Mount Gay Water Well – The Heart of Barbados Rum Since 1703
It doesn’t look like much of anything, right? Just a humble stone shed nestled amid some lush greenery in the peaceful surrounds of northern Barbados. This basic shed, though, is anything but ordinary. In fact, you can argue that it is the most important of all the edifices found at the famed Mount Gay Distillery. (Maybe.) This shed, you see, houses the Mount Gay Water Well.
It’s no Zamzam Well in terms of age or sacred significance, though, the Mount Gay Well is plenty old. (At least by Caribbean standards.) Hand-dug way back in 1703, the 300-foot artesian well cuts through centuries-old layers of coral limestone.
The water it accesses is as pure as any H2O on earth, a product of the natural filtration that occurs as groundwater seeps through the limestone before settling into the water table beneath Barbados. As the water filters down through the coral limestone, it picks up essential minerals along the way. The resulting uniquely Barbadian mineralized water creates an ideal environment for molasses and yeast to work their magic during the fermentation stage.
Anyone who has ever enjoyed any Mount Gay Rum over the past 320+ years has this humble shed to thank, at least in part. As the brand likes to say…
It [the water] is the heart of Mount Gay. Supplying the core of what makes our rum so unique – our own Barbadian water.
The same amazing Mount Gay water drawn from beneath Barbados the same way since 1703 from right inside this very simple shed. If you love great rum as I do, then perhaps this well could carry sacred importance to you…
Either way, it’s worth seeing while visiting and touring the Mount Gay Distillery.
For tour details and more information, visit Mount Gay online.
Related Posts
Mount Gay Rum Barrel Graffiti – Thankfully Banned for Rum’s Sake
Hampden Estate and Sweet Jamaican Water That Makes Rum Fire Great
