Rum Review: Real McCoy 5-Year

The Real McCoy 5-Year Barbados Rum

During Prohibition, liquor flowed into the United States from a variety of different sources including Canada and the Caribbean. One of the Caribbean sources was Barbados, much of it brought to the legal ocean boundary by one Captain Bill McCoy. Unlike liquor from other less savory characters, McCoy’s rum was never adulterated with methanol or other harmful ingredients. So unquestionable was his product, that it gave rise to the expression “The real McCoy”, meaning completely genuine.

It’s this history that inspired the name for the Real McCoy rum, distilled by well-known Barbados distiller Richard Seale at Foursquare Distillery. The bottle is a classic medium height vessel that boasts an easily held neck and a well-fitted synthetic cork with plastic cap. The label is simply arranged, and contains the clear age statement of five years. The back label features a photo of Bill McCoy and a bit of history.

In the glass, the rum is a shiny copper with gold highlights. A swirl generates a razor-thin ring atop the glass that produces a vast multitude of droplets that move at a medium pace toward the bowl. The nose is only mildly astringent—especially for a five-year—and the initial bouquet of aromas is immediately recognizable as Barbadian rum. The primary aromas are caramel, vanilla and oak, followed by a bit of molasses and butterscotch.

The first sip enters with a bit of heat and a dose of oak that belies its relatively short time in the barrel. Subsequent sips yields a number of flavors from the bakery: cocoa, cinnamon, nutmeg and more vanilla. There is just a hint of sweetness that binds it all together, finishing with a fair bit of heat and oaken musk.

The Real McCoy rum is a really solid rum, but anyone who knows their cane spirits would expect nothing less from Richard Seale—the guy can’t help but produce solid products while cutting no corners. He does it the old fashioned way—flavors come from the sugar and the oak, period. What you see is what you get, and that my rummy friends, is the essence of the Real McCoy.

On to the scores:

• Appearance: 1/1
• Nose: 2/2
• Mouth feel: 1/1
• Taste: 3/4
• Aftertaste: 1.5/2
• Total Score: 8.5/10

Buy Real McCoy 5-Year online

Have you had a chance to taste the Real McCoy? Please share your comments below.

Cheers,
Josh