The Duchess Mount Gay Barbados 19 19yr 54,3%

"Out of a small cross tasting: Rum Mercenary is the most lifely with some floral notes while the other three have a more similar profile. Rum Cask is very well balanced an approchable. RumClub feels the most intense with some funky notes. The Duchess is the most elegant out of the bunch and my personal winner."

"This one was a huge surprise because it's not a typical Bajan rum nor the typical Mount Gay. They have managed to manipulate the final result in a very nice and surprising way. The nose is fruity and floral with sugarcane, nuts, light wood and a hint of vanilla. The palate is well balanced and lightly dry with fruit, sugarcane, floral notes and wood as again onlt a hint of vanilla. The finish is long and fruity with oak and a very light bitterness which becomes it pretty well. Price to quality is very good in my mind."

"We tasted four Mount Gay 2000 releases at the Rum-X Community Tasting. The tasting was very entertaining, but the rums only contributed a small part. Overall, the rums were super similar, with the differences being in the nuances. Personally, I don't like the profile as much, as it just lacks fruit. This one has the nicest nose out of the flight. It's more elegant than the others, reminiscent of light Worthy Parks or maybe Appletons. There is a present fruit of bananas and ripe melons, but behind that again the cloves and tobacco we know from the others are waiting. On the palate, fruit and floral notes keep the balance, wood and spices rather in the background: banana and pine needles. The banana remains in the mouth for a long time."

"Comparison of 3 Mount Gay 2000s last night with two friends: The rum mercenary: a very greedy nose, with marzipan and some yellow fruit. Super pleasant. The palate is in line with the nose, with no surprises. In the end, it's good but lacks a little complexity. The rum cask: there's no doubt about it, it's the same rum except for a few minor differences. Here, the wood is more prominent on the nose, but also on the palate, resulting in a slightly bitter finish. This makes the nose a lot nicer on this rum. The duchess: once again, it's clear that this is the same rum, but with a more woody profile. Except that, surprisingly, it's better integrated than on the rum cask, more balanced and gourmand. All in all, the best of the 3 for us last night."

"floral, buttery and spicy sample. Maybe I smell a hint of marzipan, but a dry marzipan."