Velier Port Mourant PM 1974

Velier, the Genoa house that defined collectible Demerara under Luca Gargano, bottled this 1974 from the Port Mourant double wooden greenheart pot still, the heaviest and most storied marque in all of Guyana. Tropically and continentally aged to 34 years, unsweetened and at natural 54.5 percent, it is the archetype of the old Velier Demeraras that built the category's reputation.

The molasses spirit shows the full Port Mourant signature, licorice and anise over tobacco, leather and dried fruit, with a roasted, intense palate and a dry, never ending finish of oak, black tea and espresso bitterness. What sets it apart is how composed it remains despite the age and wood, the structure holding everything in place. This is a contemplative pour for drinkers deep into old Demerara, the reference point against which other Port Mourants tend to be measured.