Diamond Kill Devil 2004

Diamond Kill Devil 2004 is a single cask Demerara from the Diamond distillery, selected by the Scottish whisky house Hunter Laing for its Kill Devil line and bottled at cask strength, unsweetened and non-chill-filtered in the house style. At seventeen years it has shed the bright, green character of younger Diamond casks for something deeper and more roasted.

Matured in ex-bourbon wood and bottled at 55.9%, the rum lost a little strength to the years but gained colour and weight. The nose is woody with a coffee note, while the palate brings minty spice, wood and a roasted, almost empyreumatic edge that recalls leather and cigar box. A herbal thread runs through the taste. This is a dry, full-proof Diamond that leans on age and roast rather than fruit, a more brooding companion to the lighter young single casks from the same still.