Samaroli Uitvlugt Demerara Rum 1989

Samaroli, the historic Italian house known for elegant single casks at deliberately lowered strength, selected this 1989 Uitvlugt and bottled it without sweetening. Uitvlugt ran on a Savalle column still, the refined and fruity end of the Demerara range, cleaner and less oily than the wooden pot marques. At twenty nine years this is a venerable continental aged rum, matured slowly in cooler Europe rather than the Caribbean.

Distilled from molasses and rested in ex-bourbon oak, it opens with vanilla, mango, molasses and tropical fruit, then moves to a roasted, woody, spiced palate before a finish of tobacco, barrel and allspice. The reduction to 45% is part of the Samaroli signature, and it makes for a soft, approachable pour, though tasters who prize full intensity may wish a little more of the original cask weight had been left in. A graceful, mature Uitvlugt for unhurried sipping.