Rum Nation Enmore Small Batch Rare Rums 2002

Rum Nation's Rare Rums Enmore, an 18 year old drawn from the Enmore distillery's wooden Coffey still, the last operating wooden continuous still anywhere. The Rare Rums tier is the house's dry, full-proof line rather than its softer bottlings, and this one takes the unusual route of an Islay whisky cask finish, lending peat smoke to a rum that already trades in cedar and woodsmoke.

Maturated from molasses and finished in a peated Islay barrel at 59%, it leads with dry smoke, leather and tobacco over dried fruit and anise, closing on coffee, earth and oak. The Islay influence sits naturally alongside Enmore's own light smoke rather than fighting it, though the result is firmly savoury and benefits from a splash of water to settle the alcohol. A distinctive crossover for drinkers who love both heavy Demerara and peated single malt.