Bayou Mardi Gras XO

Very impressed. Nice caramel/vanilla/oaky nose. Smooth flavor with the same flavor notes and a little bite on the end. Very smooth finish. Glad I started with the XO and happy to keep this on hand.

Cherry oak alcohol. For price point many better. Lacking in balance.

nose and mouth i feel only brown sugar and molasses, but why so sweet in the mouth ?
don t have hydrometer details for this rum but my tongue (natural hydrometer) says too much
sugar added after distillation, dark color probably due to additives too, not a cheap rum,
will never buy again, plus don t know what to do with this bottle ... put it on my bar
shelves, hoping to sell to tourists (German ones do love sweetened rums...),
season just started these days ...
USA do so much good bourbon, not good rum in my opinion

Had some at a friends’. Wasn’t expecting much being a us distill, but was surprised at the complexity. A little bourbon/whiskeyish, and somewhat sweet, a nice in between flavor profile. Would buy for myself if I can find it

I didn't expect much despite the price, but I'm glad I was wrong.

The nose has molasses, vanilla and spice.

The palate pleases with caramel, nutmeg and molasses.

Place in a glass with one ice cube and you are set.

I'll be better about doubting the home team.

One thing I note from other reviews, they are paying USD80 a bottle. This cost me GBP37 or about USD50. If I had paid $80 then I would be disappointed.

I tried all the Bayou that I have.

Bayou Reserve
Bayou Single Barrel #1
Bayou XO

The XO and Reserve were new bottles and both were drinking a lot better than the Single Barrel. The problem with the XO is that is seems to be over worked. It's something that often seems to happen with the more expensive iterations. It's all a bit confected.

On tonight's tasting, I'd stick with the cheapest & most honest rum - the Reserve, for it is what it is, without pretending to be something it isn't.

At $80 US per bottle, I was very hesitant to try this one, but when lowered to $64, it was just too good to pass up.

It is a 6-year solera aged rum finished in sherry casks. Smooth and rich, it easily broke into my top ten percent of all that I have rated. It was supposedly inspired by the annual Mardi Gras celebration in Louisiana, but I don't see that connection at all. This one is simply far too elegant to be compared to a festival of drunken debauchery. Maybe this was meant for the kings and queens of those various krewes.