Versailles El Dorado Special Cask Finish Ruby Port Casks 2005

This 2005 Versailles comes straight from Demerara Distillers, drawn from the single wooden pot still whose VSG marque sits between the elegant Enmore and the oily Port Mourant, robust, bright and tannic with raw wood, dark fruit and leather. Unlike the sweetened El Dorado age statement blends, this Special Cask Finish is bottled unsweetened and at cask strength, a more transparent look at the still beneath the brand.

Matured from molasses in oak and then finished in ruby port casks, it noses on plum, wood, port and ripe fruit, with the port influence present but held in check rather than smothering the spirit. The palate keeps that wood and port fruit balance, and the finish turns peppery and candied over barrel. At 55.5% it has the concentration these Versailles rums are known for, and it benefits from time to settle. Honest, dry and wood driven, it shows the estate character that the softer flagship bottlings round off.