What is it? Guyanese rum blended from 4 stills that are now operated by DDL (Demerara Distillers Limited); the dominant components being from the Diamond Distillery two column metal Coffey still and the Port Mourant Still (double wooden pot still). The other 2 stills included in the blend are from the Enmore Still (wooden Coffey still) and the Versailles Still (single wood pot still). At least 15 years old. Molasses based.
43% abv, coloured, filtered.
Sugar? Yep. Sugar test lists on-line show this is around 30-35 grams per litre.
Nose: Big, deep, full. Bigger than the 12 year old. Cut oak, aniseed, brown sugar, molasses, a bit of engine oil and some tar. A little smoke creeps in, slightly burnt and smoky toffee. Definately related to the 12 year old but beefed up, more brooding and deeper. Complex and murky. Yum.
Palate: Sweet delivery and quite a viscous mouth-feel. A mirror of the nose with aniseed again and black liqcourice, plenty of oak and some char/soot. The savouries are holding the sweets off, just about. Some slightly sour fruits, stone fruit and prunes in juice.
Finish: Medium to long. Spicy and sweet at the same time. The sugar coats your mouth and carries the sweetness to the finish but the oaky spices buzz around your mouth and dry up with that liqcourice and aniseed. Right at the end there are some more lively fruits like pineapples and oranges and a lasting note of leather/tobacco.
Thoughts? I prefer this to the 12 year old. The inclusion of heavier rums from the Port Mourant Still and more from the Enmore Still really help the whole map of the rum from nose to finish and it’s everything I expected it to be over and above the 12 year old. It basically gave me what I was missing. Nice to see 43% abv in there too, just a shame they sugared it up too much; with half the sugar it’d be superb, as it is just unnecessary and upsetting for this to be done to such a blend. Saying that, I’d buy again at the price.
You can pick this up from The Whisky Exchange here:
Rumtastic 