Skeldon S.B.S SWR 2001

This is an S.B.S single cask of Skeldon, one of the most mythologised names in Demerara rum, an estate on the Corentyne that closed decades ago and whose marque survives only through careful recreation at Diamond. Distilled in 2001 and bottled at 53.2% by 1423, it carries the SWR marque and the closed-estate cachet that makes Guyanese rum so collectible, in the meticulous, full-proof single-cask tradition the bottler is known for. The exact still is the kind of detail worth reading off the bottle, but the character is unmistakably dark Demerara.

The nose gives wood, toffee, vanilla and coffee; the palate is woody with burnt sugar, dark chocolate and vanilla, finishing long on wood, coffee, vanilla and toffee. Drinkers describe a round, rich melange of spice and fresh wood, with roasted almond, allspice, strong coffee and dark bitters, and a deep, satisfying length. Rich, rounded and roast-driven from cask and tropical age rather than from sweetening, it is a slow sipper for anyone who loves El Dorado-style Demerara depth pushed to greater intensity.