Mezan Uitvlugt Mezan 2011

Mezan bottles its rums young, unaltered and certified unsweetened, and this 2011 Uitvlugt is a gentle introduction to Guyana rather than a heavyweight. Uitvlugt ran on the Savalle column still, the lightest and cleanest of the Demerara family, fruity and approachable without the oil and tar of the wooden pot marques. At eleven years it sits in soft, easy territory.

Molasses based and matured in ex-bourbon oak, it noses on oak, vanilla, caramelised sugar and dried fruit, then carries young wood, vanilla and caramel onto the palate with a peppery edge before a woody, liquorice tinged finish. Bottled at 46% and confirmed free of added sugar, the sweetness here is the oak and the spirit, not dosage, and the result reads soft and relaxed. For anyone wanting to step into Guyanese rum without high proof or funk, this offers the style in a low key, vanilla led way.