Corman Collins Uitvlugt Rum Demerara 1989

A single cask Uitvlugt 1989 from Corman Collins, drawn from a closed Guyanese estate whose Port Mourant-style marque survives on the heritage stills at Diamond. At 32 years this is a grand old Demerara that trades brute force for polish, the long maturation rounding off the harder edges of the wooden-pot character.

Maturated from molasses in ex-bourbon wood at 49.5%, it noses on leather, tobacco, a caramelised note and mango, then delivers tropical fruit, oak, leather and mint, finishing on varnished wood, roasted notes and burnt sugar. Unsweetened and bottled at moderate cask strength, it shows the oak-and-leather depth of old Guyana with good fruit underneath rather than overwhelming tannin, the menthol lift keeping it fresh. A refined, contemplative sipper for drinkers who like their Demerara aged, elegant and unhurried.