Silver Seal 2001

Silver Seal, the collector-respected Italian bottler, presents this Panamanian rum as a sixteen-year single cask from the 2001 vintage. Panama usually leans soft and sweet, but Silver Seal's selection here has more spice and structure than the norm, a characterful aged ron rather than a smooth dessert pour.

The make is column-distilled molasses rum drawn from a single ex-bourbon cask and bottled at a sturdy 46%. The nose is roasted and brandy-like with dried fruit and apricot, the palate turns warm, spicy and roasted with real depth, and the finish brings dried dates and a satisfying, warming spice. There is honey, chocolate and wood here too, and the 46% gives it a welcome firmness. An honest, warm and spicy Panama single cask, well chosen and rewarding, that trades easy sweetness for roasted, fruit-and-spice character.