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Mount Gay Extra Old (often written "OX") is a blend of rums aged between 8 and 15 years in American bourbon barrels.
Mount Gay Distilleries is the oldest operating distillery in the Americas - producing rum in Barbados since 1703. It's original name was Mount Gilboa, and in 1801 renamed Mount Gay after the distillery's manager Sir John Gay Alleyne.
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This rum has some wonderful attributes that could bump it all the way to a 8. Unfortunately it also has some serious flaws.
So let's get into the nitty gritty. I got this bottle for $44US which is roughly the same as other premium rums but twice as much as RL Seale's Doorly's line of rums. Given the high reviews here I was expecting great things from this rum, but alas it comes up just short of greatness.
The nose is Bananas, Vanilla, Caramel, Fine Tobacco, and notes of Leather. An interesting and fairly pleasant mix. When you take a sip you immediately notice the Oak which then transitions into a mix of Caramel, light Banana notes, Fine Tobacco, and Black Pepper. The combination is an interesting and pleasant mix which many will love. I like it a good deal, but I don't quite love it. The finish is Caramel with notes of Bananas that come and go (one sip the Banana finish is instantly noticeable, the next sip it only shows up as a light whiff). However, here is where the negative shows up. There is a lingering sour that remains on the back of my tongue and the roof of my mouth long after I put the glass down that can only be described as a leather sour. This kind of kills the nice memories the nose and palate build upon. The ultimate result is that this rum constantly morphs anywhere between a 9 (nose) and a 6 (aftertaste) with a mean experience I would quantify around 7.3 - i.e. solid but not spectacular; or more precisely wonderful but simultaneously flawed. You could analogize it to a football (soccer) team that is clearly talented, but doesn't have team chemistry yet - you see flashes of brilliance coupled with frustration.
I have no doubt that as I come back to this bottle, my rating will change...however, in which direction I just can't tell yet. I will say that Doorly's 12 year is a spectacular Bajan rum, with none of the drawbacks of MGXO, available for literally half the price of this rum so the fact that this rum is twice the price and still suffers the flaws it does drops this from an 8 to a 7 in the final tally.
*Update July 2020* Having let it sit for 10 minutes and then trying it in my snifter, the extra aeration does help marginally and adds a slight buttery flavor on the back end of the palate. That said the sour still lingers and still depreciates the experience. If they could eliminate the pucker sour on the back end, this rum would be a full 9. Alas, it remains and drags this rum down a bit...and that's a shame because the rest of the experience is quite pleasant. At $44US this rum is a bit too expensive to have a flaw of that magnitude stand out in an otherwise great experience. Doorly's 12 year has a similar but far superior profile, without the flaws, and can be brought here in the US for literally half the price.
*Update August 2020* A fellow rum aficionado suggested drinking this on the rocks over coconut water ice cubes. I took his advice and it absolutely floored me. It is the nectar of the Gods. MGXO+Coconut Water Ice cubes is insanely good because the coconut water nullifies the sour while adding another dimension to this rum. Drinking this rum neat is a just ok. Drinking it over coconut water ices cubes raises to magnificent.Granted it that is juicing, but it instantly turns this rum into a star player.
Nose: 8
Palate: 7
Aftertaste: 5
Smoothness: 6
Versatility: 9
Price: 6
Total: 6.8