The Duchess Diamond 17 2003

The Duchess bottled this 17 Year Old as a single ex-bourbon cask from the Diamond distillery, the home of Guyanese rum and keeper of the country's heritage stills. Distilled in 2003 and left unsweetened at 59.3%, it is a pot still Demerara built for patient drinking rather than easy sipping, the sort that opens up properly only after a long rest in the glass.

Varnish, pear and a floral, tobacco-tinged top note set the tone, and the palate is firmly tannic, black pepper and orange peel riding a powerful spirit that needs air to settle. The finish is bitter and woody with liquorice and dried black tea. There is fresh and dried orchard fruit folded through the structure, and a faint metallic, mineral edge that marks out the leaner continental aged Diamonds. No sugar softens it, so the wood and spice show plainly, and it offers a lot of evolving character for the money once it has had time to breathe.