Crystal water. Blinding white beaches. A rich cultural heritage.
And the oldest rum distillery in the world?
Barbados may just be the perfect island.
Driving along winding roads flanked by lush sugar cane, this Montrealer spotted something on the horizon as I made my way to the birthplace of rum.
Perched on the northern tip of Barbados in the parish of St. Lucy (there are 11 parishes in Barbados), I counted down the seconds until I arrived at the iconic spot where it all began in 1703.
On the menu: a tour of the original grounds and fully-operational rum-making headquarters, pot stills and bonds. In short, a rum-drinkers paradise.
Picture 300 acres of rolling fields that serve the world.
Dripping in three centuries of history, with some dark periods in the rum distiller’s legacy, Mount Gay was (ironically) originally owned by John Sober in the 1700s.
Known as the Oxford plantation, in 1747 Sir John Gay Alleyne arrived, hence the name Mount Gay.
Walking out of the impossibly elegant main building, palm fronds swaying in the wind on either side, I put on my hard hat and was ready to go.
The first thing I learned from my tour guide was the deceptively simple recipe for making one of the world’s most appreciated beverages: water, yeast and molasses.
Walking across an impossibly grassy green lawn, the tour started at the discreet stone shed that houses Mount Gay’s artesian well.
The deep well, first dug in 1703 and still in use, provides the coral-filtered, mineral-rich water used to make the rum.
I ducked to enter the dark, well-ventilated molasses house, where hand-selected Barbadian and Caribbean sugarcane (originally introduced from Guyana) is harvested and refined into molasses—the malty syrup with complex notes.
And a proprietary yeast and native Bajan yeast carried by the breeze create an aromatic profile shaped by the island’s terroir.
With the smell of molasses lingering in the air, I climbed the stairs to the fermentation containers and stills, learning all about the process of heating and cooling.
As I carefully leaned over for a peek into the cavernous pot stills, I listened to our guide explain that due to the average temperature in Barbados (30 degrees celsius), the rum evaporates at a rate five times faster than a typical whiskey or cognac distiller.
I tasted the honey-like molasses for the very first time, which was sweeter than I imagined.
A short sun-soaked walk took me down to the bonds, where I stepped out of the heat into a cool, enormous warehouse where thousands of barrels are stacked to the ceiling—all in the care of Trudiann Branker, Mount Gay’s first female master blender, who handles up to 100,000 barrels at one time.
Speaking of taste, the tasting room (located in the main building, next to the library) is where the best is saved for last.
The truth is that I may have lost count of how many rums I tasted. But I will never forget the instructions on how to sip and enjoy each rum (I’m not giving away any spoilers here, but there is some wafting and gargling involved), and that there is literally a rum for everyone.
Time Out Tip: Freeze coconut water in an ice tray and pour your favourite sipping rum over top. You can thank me later.
Because Mount Gay is home to a truly unique atmosphere and natural environment, there isn’t a distillery in the world that can replicate its taste.
Some were peppery, and others a little smokey (thanks to the bourbon barrels they were aged in). I tasted sea salt and notes of roasted pineapple, while others were citrus-forward with floral, grassy notes.
Whether you’re a sipper, a cocktail enthusiast or a pirate, there’s a pour (or four) for you.
WHERE TO STAY
Don’t miss the luxurious complimentary spa treatment (and signature grapefruit cocktail upon arrival) at Waves Resort & Spa in Saint James
Book yourself a Bajan cooking demonstration with Chef Trevon Stoute at O2 Beach Club & Spa in St. Lawrence Gap, and learn how to make fish cakes and a macaroni pie I’m still thinking about
WHERE TO EAT
It’s white tablecloth dining and popping bottles at Champers, the see-and-be-seen cliffside restaurant in Bridgetown
Don’t miss the fire-roasted breadfruit with lobster, salt fish, tobiko and Bajan pepper sauce aioli at Cocktail Kitchen in St. Lawrence Gap
I ate the best snapper of my life at Pat’s Place at Oistin’s Fish Fry in Christ Church. It's worth the line-up
Swing by The Roti Den in Saint James for a goat and vegetable roti, and Trini Doubles (slight pepper, extra tamarind and cucumber, please!) a little further down the road
WHAT TO DO
Book a 3-hour off-road tour of the island with Island Safari (ask for Andre Edey, who knows everything about Barbados‚from the island’s complex history to the name of every flower)
A tour of the Andromeda Botanic Gardens in Bathsheba from Sharon, the resident queen of the oldest and largest garden in Barbados (home to over 500 plant species)
Skip swimming with the turtles and head out on to the emerald and turquoise water for an afternoon of sailing, lunch and rum punches with Cool Runnings Catamaran
Wake up before dawn and catch the polo ponies being bathed at Pebbles Beach in Bridgetown. If you’re lucky, you can go swimming with the horses.
For more information about Mount Gay rum, click here.
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