Barbados Spirits

Producer Description 

Mount Gay Black Barrel is a blend of older rums than previously, matured for between three and seven years, and finished in heavily-charred ex-bourbon casks for six months before bottling.

Complex aromas of toasted oak, warm spices, apples and oranges fill the nose. The palate offers a balance of bold spices and juicy fruit, with hints of sweet caramel and creamy vanilla.

Mount Gay | Eclipse Rum | Barbados | 1.0L

Founded in 1703, Mount Gay is the world’s oldest commercially produced rum, born on the coral limestone soils of Barbados where the island’s natural coral-filtered water and centuries of distilling tradition converge. Eclipse is the house benchmark — the reference blend that Master Blender Trudiann Branker uses as the standard against which every other Mount Gay expression is measured. For rum aficionados worldwide, it is simply the rum by which all others are judged.

A blend of column and pot still rums aged in charred American oak, Eclipse opens with warm aromas of vanilla, banana, and toasted oak, with hints of dried fruit and subtle spice. The palate is smooth and approachable — round and medium-bodied with flavors of caramel, tropical fruit, and a gentle warmth that carries through to a clean, lingering finish. Exceptionally versatile: sip neat, on the rocks, or as the backbone of a classic rum cocktail.

• Producer: Mount Gay Distilleries, Barbados
• Style: Blended Rum (Column & Pot Still)
• Aging: Charred American Oak
• Master Blender: Trudiann Branker
• Origin: Barbados (Est. 1703)
• ABV: 40%
• Size: 1.0L
• Serve: Neat, on the rocks, or in cocktails (Daiquiri, Dark & Stormy, Rum Punch)

Mount Gay Eclipse Gold Rum — Barbados

Mount Gay is the world’s oldest running rum distillery, established in 1703 on the island of Barbados — and the Eclipse is its flagship expression, the Heritage Blend by which Master Blender Trudiann Branker calibrates every other rum in the portfolio. Named after the 1910 total solar eclipse, the Eclipse is built on Mount Gay’s signature “double-still” character: a blend of rums distilled in traditional copper pot stills and column stills, then matured in ex-American whiskey casks. The result is a gold rum of remarkable balance and versatility — equally at home in a cocktail shaker or sipped neat. Wine Enthusiast awarded it 91 points and named it a Best Buy. It took Gold at the 2025 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. For many rum aficionados, Eclipse is the reference by which all rum should be measured.

The nose opens with fresh vanilla, almond, ripe banana, and a hint of dark chocolate. On the palate, it is golden and mild with notes of brown sugar, oak, and warming baking spice, finishing crisp and bright. A splash of water or soda opens up the banana and floral notes beautifully — the classic “Stiggins” serve. Mixed with ginger beer and a lime wedge, it becomes the national drink of Barbados.

“Golden and mild. Look for notes of brown sugar, oak and warming baking spice throughout, ending on a crisp, bright finish.” — Wine Enthusiast, 91 Points • Best Buy

• Producer: Mount Gay Distilleries, Barbados (est. 1703)
• Expression: Eclipse — Heritage Blend
• Style: Gold Rum
• Distillation: Copper pot still & column still blend
• Maturation: Ex-American whiskey casks
• Size: 750ml
• Tasting Notes: Vanilla, almond, ripe banana, dark chocolate, brown sugar, oak, baking spice, crisp finish
• Best Served: Neat or with a splash of water • Rum & ginger beer with lime • Daiquiri • Rum cake or flambéed bananas

A 91-point Best Buy from the world’s oldest rum distillery — Mount Gay Eclipse is the benchmark for what Barbadian gold rum can be.

Producer Description 

The marriage of two quintessential Barbadian delicacies: rum and coconuts. Working with local coconut farmers, we spent four years tinkering with recipes until we landed on the perfect process.

The the ripe coconuts are cut and dried under the Caribbean sun, then infused in our 100% Barbadian rum, distilled at the Stade’s West Indies Rum Distillery.

A true celebration of these two icons of island culture.

Today, Planteray Cut & Dry is a very limited product but it will grow in sync with the increase of coconut agriculture on the island.

Expert Reviews

Ultimate Spirits Challenge 2023 – 95 points Great Value
Ultimate Spirits Challenge 2022 Top 100 spirits & 95 Chairman’s Trophy
New Orleans Spirits Competition 2024 – Gold Medla & Best of category: Flavored Rum

Planteray 5 Years Old Barbados Old Traditional Rum — Barbados & Cognac, France (750ml)

Planteray — formerly known as Plantation Rum — is one of the world’s most celebrated craft rum houses, renowned for their meticulous double-aging process and their deep collaboration with the Cognac region of France. The 5 Years Old Barbados is the house’s flagship expression: a very fine blend of Barbados rums, aged for a minimum of five years in ex-Bourbon casks in the Caribbean, then shipped to Château de Bonbonnet in the Cognac region to be refined in old Pierre Ferrand Cognac casks — a finishing technique that adds extraordinary depth, complexity, and a silky elegance that sets Planteray apart from any other rum in its class. Wine Enthusiast awarded it 94 points and a Best Buy designation.

The nose is succulent and inviting: toasted coconut, fudge, mellow brown sugar, and oaky vanilla — classic Barbados style at its most expressive. On the palate, the rum is exceedingly smooth and creamy, opening with vanilla, toasted marshmallow, and vanilla wafers, winding into a long, warming finish tinged with espresso and allspice. It is exceptional straight, on ice, or as the backbone of a premium cocktail.

Wine Enthusiast 94 Best Buy — "This tawny rum offers a mellow brown sugar aroma. The exceedingly smooth palate opens with plenty of creamy vanilla, plus hints of toasted marshmallow and vanilla wafers, winding into a long finish tinged with espresso and allspice."

• Producer: Planteray (formerly Plantation Rum), Cognac, France
• Origin: Barbados (distillation) & Cognac, France (finishing)
• Age: Minimum 5 years
• Aging: Ex-Bourbon casks in Barbados, then Pierre Ferrand Cognac casks at Château de Bonbonnet
• Style: Old Traditional Rum (O.T.R.)
• Size: 750ml
• Tasting Notes: Toasted coconut, fudge, brown sugar, vanilla, toasted marshmallow, espresso, allspice
• Best Enjoyed: Neat, on ice, or in premium cocktails (Daiquiri, Old Fashioned, Mai Tai)

A 94-point Best Buy rum from one of the world’s most celebrated craft rum houses — Planteray 5 Years Old Barbados is the benchmark for what double-aged, Cognac-finished Caribbean rum can deliver.

Planteray Original Dark Rum — Barbados & Jamaica, 1 Liter

Planteray (formerly Plantation) is one of the world's most respected rum houses, celebrated for sourcing exceptional Caribbean distillates and blending them with the precision and patience of a great cognac house. Original Dark is their benchmark expression: a blend of Barbados rum — the backbone, prized for its elegance and structure — with a smaller proportion of older Jamaican rum aged 10 to 15 years, which adds depth, funk, and tropical complexity. Wine Enthusiast awarded it 93 points. At $29.99 for a full liter, it is one of the most compelling values in premium dark rum.

The nose is layered and inviting: black peppercorn, clove, cinnamon, baked cherry, prune, molasses, forest floor, black tea, and dry stone. On the palate, the entry is fruity and slightly off-dry — white raisins, dried pineapple, oak, and vanilla — before the midpalate shifts to something spicier, more mineral, and significantly drier. Dark fruit, dusty cocoa powder, and a fleeting hint of pineapple build toward a long, warming finish of cinnamon and cayenne. Complex, balanced, and endlessly sippable.

Wine Enthusiast 93 — "The palate tells a more complex story, opening with oak and vanilla before rounding to dark fruit, a fleeting hint of pineapple and dusty cocoa powder. Cinnamon and cayenne sparks emerge on the long, warming finish."

• Producer: Planteray (Maison Ferrand), Cognac, France
• Origin: Barbados (primary) & Jamaica (10–15 year aged)
• Style: Blended Dark Rum
• ABV: 40% (80 Proof)
• Size: 1 Liter
• Tasting Notes: Clove, cinnamon, baked cherry, prune, molasses, vanilla, cocoa, cayenne finish
• Best Served: Neat, over ice, or in classic rum cocktails
• Best In: Dark & Stormy, Mai Tai, rum Old Fashioned, or sipped straight

A 93-point blended dark rum at an honest liter price — Planteray Original Dark is the benchmark for what Caribbean rum can be.

Falernum is indigenous to Barbados, where Velvet Falernum is a longtime staple item of its many resorts and bars. The sweetness, spice and almond character of this rum-based liqueur provides weight and texture to classic rum and wine punches.

Today, Falernum is a staple for tropical drinks such as swizzles, Zombies, and other Tiki drinks. Try the island favorite with 2 parts aged rum, 3 dashes Angostura and a squeeze of lime.

Add to wine and orange juice for a quick, delicious Sangria. John D Taylor’s Velvet Falernum is considered by many as the original Falernum, and is today produced by famed rum distiller R.L. Seale Ltd.