Behind the scenes of Mount Gay Rum

The distillery is surrounded by sugarcane fields.

The best way to tour the cane fields surrounding Mount Gay on bumpy dirty roads is by truck.

The cane fields on Mount Gay's actual estate indicate specific locale, but also the variety of sugarcane being grown. The distiller hopes to release an estate rum by 2022.

In 2014, Mount Gay purchased the surrounding original estate, where the remains of this windmill can be found.

Here's a sneak peek inside the distillery buildings, which are not open to the public. Then see a preview of the Visitor Centre and rums to try.

The stillhouse hosts massive 60-foot-tall industrial column stills.

The distillery uses both pot and column stills for production.

The stillhouse showcases Mount Gay's pot still production.

Mount Gay uses both controlled and open air fermentation for their rums, including with this French Limousin oak fermenter.

There are currently four warehouses at Mount Gay. Another will likely be built in the next two to three years.

Each warehouse at Mount Gay houses between 12 and 14,000 barrels.

There are approximately 50,000 barrels of rum aging on the property.

Master blender Allen Smith inspects a sample from a cask in one of Mount Gay's warehouses.

First released in 2013, Black Barrel is one of Smith's creations. The blend is married together and finished in a heavy char barrel.

The Cask Strength edition of Mount Gay's XO is one of Smith's signature releases.

The low-key entrance to Mount Gay's Visitor Centre has an appropriately island feel.

A replica of the deed, which dates rum production at Mount Gay to at least 1703, is on display here.

Mount Gay's blending and bottling facilities are located on the same site as the Visitor Centre.

Inside Mount Gay's on-site blending laboratory, samples of many specific styles and ages can be examined.

A line of samples showcases the range of colors that can be created depending on maturation time.

The bottling line is closed to the public, but on site.

The Visitor Centre, in Bridgetown, has a full bar open to the public.

Guests can sample the full portfolio of Mount Gay rums.

In the Origin Series, Mount Gay compares different facets of production, in this case column vs. pot still production.

In the first Origin Series release, Mount Gay compared different cask types, ex-bourbon barrels and virgin French Limousin casks.

Mauby Rum is a Barbados-only release from Mount Gay, available for purchase in the Visitor Centre. It's flavored in part with Mauby bark.

The Visitor Centre offers a DIY cocktail course with a range of ingredients available.

A libation from Mount Gay's DIY cocktail course is presented.

A sign at the Visitor Centre showcases the famous rhyme for how to create authentic Bajan rum punch.

No visit to Barbados is complete without stopping at its ubiquitous rum shops. This is John Moore's, a particularly notable one on the island.

Judy's is another rum shop which showcases the signature Mount Gay painting and decor, part of the brand's integration with the local community.