Velier Albion Old Demerara Rum AN 1983

Albion is a lost Guyanese estate whose marque survives only by recreation on surviving stills, which makes any aged bottling a finite curiosity, and this 1983 single cask comes from Velier, the defining collector name in Demerara. Bottled at seventeen years and an unusually low 40% for the house, it is gentle and approachable rather than the full-proof powerhouse Velier is known for.

Matured in ex-bourbon, it leads with butterscotch, vanilla and nuttiness on a heavy nose, then a palate of vanilla, caramel and chocolate that several drinkers find a little thin, before a vanilla, young-wood finish. The softness is down to the reduced strength rather than sugar, as this is an unsweetened style, and many wish it had been bottled stronger to match the promise of the nose. Still, it is a smooth, dessert-leaning old Albion and a rare chance to taste a closed estate from Velier.