Uitvlugt RA 1991

Rum Artesanal selected this single cask of Uitvlugt, a Guyanese estate whose marques carry the dry, herbal pot still character associated with the old wooden stills now kept running at Diamond. The German bottler works squarely in the unsweetened full proof tradition, and three decades of cooler European ageing have concentrated the spirit without the heavy tropical oak extraction you would see from maturation at origin.

The molasses distillate shows vegetal and herbal notes up front, then a roasted, spicy core of licorice, citrus peel and the cedar and pencil shaving signature that defines this style. At 61.7 percent the wood is dry and assertive rather than sweet, and the long finish stays herbal and resinous. This is an austere, spirit forward bottling that rewards patience in the glass and suits anyone who already enjoys the leaner, more medicinal side of aged Guyana rum.