Mount Gay bottles PX Sherry-finished rum

Barbados-based rum producer Mount Gay has unveiled the sixth limited edition expression in its Master Blender Collection: The PX Sherry Cask Expression.

The Master Blender Collection is a celebration of Mount Gay’s heritage and expertise in rum making, and is released in limited quantities every year.

For this year’s release, master blender Trudiann Branker looked to southern Spain, where Pedro Ximénez Sherry is made.

The expression is crafted with pot and column still rums that have been aged in ex-American whiskey casks for a minimum of 20 years in the tropical heat and humidity of Barbados. This is said to have accentuated the interaction between the spirit and the wood.

The rums were then finished for an additional year in PX Sherry casks. 

“I was inspired by the process behind PX Sherry, and I wanted to discover how a well matured rum would interact with the richness of the casks used to age these fortified wines,” commented Branker. “Going through some of our oldest rums to find the right ones was an incredible journey, tasting rums that have been placed in our bonds two decades ago.”

Branker worked closely with her research and development team to explore some of Mount Gay’s oldest rums, searching for those suitable to be finished in PX Sherry wine casks.

“I was thrilled to find 20-year-old rums that stood up in terms of body and character to benefit from being finished in PX Sherry casks, and I’m honoured to add this to our Master Blender Collection,” she said.

Closely observing the rums over the final year of finishing, the PX Sherry wine casks are said to have created layers of roundness and complexity, and the long period of tropical ageing has provided a nose that is full of maraschino cherries, stewed fruits, charred oak and butterscotch.

Meanwhile, the palate brings red fruits, salted caramel, banana, toasted vanilla and oak.

This rum opens up over time, offering roundness and layers of flavour ‘that unfold with every sip’, and it is recommended enjoyed neat.

The new cask-aged bottling joins XO: The Peat Smoke Expression, created by former master blender Allen Smith in 2018, as well as The Pot Still Rum, The Port Cask Expression, Andean Oak Cask, and The Madeira Cask Expression, all created by Branker, who took over the master distiller role in 2019.

The Master Blender Collection: The PX Sherry Cask Expression is bottled at 45% ABV.

This expression will be limited to 4,200 bottles and will be available at select premium retailers globally in 700ml bottles for an RRP of £220 (US$289).