Product Launch - US: Remy-Cointreau's Mount Gay Black Barrel

Mount Gay Rum, known as the “Rum that invented Rum,” has announced the launch of Mount Gay Black Barrel in the U.S. market, a new marque proudly released in celebration of the brand’s 310th anniversary. With select availability nationwide beginning in April, Black Barrel reinforces the brand’s craft, refinement, and unparalleled excellence since 1703.

For more than three centuries, Mount Gay Rum has perpetuated a long-standing Barbadian tradition, producing the world’s oldest, refined rum. Only the finest sugar cane molasses and pure water filtered through the coral heart of the island are selected to create Mount Gay Rum. Mount Gay Black Barrel boasts double pot distillation and maturing in bourbon oak barrels which are combined with the harmonious blending orchestrated by the Master Blender to create an outstanding rum.

All Mount Gay rums are made from a blend of single column and double copper pot distillates and matured in toasted oak barrels. Black Barrel has a higher proportion of double distillates and, after hand selection by Master Blender Allen Smith, Black Barrel is the only marque finished in charred bourbon oak barrels. The result is a bold tasting rum with notes of pepper, spice and wood that provide remarkable body and fullness. On the nose, Black Barrel is a blend of fruit, oaky vanilla, and sweet caramel.

According to Smith, Black Barrel is “Ready when it’s ready, not before.” Smith, who oversees the brand’s maturation facility in Barbados’ parish of St. Lucy, joined Mount Gay distilleries in 1991, and was instrumental in the development of the award-winning Extra Old blend. Smith continues, “Rum blending is an art passed down for generations, and I am honored to continue the brand’s focus on innovation and refinement with the introduction of Black Barrel. We are thrilled to give our consumers an exceptional, high-quality spirit to appreciate for years to come.”

In recognition of its anniversary, new packaging will be introduced to the entire Mount Gay portfolio of premium rums: 1703 Old Cask Selection, Extra Old, Eclipse, and Eclipse Silver. Black Barrel continues the brand’s growth in the U.S. retailing for $29.99, and is the first rum to adorn the new packaging.

Original source: Company Release