One of my favorite things in the world of whiskey is when distilleries start to get experimental. Buffalo Trace has become legendary for putting out all manner of experimental whiskeys that you can sample side by side. The idea isn’t just to see what different barrel treatments or mashbills do to a spirit — but to see how the various experiments compare to one another.

Last year, Mount Gay decided that whiskey shouldn’t have all the fun, that rum could do the experimental thing, too. It released Volume One of what has turned into an ongoing Origin Series of releases, two half-bottles of rum, identical in every other way, except one was aged in virgin oak and one was aged in a charred barrel. This release was a Barbados-only release and never made it to the U.S., but now Volume Two is out, looking at another variable in the distillation process.

For rum, this is a major one: The impact of the column still vs. the pot still. The two rums in this release are identical in ingredients and maturity (though none of that information is made public), they simply vary by the type of still used to create them.

So, let’s try these guys side by side and see how they compare. Fun, fun stuff!

Both rums are 86 proof.

Mount Gay Rum Origin Series Vol. 2 Copper Column – This is a fairly straightforward rum, sweet and slightly woody on the nose with a slightly winey note to it. On the palate, it’s a bit duskier than I expected, taking on a slightly burnt brown sugar character plus notes of coffee, light licorice, and cloves. The finish is still on the woody side, lightly astringent but otherwise clean and balanced — not too sweet, but plenty rich. When I think of a good rum for simple mixers, this is the kind of rum I look for. Bottle #6566/7200. A-

Mount Gay Rum Origin Series Vol. 2 Copper Pot – An immediately different experience. On the nose, some funk, with hints of hospital character, green vegetables, and piquant astringency. The body immediately shows off fruity notes of apricots and some grapefruit, offering a curious sweetness that verges toward bubble gum at times. The finish is dusky, with notes of gunpowder and pencil lead, also showing the wood that the column rum offers but with a hoarier, more forest-floor undertone. Normally I gravitate to pot-distilled rums over column-distilled rums, but this one shows how pot-distilled expressions might need and benefit from more barrel time. Bottle #0797/7200. B+

$95 for set of two 375ml bottles / mountgayrum.com

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