Port Mourant El Dorado Ruby Port Casks Finish (2018) 2000

This 2000 Port Mourant comes straight from Demerara Distillers under the El Dorado name, a cask strength release finished in ruby port and bottled unsweetened, unlike the dosed flagship blends. PM is the marque of the double wooden pot still, the heaviest and most polarising Demerara profile, and at nine years this is a younger, bolder expression where the still and the port pull against each other.

Matured from molasses in oak and finished in ruby port casks, it shows a dark, heavy style with spicy oak, red fruit and honey on the nose, opening further with a drop or two of water. The palate is dry, woody and slightly bitter with menthol and barrel influence, and the finish runs spicy, fruity and peppery. At 59.3% it is oily and full bodied, more expressive on the nose than the palate, where the port and wood can blur the PM signature. An offbeat, dry cask strength Demerara for drinkers who like a bold, slightly unusual port twist.