Elliott Erwitt (Magnum)

Beau contraste et belle complexité

A pretty OK Mount Gay release. Nice and fruity with spices and wood. The ABV could have been better integrated, but it's not off by a lot. A very long and warm finish and the empty glass is nice. Price to quality is so so.

Solider Rum, aber trotz 60% nicht wirklich intensiv. Für mich ein durchschnittlicher Mount Gay, der mit klassischen Barbados-Noten wie Karamell, Frucht und viel Röstaromen daherkommt. Im Abgang etwas unausgewogen.

Went for a trip to the other side of the country, where I had been informed there was a wide varity of good stuff. The magnum edition gives me a better overall impression, than the 0.7 L. A fruity vanilla sweetness in the nose, and notes of wood, dried fruits and spices. Alcohol could be better integrated.

I think now I do recognize Mount Gay when I encounter it, it has (to me at last) usually a quite spicy, hot and dry profile, not my favorite profile, usually. This is no different. Aside from the usuals I get some initial sweetness, that goes away fast to a woody profile that lingers, while spices and pepper take over. The finish is, as usual, quite hot and dry. While the nose had some fruit, the tongue got nothing like that.

Ah damn, if only there were not this alcoholic note in particular and we would have here a fantastic forest in the glass. On the palate I got some unripe fruit that is slightly tart, I think currant. The finish is joined by bitter orange and a tiny bit of coconut. Tip: Let breathe very long so that the alcohol evaporates somewhat. Otherwise, a tasty treat.

Nose evolves rather quickly from coconuts / cacoa / coffee to something more spicy and musty. Gives the bottling some nice character. Glue persists throughout its lifetime in my glas. Wow, very unexpected on the palate. On the plus side: wood, espresso, some reminisce of wett trees. On the down side: the alcoholic (?) notes remind me of burning plastic or some heavy chemical smell. Well… this is interesting as the taste is very much different from what I expected from a MG bottling. However, I would not rate this „enjoyable“ per se. Nice for the esteemed rum nerd to see something different but nothing I would need any other drop of on top of the sample I just had.

One of the better Mount Gay rums I know - but the profile remains too insignificant for me. Alcohol integration seems to be a constant challenge of the distillates, moreover, the flavor spectrum remains overall quite close together. Smoky notes, oak, spices - here for a change with some tropical fruit freshness. Can not inspire me, unfortunately.

I would have blindly guessed Clarendon. On the palate first relatively mild and round, then quite bitter and astringent in the finish. Not so my case.