
April 17, 2016

Guyanan malternatives on Sunday

Imagine this. We're on Islay, a few decades ago. The market isn't good, the distilleries go out of business one after the other, and eventually, only one survives. A large one, close to a harbour. Say Caol Ila. Some smart people there decide not to let the island 'distilling heritage' sink into oblivion, and simply buy all the stills from almost each and every other distilleries, expand their own still house, and just re-mount all the stills at Caol Ila, fire them up again, and start to produce their own 'Ardbeg', 'Lagavulin', or 'Bowmore'.

That's more or less what happened in Guyana, except that 'Caol Ila' is named Diamond, and that 'Bruichladdich' or 'Laphroaig' are actually named Enmore, Port Mourant, Uitvlugt, or Albion... And speaking of the heavy Port Mourant… Port Mourant is made with an exceptional and very old double wooden pot still (originally from 1732!) that was first moved to Uitvlugt, then to Diamond in the year 2000. Let’s have a few.

Port Mourant 2005/2015 (40%, Mezan) Port Mourant 2005/2015 (40%, Mezan)

Port Mourant 2005/2015 (40%, Mezan)

Obviously distilled at Diamond. The low strengths that Mezan seem to favour can be a little troubling, but all their bottlings I could try have been of high quality. Colour: white wine. Probably aged in the UK in refill wood! Nose: luminous, perfectly phenolic and briny, and totally spirit-driven. I guess one could call it ‘mezcaly’. Some coal ashes, concrete dust, then overripe guavas – an acquired taste – and pinewood smoke. Love all this purity. Mouth: I’d call it ‘funny’. Starts with some cane juice and burnt molasses, goes on with unusual vegetal notes (French beans?) and hints of overripe pineapple juice, and gets then smokier and a little salty, with the usual ‘dirtiness’. Sadly, it tends to lack body, I’m afraid 40% vol. weren’t quite enough this time. Finish: a little short, but perfectly earthy/briny. Comments: perhaps a missed opportunity, 45 or 46% vol. would have worked much better. The spirit itself is just perfect. SGP:362 - 82 points.

El Dorado Port Mourant 1999/2015 (61.4%, OB, Rare Collection, bourbon barrels)

The owners just took over the bottling of their ‘single’ Demeraras, after Velier and boss Luca Gargano had been so instrumental in pushing these rums. We’re talking about the ones that are/were aged in the tropics, while other bottlers rather use casks that have matured, either partly or totally, in the UK. By the way, these new OBs are extremely expensive, we’re talking around €200-350. Prices vary really a lot. In theory, this very rum was made at Uitvlugt, before the old still was moved to Diamond. Colour: deep gold. Nose: very aromatic and quite woody. Bourbon-woody, I’d say, but there’s also a lot of liquorice, which gives it something agricole, as far as I can tell. Pencil shavings, vanillin, ripe pineapples, cinnamon… It’s very different from the Mezan, with much less ‘PM’ character, but it’s relatively awesome. Just much more ‘approachable’, despite the much higher strength. With water: oh, old pu-erh, this is nice. Earthy and mildly smoky, with less straight oak. Some cough medicine. Mouth (neat): very strong, oaky, gingery, biting, hot… Not too sure… Quick, water! With water: more Port Mourant character for sure, with a saltiness, lapsang souchong, artichokes… Having said that the oak’s still the dominating party here. Finish: medium, liquoricy, cane-y, with some cinnamon and ginger in the aftertaste. Comments: mixed feelings. It’s very good, but a little too much oak-forward for me. The Mezan at a higher strength would have destroyed it, while it’s rather a tie. I think Bristol had a better 1999 (WF 87) in 2014. SGP:451 - 82 points. Speaking of Bristol…

Port Morant 25 yo 1990/2915 (46%, Bristol Spirits, oloroso sherry cask finish)

Why would anyone do a sherry finish on a 25 yo Port Morant/Mourant? Colour: amber. Nose: it’s a good thing that they did not use ‘heavy’ oloroso, because beyond a few notes of old walnuts, tobacco, and leather, it’s the rum that speaks out. It’s rounder and softer than the very briny/smoky Mezan, but also earthier and more phenolic than the OB. But all in all, it’s not very big. Touches of dried meat, perhaps (bresaola), macadamia nuts, pecans… Mouth: firm, starting with quite some ginger and a fizziness (Schweppes), some bitter oranges, touches of small pink bananas… Goes on with more molasses, an a little pipe tobacco. Perhaps tealeaves… Finish: medium, with a burnt side. More molasses, and more bitter oranges. Some drying oak in the aftertaste. Comments: same ballpark, more or less. I enjoyed Bristol’s 1999 much more, I have to say. SGP:461 - 82 points.

Not a lot of luck with Port Mourant today! Let’s switch distilleries if you don’t mind…

Uitvlugt 15 yo 1999/2015 (46%, Hunter Laing, Kill Devil, 265 bottles)

Since Port Mourant’s still was at Uitvlugt for a while, let’s have some Uitvlugt. Their still was a four-column one called a French ‘Savalle’ still. This very one should have been distilled at the original Uitvlugt Distillery, which was to close only one year later, and not in 1998 (a year that many websites mention). Unless this is no 1999, of course. Colour: white wine. UK-aged, probably. Nose: lovely, rather delicate, almondy and paraffiny, with some linseed oil, charcoal, and then plenty of citron. A lot of sugar cane as well, candle wax, grapefruit peel… Like this a lot. Mouth: fatter, and even waxier. If this was made in a column, the setup was on ‘lower plates only’. Perfect herbal and grassy and citrusy style, beyond all this wax. Touches of turpentine, and then more straight lemon juice. Excellent. Finish: quite long and perfectly zesty and waxy at the same time. Comments: I dig this one, it’s got a perfect freshness. Some kind of Clynelish of the rum world (hint, hint!) SGP:552 - 88 points.

Is there any room for a last Demerara?

Skeldon 32 yo 1973/2005 (60.5%, Velier, 4 barrels, 544 bottles)

One of the rarest, if not the rarest of the ‘single rums’ from Demerara. The distillery got closed around fifty years ago, its Coffey still being transferred to Uitvlugt, where it produced this very 1973. It’s been dismounted since back then, so there’s no original ‘Skeldon’ being produced anymore. As usual with Velier, this 1973 was entirely aged on location, and it’s a miracle that around 400 litres survived the hot climate. Basically, it’s some ‘bottom of barrel’ rum, as no topping-up was done at any of these distilleries. Colour: coffee/mahogany. Nose: tamarind jam first, then rose jelly, some kind of old-style pear compote, and then various woods, from sandal (very vivid) to cedar through rosewood. ‘The dashboard of an old Jag’, if you see what I mean. A lot of coffee too. Wonderful. With water: have you ever bought a fresh pack of pipe tobacco? You know, when you first open it… Mouth (neat): as thick as honey, as sticky as the thickest stout, and as fruity as a fruitcake. Loads and loads of Corinth raisins, burnt cake, artisan black chocolate, dates, and the strongest and blackest chestnut honey. Many roasted nuts as well. You may call the anti-rumoporn brigade now! With water: all resinous and sappy oils from the wood are coming out, but the come along some fruity ones as well. Strawberries and cherries kept in kirsch, Finish: Comments: I already tasted this wonder five or six years ago, and granted it with a 88. Now that I’ve gathered a little more experience w.r.t. rum, I’d go as far as… SGP:561 - 90 points.

Check the index of all rums I've tasted so far