Enmore RA Rum VSG 1985

A 36 year Enmore from Germany's Rum Artesanal, distilled in 1985 and carrying a Versailles-style VSG character off a single wooden pot still. This is about as old as continental Demerara gets, and the decades have driven it into a strikingly austere, mineral register.

Matured in ex-bourbon oak and bottled unsweetened at 54.3%, it is ultra dry and herbal, with thyme, mint, citrus, wax and old wood over the famous liquid-pencil note that defines these old wooden-still rums. There is no sweetness to soften it, only layers of timber, herb and stone. Sipped slowly, it is a singular experience for drinkers who love dry, woody Guyana rum, though anyone seeking richness or roundness is better served elsewhere. A purist's bottle through and through.