Chairman‘s Reserve Master‘s Selection (Perola) 2006

Chairman's Reserve Master's Selection Perola is a single cask from the St. Lucia Distillers, a sixteen year old Coffey column rum from the 2006 vintage finished in Port casks and bottled unsweetened at a powerful 60.1%. It is a serious, tropically aged pour built for experienced drinkers, the Port influence so pronounced after years in the wood that it shapes the whole rum rather than simply rounding it off.

The nose opens on Port, raisin, coconut and barrel, leading to dark chocolate, roasted coconut, red fruit and spice on a dense, full-bodied palate, then assertive oak and more roasted coconut on the finish. Long maturation in St. Lucia's heat has concentrated everything, and at 60% it needs airtime to settle. Dry and additive-free, it rewards patience with depth and intensity. For drinkers who like Foursquare, powerful column rums or dry wine-cask finishes, it is a rich and demanding cask, equally at home sipped slowly or anchoring a strong cocktail.