Jung and Wulff Luxury Rums No 2 Guyana. As mentioned in my previous Jung and Wulff review, I wasn’t aware of the history of the importation of spirits into New Orleans. Nor the pivotal role these two entrepreneurs played in it.

Anyhow, Sazerac have decided to honour the pair with a trio of rums. Hailing from arguably the three most recognised rum producing islands/nations in the Caribbean. Least as far as molasses based rum is concerned anyway. Some Agricole producers may think otherwise.

So here we are with bottling No 2. This contains a blend of rums from Guyana. So we have a very distinctive variety of rum. Which can only be produced on Guyana – Demerara Rum. Named after the river which many of the sugar plantations run alongside.

As with the previous Jung and Wullf bottling, there is no age statement for this rum. Although, it doesn’t say on the actual bottle this is a blend of rums aged up to 15 years. The stills used and the exact blend of this rum is not revealed. It is noted that the rum is aged “Primarily” in Guyana. So there is some secondary ageing elsewhere, with this one. Unfortunately where that is or for how long, is not revealed.

As with the No 1 this rum retails at £39.95 for a 75cl and is available from Master of Malt and other retailers such as Harvey Nichols. Presentation is in keeping with the previous bottling. There is a change of colour scheme from Orange to Green and a photo of a waterfall and some tropical birds. It’s striking and alongside the tall thin bottle these rums really do look attractive on the shelf. They are I would say ideally placed in the likes of Harvey Nichols, where they will attract gift purchases at Christmas etc.

Jung and Wulff Luxury Rums No 2 Guyana has been bottled, like the No 1 at 43% ABV. There is no sugar added (at least none added by Sazerac) and the rums contained in the blend have been blended by Sazerac’s Master Blender Drew Mayville.

So that really is as much as I know about this particular rum so we may as well get on with the fun part I guess.

In the glass Jung and Wulff Luxury Rums No 2 Guyana is a golden/dark brown spirit with an orange hue. The nose is rich and creamy with lots of caramel, sweet light toffee and milk chocolate. It’s rich and decadent and very inviting. Beneath this on further sips is a really nice balance of vegetal grassiness, some aniseed and some soft red liquorice.

There’s not a lot of bit to the nose – not much by way of heat or burn. It’s quite light there are some delicate oak spices and a touch of white pepper/chilli. These notes are quite low down in the mix though.

So far this rum is reminding me very much of Pussers 15 Year Old (the more recent release) and Plantation’s Guyana 2005. I would be bold enough to say that I think Sazerac may have Plantation’s fanbase in their sights with these releases as they are quite similar in profile (minus the dosage).

Sipped Jung and Wulff Luxury Rums No 2 Guyana is a bit spicier than the nose suggested. There’s a nice delivery of oak spice and white pepper on the initial sip. Alongside some liquorice, aniseed and toffee notes. It’s not a “knock your socks off” type of Demerara. It is quite light in its delivery but it’s nicely blended and put together.

The mid palate develops into a heavier array of aniseed, liquorice and some dark chocolate. A touch of musty tobacco and some bittersweet notes with just a touch of citrus and some really enjoyable oak spice.

Finish wise it is also more than acceptable with a medium length finish which is full of tobacco, oak spice and those lovely aniseed/liquorice notes. There are touches of tofee and milk chocolate and there is a touch of sugar cane sweetness running right through this rum. I wouldn’t describe it as grassy as such but there’s definitely something vegetal/raw about it.

That said overall this is a very silky, smooth rum. I wouldn’t say its the most complex and powerful Demerara Rum I have ever tried. It has a really nice balance to it. It’s accessible. It bridges a gap between the sweetened El Dorado range from DDL and those Independent Bottlings of Demerara Rum that us Europeans are so fond of.

In terms of speculating on stills involved in this blend – it’s really difficult with the stills able to produce such a variety of different marques. I’m not going to even try guessing or point anyone in any particular direction. In addition to this reminding me of Pussers 15 (re-blend) and Plantation’s Guyana 2005, I would also say it reminds me of a El Dorado 12 Year Old. In terms of the profile being quite light but without the additional sweetness.

All in all I found this a more than pleasant glass of rum. Really a great everyday sipper. If you are wanting Cask Strength Velier style Demerara – this isn’t for you. If you are a more casual OVD or Wood’s drinker looking to experiment with sipping this offers an additive free option. I will confess I do think the barrels used in this rum were coated in molasses prior to ageing. That said Sazerac have no control over that. DDL are hardly the most forthcoming of companies. They prefer to hand pick the people they dish “information” out to and ensure they add to the confusion………I’m sure a lot of Independent bottlers and possibly brokers don’t always get the full story from DDL.

This offers a really good alternative to something like El Dorado 12/15 which are heavily sweetened and all at a very competitive price point.