What is it? A single cask rum from Guyana, distilled from molasses at the Diamond Distillery on the Enmore wooden Coffey still. Cask marque for this is MDXC, which there is very little information about; it’s likely a heavy variant (the Enmore still can produce many styles of rum) that was intended for a Navy blend. This was bottled by Whiskybroker as their first rum bottling in a line-up of several rums. My bottle is number 149 of 264.

Not chill filtered, no colour added at bottling* and at a very healthy 63.5% abv.

*This has not been coloured by Whiskybroker, however, DDL are known for adding colour to some of their rums at the point they cask fill. This rum is far too dark to be uncoloured, especially at 12 years old with a portion of European aging, so it’s very likely this was coloured at the distillery when it was filled into cask.

Sugar? No. This was tested by Wes over at thefatrumpirate and came back as zero sugar. I’m certainly not getting any on tasting.

Note: Now, I don’t routinely add water when I drink or taste spirits, however at 63.5% it’s pushing things a little. Don’t get me wrong, you can drink this neat and it’s very easy to do so, but if you want to get the most of out it then it needs to be taken down a bit. I’ve dropped the abv to about 55% (or there abouts) and it’s how I’ve been drinking it since I’ve opened it. Swims like a fish and makes a massive difference.

Nose: Big and pungent, as you’d expect. Coffee beans (freshly roasted), dark chocolate, fudge, black liquorice. Crushed black olives, tar – definite phenolic notes deep in here. Burnt brown sugar (Demerara, oddly enough), my old leather boots that are caked in dry mud, tobacco, barbequed meat and a dollop of charred oak. Under the heavy weight smells are some lovely cane’y, grassy smells and some dried herbs.

Palate: Perfect mouth feel, not too thick, not too thin and a great weight. Dry entry with sugar cane, olives, brine, fenel, cut flowers (if you could taste them) and then things gets all big; bitter liquorice, chocolate and coffee. This progresses and it intensifies with raisins, salted beef, maybe even jerky and wood sap.

Finish: Long. Not as long as I was expecting given the palate and abv, but long none the less. That sappy, bitter and slightly sour note dominates along with the black liquorice, a touch of unsweetened black coffee and a handful of roasted walnuts at the end. Very pleasant but the finish doesn’t really add anything extra to the whole thing other than carrying on the lovely flavours from the palate.

Thoughts? Wow, very good. First review of 2017 and I’m glad it’s turned out this way, what a flavour! I think that this was originally destined for a Navy blend as I’m getting a shed load of Pusser’s from this, and that may well be where this was intended for by the distillers, given the flavour profile and the colour that was added (pure speculation on my behalf). This is £45, for a single cask, at 12 years old and at full proof; for a first bottling by a whisky bottler it’s superb and the profile of this rum is right up my street. Normally I don’t do repeat buys (too much rum, too much time and not a big enough budget), but I’ll be getting more bottles of this….well, as long as they have some left!

Well done Whiskybroker, more of the same please!