Samaroli DDL Demerara Vertical 03-04 (2017)

Samaroli, the historic Italian bottler known for elegant single casks at deliberately reduced proof, assembled this DDL Demerara from the 2003 and 2004 vintages and released it at 45 percent. It carries no age statement and reflects Samaroli's purist, unsweetened, continental-aged house style rather than a single named heritage still.

From molasses distillate at Diamond, the nose is intense and nutty with cinnamon and tropical fruit, the palate turning to liquorice, a rubbery funk, spice and ginger, then a warm, spicy, liquorice finish. Those notes point toward the woodier, more characterful Demerara stills sitting under the blend. Bottled dry at a moderate strength, it trades raw power for balance and aromatic lift, a spice-and-liquorice Guyanese rum in the restrained, considered manner that built Samaroli's name.