Rabbie’s Rum – named after Scotlands most famous poet Robert “Rabbie” Burns.  This particular rum was bottled by The Whisky Barrel and hails from the legendary and now defunct Uitvlugt (owt-fluct) Distillery.

One thing I have touched on before is the confusing and contradictory naming convention used by Independent bottlers when it comes to Guyanese (or even Guyanan rum – I’ve put that in as I know how it annoys Lance over at The Lone Caner).

This rum is marked as Uitvlugt but the markings on the barrel MPM – reveal it is from the Port Mourant Still – which is now housed at Diamond Distillery or Demerara Distillers Limited, if you prefer.

The bottle is a standard bar bottle with a colour photocopied label.  The Whisky Barrel have two rum expressions available at the moment.  This one and an 11 year old rum from the Travellers Distillery in Belize.  The Whisky Barrel also unsurprisingly release rums also with Robbie Burns on the label.  for the rum releases they have added sunglasses to his portrait and a palm tree in the background.  The rum is bottled at Cask Strength 60.8% ABV and I paid £75 for it or thereabouts.  It is no longer available – its sold out on the Whisky Barrel.

Rabbie’s Rum Uitvlugt is a single cask rum #18 MPM.  It was distilled in December 1999 and bottled on the 9th February 2017.

There have been quite a few Port Mourant’s released by Independent bottlers lately.  Like the Mezan Guyana 2005 and the Kill Devil 12 Year Old this rum has spent the majority of its maturation in Europe.

There are no details on what kind of casks the rum has been aged in – either during its brief time in the tropics or in Europe.  My immediate guess would always just be ex-bourbon as that is the default.  However, this rum has left me wondering.  I’ll explain more when we get into the review.

Which will be pretty soon as I think I have exhausted all the information I have on this particular bottling.

So lets move onto the fun part.

In the glass the rum is golden to straw like colour. Whisky-esque.  It is similar in colour to the other Port Mourant’s I have recently reviewed.  It hasn’t taken on the dark colour the tropically aged Velier Port Mourants did.

Nosing this rum is familiar it reminds me of both the Mezan and Kill Devil bottlings I have reviewed recently.

The nose is strong with familiar anise notes.  However, the notes are more Aniseed Balls (old fashioned sweets) than liquorice.  There is a hint of fruitiness – touch of bitter plums and a touch of raisin.  There is also more than a hint of paint stripper and a mustiness – mixed with a touch of tar and tobacco.

Sipped at full ABV is a very fiery experience.  It’s pretty bitter and very dry.  Although the rum is woody its not oak spice its more of a mustiness – which is a little unpleasant.  The familiar anise notes are present but they are a little cloudy and less well defined that I have noted in other Port Mourant’s.  It’s very smoky  -tobacco smoke.

It’s a very dry, almost savoury note with a kind of strange “old” taste to it.  I mentioned the use of barrels earlier.  I think the barrel this rum was stored in had seen better days.  It kind of tastes a bit knackered.  It’s not over-oaked as the oak gives way to a kind of “off note” which just tastes – old.  I wish I could articulate that a little better.

Water does help in terms of the dryness and the mustyness a little.  But it doesn’t paper over all the cracks.  The anise notes are more forward no accompanied by a little varnish and shoe polish but there is no warming fruitiness.  It’s really quite an unforgiving drink.

It does have its good points though.  It is undoubtedly a decent rum from the Port Mourant still which has perhaps been mis-treated a little.  It’s sufficiently different to pique some interest but I think it would appeal more to a whisky or even a Mezcal/Tequila drinker as it is very smoky and very dry.  A cigar with it? Maybe.

It doesn’t have any of the rich fruity flavours of the Velier Demerara’s or even the sweetness of an El Dorado.  It also lacks a real clean-ness and clarity that some European aged Demerara’s benefit from.

I’ve struggled to really enjoy this rum.  It’s not a terrible rum per se.  I can understand people may enjoy it.  But I’ve struggled to find much solace in it.  It’s very unforgiving.

Overall it does display some of the good points of a Port Mourant but unfortunately the overarching dryness and musty-ness just makes it difficult to love.

Not for me you may have enjoyed it more.  I’d be keen to hear from anyone who picked up another bottle.  I just feel that in the light of the competition of aged Indie Demeraras this falls short.  Having said that I won’t be put off from buying any other rums Whisky Barrel may bottle.  As I’ve said before Indie bottlings are very hitty miss.

Average – a good distillate that was either over-cooked or put in a bad barrel.