Berry Bros & Rudd 26 Year Old Uitvlugt Rum Exclusive to the Whisky Barrel. Another collaboration, between one of London’s finest independent bottlers and one of Scotland’s finest rum and whisky retailers.

This time have a departure from Hampden Estate as we set sail for Guyana. The rum in question is a 26 Year Old rum which was distilled back in 1991 at the old Uitvlugt distillery, on their famous Port Mourant Still. As I understand the distillery closed circa 2000 and the stills were moved to the Diamond Distillery/Demerara Distillers Limited.

Berry Bros & Rudd 26 Year Old Uitvlugt Rum Exclusive to the Whisky Barrel is a single cask offering. Cask #38. Bottled at Cask Strength of 55.3% ABV. As a result only 227 bottles of this rum are available. A 70cl bottle – I make a note of this as some indie bottlers are using 50cl bottles will set you back £169.96. I have seen much more expensive Demerara’s on the market some bottled at lower proof as well.  I’m looking at you Samaroli. Rarely have I seen a rum of this age and strength much cheaper than this offering. It is priced fairly in my opinion.

That aside it is likely that most of the rums time will have been spent in Europe so it is continentally aged. The colour of this rum backs up this theory, as you will learn when I begin the tasting.

Presentation wise, we get the tall Berrys’ bottle with a synthetic cork enclosure. The look is stylish and you get the vital information you want on the bottle rather than fairy tales.

Which in the absence of anything else of interest to note….I may as well begin now.

In the glass we have a light brown coloured liquid. Golden rum colour if you like though slightly dull.

The nose is classic unadulterated Port Mourant – licorice and aniseed combine with a savoury almost beef gravy like note wafting over the rum. An almost whisky like malty/savoury note. Further sips reveal sweet sugar cane and caramel molasses.

There is a nice integration of oak spices and vanilla. Spicy ginger a touch of fennel and some nice fruity raisins show themselves the more you nose.

Sipping the rum you get a spicy spirit on the palate initially. It’s quite a dry rum – it is not at all sweet at first. Bitter notes of woody oak and some very strong breakfast tea.

The mid palate evolves and more of the licorice and aniseed comes into the mix. An almost sulphur like note is present throughout. This is definitely a rum for someone who prefers a drier, perhaps almost whisky like rum. Some sweetness does evolve on the mid palate in the form of vanilla and light toffee. A touch of sandalwood gives the rum a little twist as well.

The rum is very drinkable at the full 55% ABV. It is a good example of a 20 year plus Port Mourant. It would have been very easy for this to be over oaked. The time in the cask clearly has made its mark on the rum but it has been bottled, I feel at about the right time. On first tasting it may seem a little too dry and oaky but it really does open up on the second and third tasting.

This is a rum, I enjoyed more once I got to my second and third tasting. Finish wise it is very long and it has a really pleasant and complex array of spices tingling on your tongue for a long time after sipping.

My personal preference for a slighty sweeter spirit should be noted but I will also say that I feel this is a really good example, of continentally aged unadulterated Port Mourant rum. It is also from an era whereby we won’t see too many new bottlings come up for sale.

A little bit of liquid history.