Versailles El Dorado Special Cask Finish Sauternes Casks 2005

Versailles El Dorado Special Cask Finish Sauternes Casks 2005 comes off the single wooden pot still at Versailles, the marque that sits between the elegant Enmore and the heavy Port Mourant, known for robust, tannic, raw-wood character. This is a distillery bottling from DDL's limited cask finish range, which is worth flagging because it is declared unsweetened and bottled at full strength, unlike the dosed flagship El Dorado expressions.

The rum was finished in Sauternes wine casks, the sweet Bordeaux barrels lending a layer of vanilla, caramel and dried fruit over the woody base. The nose runs nutty and sweet with caramel, while the palate is lightly dry with vanilla, dried fruit and a nutty edge. The finish carries raisin and chocolate against the wood. At 55.4% and free of added sugar, this lets the Versailles timber and the wine cask meet on equal terms, a richer Demerara that still keeps its dry backbone.