Velier Uitvlugt SP – ICBU 1988

This is a Velier bottling of Uitvlugt from 1988, carrying 17 years of age and the ICBU marque. Uitvlugt's Savalle column gives a refined, fruity, lightly spiced and clean Demerara, and in Velier's hands, with full-proof tropical ageing, that elegance gains real density and depth.

Matured in ex-bourbon and bottled at 52.9%, it shows warm pipe tobacco, caramelised dried fruit and polished old wood, with orange peel, leather and spice on the finish and a dense, oily mouthfeel. This is among the more highly regarded of Velier's Uitvlugt releases, the kind of slow, contemplative pour kept for a quiet evening. It belongs with seasoned drinkers who already know old tropical Demerara and want one of its benchmarks, taken neat.