Moon Import Diamond Demerara Rum 2003

Moon Import is an Italian bottler with a long history of single-origin rum, and this 2003 Diamond is a fourteen-year Guyanese expression from the Savalle-family stills at the lighter, cleaner end of Demerara. Bottled at 45% from ex-bourbon, it shows a more rustic, savoury character than the toffee-and-chocolate profile Diamond is usually known for.

The nose runs fruity and overripe with leather and a fermented note, an almost funky edge for a column marque, while the palate turns to fruit, wood and leather with a peppery bite, finishing vegetal and warmly alcoholic. It is a drier, earthier Diamond that prizes character over polish, unsweetened in style and a little raw around the edges. This suits drinkers who like their Demerara with a savoury, leathery twist and do not mind a rougher finish, rather than those after a smooth, sweet pour.