Mount Gay 1703 Old Cask

Chewy molasses, rich butterscotch, fragrant toffee, a light touch of vanilla and cocoa - this rum has it all. I read an interview with RL Seale, (the Foursquare guy), who said that most rum drinkers think they like sweet rum but what they really like is sweetened rum. No doubt he'd add that if drinkers gave a pure, un-sugared rum like this one (and his own superb Foursquare rums) a chance they'd appreciate the immense pleasure from all that they have to offer. They are naturally sweet, and so much more.

I found a bottle for US $85, a steal after shelling out $160 for Flor de Cana 25. Both are mighty tasty, but the 1703 is a treasure. Straight up, right?

A nice looking bottle that comes in a cheap paperbox (picture).

When you first smell the rum you find it a bit sticky but when it rests for a few minutes you get a nice smell of fruit, honey and oak.

The taste is a bit sweet with vanilla, oak and spice. You also sense some oak and spice on the quite long aftertaste.

I think this rum nice but a bit overpriced.

Taste profile similar to Mount Gay XO but almost triple the price. Prefer Abuelo Centuria at this price point.

More richness, leather and wood than Extra Old, but pricy. For slow sipping.

Among my absolute favorite Barbadian rum. Rumor has it that it's a blend of rum between 10 and 30 years. The nose is full and interesting with oak, leather, tobacco, coconut, subtle butterscotch and something slightly acidic and sweet, reminding me of juicy pears. Fantastic. The taste is exceptional and to me balanced perfectly. It's full bodied, initially with ripe pears and a subtle hint of butterscotch sweetness quickly fading into refined notes of vanilla stained oak and tobacco. The finish lingers for a long time. World class rum worth every penny. I simply feel that skillfully aged and unsweetened rum like this, offer a delicate taste profile, that non of the additive rums can hope to achieve. Beautiful and flirting with a 10.

So I have bench marked this against plantation 20 year old XO. Not as smooth as if you are a lover of whisky. Has a slightly medical taste and not the smooth sweet molasses taste of a rum.

This is a decent rum, but for my taste the bourbon barrel aging seems to overpower the rum flavor a little more than I like. Smells and tastes of bourbon, oak, caramel, with just a touch of vanilla. Pretty smooth, and if you like bourbon aging, you might enjoy this even more than I did.

Mount Gay continues to craft varieties that out shine many of the competition. This is a beautiful example

Caramel, pear, molasses, excellence. Great offering but a wee bit pricey. Smooth obviously and what rum should taste like. Hints of wood are kept in the background so this sweet rum with flavours of pear, apricot and caramel delivers. Bottle went a bit too quick actually...

This is a rum drinkers treasure. A high end rum thats both smooth wand rich. A great aftertaste - I recommend sipping on rocks and savouring every ounce. On that note- time to pour another glass!