Cadenhead‘s Uitvlugt GM 1974

Cadenhead, the long-running Scottish house, bottled this 1974 Demerara at a formidable 61.5%, a 30 Year Old Uitvlugt distillate carrying the heavy Port Mourant character that made old Navy rum. This is the kind of deeply aged, old-school Guyanese that collectors chase, intense and concentrated, the product of three decades in cask.

The nose is an aroma bomb of prunes, dried fruit and old barrel, and the palate is dense and layered, dried fruit and dark chocolate over the concentrated treacle and wet, musty wood that defines a great old PM. The finish is woody and bitter-sweet, dark chocolate and dried fruit trailing on and on. At full strength it drinks oily and powerful, with a bitter oak grip that needs respect and a little water. The wet sawn timber and dark fruit are pure heritage Demerara, the signature of a still type no modern equipment can replicate. This is a contemplative bottle for seasoned drinkers ready for serious power and depth.