Barikenn DDL Diamond VSG 2012

Barikenn drew this 10 Year Old as a single ex-bourbon cask from DDL, a 2012 distillate carrying the Versailles marque. Versailles comes off a single wooden pot still, the robust, tannic middle ground of the Demerara family, brighter than Port Mourant but still firmly woody. Left unsweetened at 62.3%, this is a powerful young Guyanese that rewards time in the glass.

The nose opens woody and spicy with apricot and orchard fruit, and the palate is dry and forceful, vanilla and caramel meeting pepper, bitter chocolate and the raw sawdust character of the wooden pot still. There is pineapple, apple and peach lifting the edges, and the finish runs woody and spiced with anise and caramel. Continental ageing has built layers of flavour without taming the strength, so a splash of water and patience pay off. This shows the classic dry, layered Versailles profile with extra power and value, a serious bottle for drinkers who already enjoy the heritage pot still Demeraras.