Nobilis Diamond No.18 SVL 2003

Nobilis Rum selected this single cask Diamond from 2003, marked SVL, with 18 years of age. Diamond's French metal Savalle still gives the cleanest of the Guyanese profiles, and this bottling carries that base into dry, oak-forward territory with plenty of dark depth.

Matured in ex-bourbon and bottled unsweetened at 55.4%, it shows creamy chocolate, roasted nuts and leather with dried fruit, framed by oak and a faintly bitter finish. The strength is well integrated and warming rather than hot, letting the nutty, chocolate-rich character lead. For drinkers who like dry, woody rum in the manner of the more austere Caribbean styles and want to explore classic Diamond Savalle, this is a solid, characterful pour at a fair strength, taken neat.