Cadenhead‘s Diamond Diamond Distillery 2012

Cadenhead bottled this Diamond from the 2012 vintage at twelve years old. The roasted, liquorice edged profile points to the Versailles single wooden pot still character within the Diamond distillery, which keeps Guyana's heritage stills running, though Cadenhead leaves the precise marque unstated.

Matured in ex-bourbon oak and molasses based, it is dry and unsweetened. The nose offers wood, dried fruit, caramel and pencil shavings, the palate brings roasted nuts, dark chocolate, allspice and toffee, and the finish runs long, oily and led by timber with liquorice and cocoa. The alcohol is pungent on the nose before settling on the palate. At 55 percent it delivers a generous, characterful slug of classic Diamond Versailles, and at its price it is one of the better value routes into dry, aged Guyanese rum.