Port Mourant El Dorado Sauternes Casks Finish (2018) 2000

This Port Mourant carries the El Dorado name as a distillery release, a 9 Year Old from 2000 given a double maturation that finished in Sauternes casks. PM comes off the double wooden greenheart pot still, the heaviest and most distinctive of the Demerara recipes, and at a cask strength 58.6% the still character holds firm while the sweet wine cask adds a layer on top.

The nose runs chocolate, dried fruit, oak and nuts, and the palate is fruity and leathery with chocolate over woody depth, the Sauternes lending candied dried fruit without burying the Port Mourant backbone. The finish is barrel-driven and peppery with a candied edge and a tea-like bitterness. This keeps the PM character intact while the wine cask adds nuance and a touch more dried fruit sweetness, a more harmonious result than a plain port finish on the same still. It benefits from a splash of water and slow sipping. A characterful Port Mourant for drinkers who want the marque with an extra fruit-rich twist.