Mount Gay Rum

Jonathan Ray visits the oldest rum distillery in the world and gets his hands dirty blending

My travels round the Caribbean wouldn’t be complete without a trip to Mount Gay, the longest-established rum brand in the world. The oldest surviving deed from the company shows that it was in operation as early as 1703 and it was quite probably established many years before that. Either way, it’s fair to say that Mount Gay knows what it’s about when it comes to making rum and I have to confess that I’ve always loved their stuff. Every drinks cabinet, back bar or shelf in the kitchen should have a bottle of Mount Gay Eclipse – for sipping by the fire in the winter and for sloshing into cocktails in the summer.

The distillery is based in the north of Barbados and my guide for the morning – Romal Jones – tells me that Barbados, meaning ‘bearded ones’, was the name given to the island by the Portuguese when they visited in 1536, thanks to the lush, ‘bearded’ fig trees that grew in abundance there.