Port Mourant El Dorado Rare Collection PM 1997

This Port Mourant carries one of the most storied marques in Guyana. The PM spirit comes off a double wooden pot still built of greenheart timber, an irreplaceable heritage vessel now housed at Diamond, and its oily, anise driven heft is unmistakable. This release is a 1997 vintage carried to twenty years and given time in port casks, bottled with no added sugar.

At 57.9% it is dark and demanding in the best sense. The nose is woody and herbal, the palate heavy and dusty with liquorice, black tea, dried fruit, orange peel and leather, and the finish stays dry and tannic with a menthol lift. The long tropical ageing brings a vanilla and honey sweetness that tempers the wood without softening the character. This is a rum that wants air and patience, and rewards it with depth. One for drinkers who already love dry, woody Demerara and want that profile turned up.