300 years of Mount Gay® Rum

Mount Gay® Rum, the choice of sailors worldwide, is one of the world’s oldest and finest rums, and 300 years of its remarkable story is being celebrated in February 2003.

The story of Mount Gay® Rum began in the Caribbean island of Barbados, a coral island measuring only 14 miles wide by 21 miles long. Sugar cane was introduced to the island by the Portuguese settlers in the mid-1600s. The sugar is harvested and boiled to produce a thick dark treacle-like substance known today as molasses. This rich molasses together with the island’s unique supply of pure underground spring water, made the base for a flavourful beverage. Although sugar cane was being grown in many other parts of the world during the 1600s, Barbados is widely accepted as the birth-place of rum.

Many people believe that rum was being produced on the Mount Gay® Rum Estate from as early as 1663. However, the first surviving written evidence of this is a legal deed dated 20^th February 1703; this deed lists the property and the equipment found on the Estate, including equipment essential for the manufacture of rum.

From its humble beginnings, this fine spirit has grown to be the favorite of sailors around the world. Sailors’ love for Mount Gay® Rum dates back to the 1700s. Some legends have it that Mount Gay® Rum became the sailors’ drink of choice in the eighteenth century because it proved their sailing skill. As Barbados was the most difficult island from which to return to the European mainland (because of the prevailing winds and ocean currents), sailors had to prove that they had been there. A barrel of Mount Gay® Rum was testament to that fact, and became the hallmark of superior sailors everywhere.

In modern times, the link between Mount Gay® Rum and sailors has become even stronger with Mount Gay® Rum sponsoring over 150 regattas around the world annually. One of the most cherished mementos of each regatta is the Mount Gay® Rum Red Cap. Always embroidered with the name of the regatta and available to the racers, these caps become cherished keepsakes and collectors items.

In 2003, at participating Mount Gay® Rum sponsored regattas around the world, Tuchman Sports Entertainment (TSE) will enter all registered boats into a prize drawing. The winner of this drawing will receive a signed print by renowned marine artist John Mecray. The winners of these limited edition prints will then be entered into a grand prize drawing that will award a trip of a lifetime for two to the Gem of the Caribbean – Barbados. TSE will draw the winner of this prize in December 2003 in Barbados.

Today Mount Gay® Eclipse Rum, the brand flagship and Mount Gay® Extra Old Rum, the Distilleries’ premium offer are available in over 60 countries and have amassed several awards for excellence. And, with an unflinching dedication to the production of quality spirits, Mount Gay® Rum will continue to emerge as the discerning consumers’ rum of choice.

Mount Gay® Rum is imported into the USA by Remy Amerique, Inc.

Please contact Kathy Farrell from Mount Gay® Rum at 401-423-3391 or Kathy.Farrell@remyamerique.com for more information.