CDI Darsa 2011

This Darsa single cask is a Guatemalan rum bottled by Compagnie des Indes, the respected, terroir-led French house, drawn from a 2011 vintage and aged twelve years. Issued at cask strength, it is a fuller, more characterful take on Guatemalan rum than the country's sweeter, solera-built reputation might suggest, and the bottler's natural-cask approach lets it show its rougher edges.

The aroma is layered with dried apricot, burnt sugar, vanilla and coconut, while the palate turns toward nutmeg, sappy young wood, more apricot and a roasted depth, finishing on coffee, nutmeg, barrel and dark chocolate. At 54.9% it reads a little unrounded and assertive, with a sulphured, incense-like edge to the fruit that marks it as a single cask rather than a polished blend. This is a robust, honest Guatemalan for drinkers who prefer cask strength and character over smoothness.