CDI Uitvlugt 1997

Compagnie des Indes bottled this Uitvlugt from the 1997 vintage, eighteen years old and matured in Europe rather than the tropics. Uitvlugt ran a Savalle column, the refined, fruity and lightly spiced corner of the Guyanese spectrum, and the continental ageing keeps it gentle and approachable.

Molasses based and unsweetened, it is an easy stepping stone into aged Guyanese rum. The nose shows old polished wood, overripe fruit and floral notes, the palate brings balanced fruit, light esters, liquorice and citrus, and a finish of vanilla, pear and young wood rounds it off. The lower strength tames the smokier, sharper side this distillery can show, bringing out a fruitier profile. At 45 percent it is very drinkable and well balanced, if a touch simple in structure, a relaxed and honest introduction to continental Demerara.