Sarzi Amade Port Royal 1995

Sarzi Amade is an Italian bottler, and this Port Royal release draws on a 1995 Nicaraguan vintage finished in port casks. Nicaragua's column-still molasses rums sit toward the drier, cleaner end of the Spanish style, which makes them a good canvas for a wine finish. The port wood here should layer red-fruit sweetness and a dried-berry depth over that more spirit-forward base. Bottled at a firmer 46%, the spirit has enough backbone to take on the port influence without losing its shape. Expect vanilla and soft oak from the years in barrel, lifted by the fortified-wine finish. Sweetness is not disclosed, so expect a balanced, fruit-led character rather than a heavily sugared one.