Cockspur12/Mount Gay XO

[TheRumelier]

Thanks to MOR Forum member Michael, I recently received a much anticipated bottle of "Cockspur 12". I sat down tonight to give it some time. After the initial sip I had to check I had not poured MGXO by mistake, even though I have the MGXO on speed pour, as it is one of my favourite sippers.
They are surprisingly similar, lots of oak and spice. In the recent tasting in Miami I missed MGXO in the premium rum section. It was the last rum tasted, so I put it down to palate fatique. Maybe it wasn't the rum who I thought it was!! Or maybe the C12 is a better rum. Whatever, two great sippers and a good reason to go back to Barbados to investigate more.

[Patapouf]

Is the '12' the same as the VSOR?

[martybmccabe]

Yep, in the US. See Ed's note. Although you can still find VSOR around.

[Patapouf]

Thanks for the info.

I came back from Barbados a couple of weeks ago and I was wondering the same between both the MGXO and the VSOR. Both sat prominently in stores on the island, but anytime I asked a Bajan which one was the best they went directly to the MGXO. Granted, some were sales associates, but others were also browsing just like me.

[Edward Hamilton]

Cockspur 12 in the US is bottled in Oregon and is a little different from Cockspur VSOR in Barbados.

For several years I compared these two rums side by side on my boat. But the one that I thought agreed more with my tastes lasted longer in the bottle, which was one of the unscientific criteria that I've used to compare rums.

[Patapouf]

Originally Posted by Edward Hamilton

Cockspur 12 in the US is bottled in Oregon and is a little different from Cockspur VSOR in Barbados.

For several years I compared these two rums side by side on my boat. But the one that I thought agreed more with my tastes lasted longer in the bottle, which was one of the unscientific criteria that I've used to compare rums.

So which one did you like best?

The VSOR is still widely available in Barbados. If I recall, I also spotted a few of the Cockspur 12 (in Barbados).

On a related note, is the 'Garfield' version much the same as the VSOR? Based on the description on the website it seems like a commemorative edition of the VSOR.