The Distillery English Harbour Oloroso Sherry Finish (Batch 2)

The Distillery English Harbour Oloroso Sherry Finish, Batch 2, takes the Antigua Distillery's dry, column still molasses rum and finishes it in Oloroso sherry casks. At five years and 46 percent it stays unsweetened, making it a clear, honest way to taste what a sherry finish brings without spending much. It builds on the dry house style that defines the English Harbour range.

Matured first in the usual oak before its sherry cask finish, it shows a strong red tinged colour and a nose of fruit, vanilla, oak and sherry. The palate is dry and woody with a clear sherry character, nutty and spicy with light fruit, turning from slightly bitter to sweeter as the sherry comes through, then a warm, roasted finish. With no added sugar, the wood and cask influence lead rather than any dosage. It suits drinkers who like honest, dry rums and want an affordable, beginner friendly look at sherry finishing.