Versailles El Dorado Special Cask Finish Madeira Sweet Casks 2005

Versailles El Dorado Special Cask Finish Madeira Sweet Casks 2005 is a distillery bottling from DDL's limited cask finish range, drawn off the single wooden pot still at Versailles, a marque known for robust, tannic, raw-wood character of wet sawdust, liquorice and dark fruit. It belongs to the same cask finish series as its Sauternes and port siblings, bottled at full strength.

The rum was finished in sweet Madeira casks, the fortified wine adding a layer of dried fruit and richness over the dry spirit. The nose carries wood, pencil shavings, a polished note and dried fruit, while the palate is warm and dry with roasted wood. The finish stays warm, woody, dry and spicy. The alcohol is well integrated for the strength, and the Madeira gives a pleasant warmth without turning it into a dessert. At 55.9% this is a richer Versailles where the wine cask meets the timber, a dry rum with a warming heart.