Silver Seal Diamond Demerara 18 (Serie Cedro) 2003

Silver Seal, the collector-respected Italian house, bottled this 18 Year Old Diamond in its Serie Cedro, a 2003 distillate from a Coffey still left unsweetened at 53.5%. Diamond is the lighter, cleaner end of the Demerara range, but extended continental ageing has driven this toward an intensely dark, roasted character with real punch.

The nose is all dark chocolate, coffee, vanilla and caramel, and the palate doubles down, coffee and dark chocolate over vanilla and liquorice, deeply toasted and roasty. The finish brings chocolate, a flash of raspberry and more vanilla and liquorice. The cask integration is excellent, with only a touch of bitterness, and the intensity is striking for a continental aged rum, edging toward the depth of tropically matured Demeraras. There is no added sugar smoothing it, just burnt caramel and roast built by time in oak. A dry, focused single cask for drinkers who love the coffee and dark chocolate side of Guyana taken to its extreme.