (Gold) Rum, and Extra Old. I can clearly differentiate the Extra Old from the other 3 as it has a heavy oak note to it and reminds me of whiskey (my 2nd favourite liquor). I can't tell the difference yet between the 3 other rums except price. What difference is there between the Sugar Cane Rum, Sugar Cane Brandy, and Eclipse (Gold) Rum? If Eclipse Gold is supposed be refined, then why does it cost less than the Sugar Cane Rum in my local liquor store?

[RobertBurr]

Sugar Cane Brandy must be labeled Sugar Cane Rum in the US, since brandy, by law, must be made from grapes. They're the same.

The Sugar Cane is slightly sweeter and more flavorful than the standard eclipse, which is a bit drier. Some have said Eclipse Silver tastes just like Eclipse (Gold).

[rumdog007]

Robert, I second all of that. Methinks, the Silver is the same product as the gold Eclipse with a filtering, or 2, cast into the process. Same overall taste. The Sugar Cane Rum/Brandy is a favorite occasional sipper (after an Italian meal) and a great mixer for some of my favorite drinks. It can sweeten a rum based cocktail. I find the XO in a class with other top-shelfers which I drink neat. For me, a guy with a less than decerning tongue, I'll welcome a snort of XO anytime and mix the regular Eclipse in most any cocktail calling for a gold rum.

[Count Silvio]

Read here the official tasting notes for both Silver and Gold (http://www.refinedvices.com/forum_/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=176&p=1243#p1243) (for comparison reasons) I've also attached a large picture for your viewing pleasure and the suggested retail prices.

I was originally going to get a sample of Silver Eclipse but due to difficulties in communicating and the fact that I was probably directed to the wrong representatives (in wrong country), this never happened.

[Edward Hamilton]

I have seen and tried 4 Mount Gay Rums: Sugar Cane Rum, Sugar Cane Brandy, Eclipse (Gold) Rum, and Extra Old. I can clearly differentiate the Extra Old from the other 3 as it has a heavy oak note to it and reminds me of whiskey (my 2nd favourite liquor). I can't tell the difference yet between the 3 other rums except price. What difference is there between the Sugar Cane Rum, Sugar Cane Brandy, and Eclipse (Gold) Rum? If Eclipse Gold is supposed be refined, then why does it cost less than the Sugar Cane Rum in my local liquor store?

Refined Eclipse is the flagship brand from Mount Gay, the others you mention are aged longer and are therefore more expensive to make.

As Rob pointed out, Sugar Cane Brandy and Sugar Cane Rum are two names for what is supposed to be the same product. In some markets the name Brandy is reserved for spirits made from grapes. On small Caribbean islands there is a lot more latitude in labeling.

I don't write supposed to be as a cynic, but in the past I noticed a difference in the Mount Gay Refined Eclipse sold in Barbados and that sold in other islands.

In the mid 90s, when Mount Gay Extra Old was introduced, not with a big marketing campaign since most of the people at Mount Gay at the time didn't think that product was going to be very popular, it was a real step up for the foreign owned company that wasn't nearly as well regarded as some of the other rum companies on Barbados. At that time, the general sentiment was "On Barbados we make a lot of rum, we drink the best and export the rest."

But things have changed and today Mount Gay Refined Eclipse is gaining market share on the island where it's made, which is one of the best indicators of quality I've seen in this industry.

Of course I prefer their Extra Old rum as a sipping rum, though it's commonly drunk with ginger ale and maybe a splash of Angostura bitters on Barbados. Next week I'll be tasting Mount Gay Silver, Sugar Cane Rum and their Extra Old rum in Washington DC at the Smithsonian (http://residentassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/reserve.aspx?performanceNumber=198492).

No, I'm not a resident assistant at the Smithsonian, but was asked to help taste some rum. It's good work if you can get it.

[Berbician]

According to Mount Gay, the Eclipse is aged for two years, the Sugar Cane Rum/Brandy is aged for five years and the Extra Old is aged for 10 years.

In some shops in the Caribbean - although not in Barbados - you will find the Sugar Cane Brandy in the same section as real brandy and not in the rum section.

[AlexS]

While we're all talking about Mount Gay, I'm having trouble tracking down the Extra Old in the DC/Metro area. Anyone have a favorite liquor store?