Eclipse is the flagship product of Barbadian distillery Mount Gay, said to be one of  the world’s oldest rum company. The distillery, which operated as a family company from 1703 until 1989, is now owned by Remy Cointreau. The golden yellow Eclipse is written to have been released in 1910. It is a blend of column distilled and pot distilled spirits aged in ex-Bourbon barrels. After the Mount Gay white Silver rum faded into history, Eclipse is today the distillery’s cheapest and most widely available product. You can find rum here and there in the Baltic shops, however clearly less often than the market leader Bacardi and Havana Club products. A 70cl bottle cost a bit under 17 euros.

Eclipse is light brown in the glass, giving the impression of a few years of barrel aging. Caramel and vanilla appear in the aroma. The nose is light and gentle, not offensive or alcoholic in any way. The taste is also light and very smooth. Alcohol burns, as you might expect with 40% of the product, but the burn is at a moderate level. There is a little sweetness in the taste, but the sugar has not been used too much to soften the mouthfeel. The taste has caramel, a bit of banana or some other fruit and very light spiciness, vanilla and oak.

Mount Gay Eclipse is a light and well balanced rum. If you are used to the strong taste of molasses and brown sugar in dark rums, Eclipse could be a disappointment. At first, Eclipse felt a little too light, but slowly its delicate nuances began to unfold. It is smooth enough to sip on its own, but certainly better with a small splash of water or an ice cube. 

84/100