Diamond (Versailles) S.B.S 2003

An S.B.S Versailles-style Guyanese from 1423, the Danish bottler whose Single Barrel Selection prizes transparency and full strength. Drawn off Diamond's single wooden pot still, the tannic, raw-wood middle of the heritage-still range, this 12 year old single cask takes the unusual route of a Marsala finish, which lends sweet-wine fruit to a rum that stays firmly dry.

Maturated from molasses and finished in Marsala wood at 62.8%, it noses on vanilla, nuts and oak, then turns roasted and woody with liquorice and coffee, the finish carrying smoke, vanilla and dried fruit. The Marsala adds interest and a touch of richness without turning it into a sugar bomb, the wooden-pot character keeping it tannic and savoury. Unsweetened and powerful, it rewards neat sipping with a little water for those who like their Versailles oak-forward and intense.