Bristol Port Mourant Demerara Rum 1999

Bristol Classic Rum, the English house known for heritage and closed distillery bottlings, drew this from the Port Mourant double wooden greenheart pot still, the heaviest and most distinctive marque in Guyana. Reduced to a gentle 46 percent and aged 16 years, it offers the PM profile in a more approachable, contemplative form than the full proof single casks.

Matured with a port cask influence, the molasses spirit leans surprisingly fruity up front with peach, apricot and pastry, then a woody, waxy palate of green apple, closing on rubber, burnt notes, allspice and a coppery tang. The herbal, anise and dark spice markers of Port Mourant are all there beneath the fruit, the lower strength letting them sit gently rather than punch. This is a relaxed dry sipper for drinkers who enjoy the leaner, more herbal side of PM and want a heritage still rum without the cask strength intensity.