Cane Rum Bottling Company Enmore Single Cask Rum 1988

Cane Rum Bottling Company drew this single cask from the Enmore estate, home to the last operating wooden Coffey still in the world, a greenheart continuous still that gives Guyana its more elegant yet still woody Demerara. Unsweetened and at a natural 55 percent, with 34 years behind it, it shows the rich, oily depth that long ageing pulls from the style.

Matured in ex bourbon, the molasses spirit shows leather, wood, vanilla and plum on the nose, then a roasted, woody palate of raisin and demerara sugar, closing on dried fruit, a fine bitterness and roasted oak. The texture is oily and the wood substantial without becoming a plank, the alcohol cleanly knitted in. This is a deep, leathery old Demerara for drinkers who love heavy, mature Enmore and smoky whisky alike, a contemplative bottle that rewards focused, unhurried sipping over a quiet evening.