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Bayou XO Mardi Gras
Bayou rum is produced by the Louisiana Spirits Company, LLC, which is based in Lacassine, Louisiana. The company uses a blend of sugarcane juice and molasses to create their rums using their copper pot stills. For their Bayou XO Mardi Gras rum, they age the rum for five years in used Bourbon barrels and one additional year in Spanish Perdro Ximenez sherry casks. The rum is blended to 40% ABV and hand-bottled at their facility. For a limited time, this product has been packaged with a New Orleans Saints themed box to commemorate being the official rum of the team for a second year in a row.
Bayou XO Mardi Gras
Appearance
The rum is presented in a custom 750 ml bottle design with “XO” embossed below the neck. The top of the bottle cap has a multi color bead with the words “Bayou Mardi Gras Reserve Rum” around the top. The cap secures a synthetic cork with the word Bayou on the side.In the bottle and glass, the rum has a dark mahogany color. Swirling the liquid created a medium band that released one wave of fast-moving legs and then proceeded to release two more waves of slower-denser legs before quickly evaporating, leaving a ring of beads around the glass.
Nose
The aroma of the rum begins with a floral vanilla flower note, followed by notes of peach, prune, and dried figs. After the liquid rested for a moment, I discovered fresh-cut leather, cinnamon, and light charred oak, punctuated by sweet molasses.
Palate
The first sip of the rum conditions the tongue with the rush of alcohol, delivering notes of cooked cobbler peaches, lightly astringent bitter orange peel, tart berries, and prunes. After the fruit notes pass, the charred oak takes over midpalate with a pop of black pepper and toasted almonds. As the finish forms, there is a light honey note that briefly manifests as the flavor profile transitions into a swirl of sweet sherry flavors. These flavors dance and merge, creating a long, dry finish.
Review
I have watched Bayou Rum grow as a brand since its launch in 2013 and have noted their hits and misses over the past decade. I enjoyed their Bayou XO Mardi Gras rum from the aroma to the finish. I was pleasantly surprised by how well rounded the flavor profile was with the strong fruit flavors and wood notes. By design, this rum is engineered to be enjoyed neat, but I believe it would be quite good in certain classic cocktail recipes, such as an Old Fashioned or Floridita cocktail, where the peach and citrus notes would influence the drink. One thing I would note is that while the influence of the sherry cask finish was present, mainly as a prune note in the core profile, it never dominated until the end of the flavor experience, delivering that sweet, dry finish. Of late, I have noticed some spirits with sherry cask finishes that were completely dominant and destroyed the flavor of the core spirit, leading to a disappointing experience. Therefore, I was a tad relieved that the blenders prevented that from happening, delivering a quality flavor experience that consumers would enjoy.
