Compagnie des Indes Guyana Aged 29 Years Enmore Still. Compagnie des Indes are a French Independent bottler headed up by Florian Beuchet. They have been around for about 5-6 years now, if my memory serve me right. So they are one of the newer kids on the block.

Imports of the Compagnie des Indes range have been slow to the UK. We now get a few bottlings but it is much easier to find their Single Cask and Blended rums online in Europe. Compagnie des Indes bottle Single Casks of rum at Cask Strength and at the more pedestrian 40-46% range. They also have a range of blended rums which they produce in small batches to try and have a continuous (if slightly different) product available at a more accessible price point, particularly for those experimenting with rum.

I haven’t reviewed any of their products for a while but I came across this sample the other day (apologies to whoever gave me it, as I really cannot remember – my bad).

The rum I have for review today is not one of CDI’s cheaper offerings. Today I am reviewing a Cask Strength bottling from the Demerara Distillers, Guyana. This rum was distilled on their Enmore EHP Wooden Continuous Coffey Still. That said it might also have been distilled on the Versailles Single Wooden Pot Still as it often attributed to being from the Enmore Estate. I’ve not done anything to confirm which still to be honest. Though Serge over at Whiskyfun seemd to think it was the Versailles. I’ve had Enmore labelled 1988 distillate before in the form of a Bristol Classic rum bottling I reviewed a while back.

Anyway ,this rum is available online (at varying prices) from both Zeewijck and Excellence Rhum.

This is a single cask rum and there were just 237 bottles in circulation. It is bottled at what seems a pretty “weak” Cask Strength of 48% ABV. Most (if not all) of its maturation has been in Europe. Had it been aged for 29 Years in the Tropics we might have been lucky to get one bottle of the cask…….It was distilled in November 1988 and was bottled in March 2018. Non chill filtered

Despite the extensive time spent ageing Compagnie des Indes Guyana Aged 29 Years Enmore Still   is still a golden brown colour. It is nowhere near as dark as some of its Tropically Aged descendants. The nose isn’t as big as I am used to with Independently bottled Demerara rum. This could be due to the lower ABV than I am used to.

That said this is still a nice smelling rum! Notes of liquorice root and some herbal notes of tree sap and pine cones. Bit St Lucia Distillers-esque. There are hints of stoned fruits, red grapes and the familiar notes of raisin and sultana you get with Demerara rum. There is a savoury element to this rum with some rich tea biscuits and some light notes of lightly peated whisky.

That said the nose is quite gentle and quite inviting. I don’t think it is giving away the full story though. I think it might be being a bit of a tease.

Indeed, there is much more power and intensity of flavour on the sip. Much fruitier – a kind of Chardonnay flavour going on particularly on the entry. Mineral like notes adding complexity to the fruitiness that is coming out. A touch of tart goseberry, followed by sweeter Lychees and some rich redcurrant notes. The mid palate evolves into a slight smoke with some more of the oak spice coming out – ginger and a burst of white pepper. Stewed fruits and stewed English breakfast tea and more layers of complexity to the mouthfeel. Which is quite dry and slightly tart by the time you move into the finish.

This reminds me very of some of the Bristol Port Mourant releases. The finish is particularly

savoury with notes of dry biscuit and some slightly salty shortcrust pastry. It’s a reasonably good length and the slow burn and gentle fade and the aniseed and raisin really bring this rum to a really nice conclusion.

Whether it is a the sub 50% ABV or just the general approach of this particular distillate this is a very easy going, yet very complex sip. At first you might not be all that impressed but you will find yourself returning and enjoying this more and more with each taste.

This is a really nicely balanced rum yet it still deliver a lot of complex flavours. I particularly enjoy the heavy aniseed notes.

Really good stuff