The Rum Mercenary Enmore 1990

The Rum Mercenary bottled this single cask from the Enmore estate, whose wooden Coffey still is the last of its kind running anywhere and gives Guyana its more elegant, cedar and spice driven Demerara. Unsweetened and at a natural 53.7 percent, with 27 years behind it, it shows the serious, herbal side of the style.

Matured in ex bourbon, the molasses spirit opens medicinal and warm with tropical fruit and oak, then a palate of dark chocolate, barrel, prune and licorice, closing long on spice, coffee and a mineral, smoky edge. There is a pastry like fruit and roasted depth that builds with time in the glass, the wood substantial without turning harsh. This is a contemplative, dry Guyanese sipper for drinkers who enjoy dark, herbal Enmore and Versailles styles, rewarding slow attention and suiting anyone after a properly unsweetened old Demerara.