Gregarious Grump 2001 Non-Disclosed Barbados (Mt Gay) 20 Year – 53.8%
Stats: Independent bottling of rum from Barbados distilled in 2001 and aged 20 years in ex-Bourbon American oak, bottled at 53.8% with no filtration or additives. It is labeled “ND” (Non-Disclosed) distillery, but presumed to be from Mount Gay and 100% pot distillate. All GG labels state “continentally aged,” but it does not distinguish if this spent some time baking in the tropics or if it was aged entirely in Europe before being shipped to the US for release.
Source: Gregarious Grump provided this bottle to the Austin Rum Society for a virtual tasting event we did a couple months back with Kris Hart. I reserved a few ounces for myself to form this review.
Conditions: Consumed neat in a Glencairn over the course of three sessions with plenty of time to breath.
Nose: Buttered popcorn, salted caramel, brown sugar, candy corn, milk chocolate, very mild Windex, oats.
Mouth: Mild heat at first that lingers long in the throat. Pie crust, cinnamon bark, creamy caramel, hot rubber, rich funk, burnt tire, steaming tar, stale coffee, tree bark, papaya. A light, pleasant sweetness sticks around.
Final Thoughts: This is one of the better premium products I’ve tasted from Mount Gay. Supremely more approachable than HV Last Ward 2009 and more complex and enjoyable than the couple pot still distillery releases I’ve tried. The mellow continental aging services the pot still funk and it comes in at a sensible proof that encourages you to keep drinking and exploring its depth.
My Rating: 4
My Scale:
1 – I don’t want this in my mouth ever again
2 – Best used for mixing
3 – Decent sipper
4 – Very enjoyable
5 – I’m buying a back up bottle
Austin Rum Society 