Two legendary distilleries | historical side

Blairmont first (originally called "Blair Mount"), which takes its name from its founder Lambert Blair, and whose plantation (located on the west bank of the Berbice River) was founded in the 1800s (between 1802 and 1834). The first recorded trace of rum production dates back to 1862; the distillery closed its doors in 1962, like many others at the time: Skeldon, LBI and Port Mourant, closed their doors between 55 and 65. From then on, only 5 distilleries would still smoke: Versailles, Enmore, Uitvlugt, Diamond, and Albion ...

The Albion plantation is just as old as Blairmont, and its history dates back to 1802 or 1803 (Founder: William Innes); it is located on the east coast of the Berbice River, and more precisely on the Corentyne coast, to the west of the old Port Mourant estate. It was also on the occasion of the closure of the Port Mourant distillery that its famous double wooden retort pot still was brought back to Albion to resume service for a short time, before being transferred to the Uitvlugt distillery when Albion closed in 1968, then to Diamond where it still operates. Thus the AW marks was originally distilled via the PM still; the other marks are via a Savalle column.

If there is one certainty to have, however, it is that neither of the two rums tasted below was directly distilled in the original distilleries, but either via their historic still, or via another distillation tool while maintaining specific settings in order to find the aromatic palette and the original style of the rums then produced (via the famous 'marks'). The same is true for the rums which after 1960 all have in common to have been reproduced and made from more or less similar stills (in the case where the original one no longer existed), trying to stick as closely as possible to the historical profiles of each distillery, in particular via organoleptic and chemical tests, various and varied modifications in order to reproduce as faithfully as possible: the distillation temperatures, the fermentation, the speed of the hydroalcoholic vapor and the elimination of impurities.

Thus, Demerera Distillers Limited gives the following profiles :
ALBION: a light rum, with typical aromas, which makes it a good base for light/medium blends.
BALIRMONT: a medium rum (between light and heavy), smooth, typical and faithful to the Demerara style.

Distillation-wise, the 'recent' Blairmont bottlings mention a French Savalle column, but we don't know if this is a column already present in the original distillery (then transferred to Uitvlugt then Diamond), or a column originally from Uivlugt; the mystery remains, and let's hope that we will one day be able to solve it... As for Albion, the rum was originally distilled in a wooden Coffey column, then via a French Savalle column, and was for a time (marks AW) with the double wooden still from Port Mourant (see the table created by DDL Brand Ambassador Stefanie Holt).

After this bit of information gleaned from the excellent article published by Marco Freyer on his blog Barrel Aged Mind (and translated for the equally excellent Nico from the blog Coeur de Chauffe ), it's time for the tasting...

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Blairmont 1982 / 60.4°

Distilled in 1982 and bottled after 29 years of tropical aging, in February 2011. French Savalle still.

A fatty, thick, heavy rum, what more can I say? 29 years of concentration, and a fairly strong amber color with coppery highlights. The nose is extremely rich and sticky, and at the same time very sweet (you wonder where the 60° are). Time has done its work, melting each aroma into a resinous mixture: a balsamic nose, mixing caffeinated aromas of espresso, grapes, caramel, exotic fruits (banana, apricot, coconut), cloves and cinnamon. A slight rest brings out the years spent in the barrel: oak, slightly spicy, liquorice and notes of old leather and melted plastic (varnish), with always caramelized exotic fruits in the background, and always this coffee.

In the mouth, it is necessarily thick and concentrated and the rum encompasses the entire palate from the first drops, but with a certain sweetness: we find the grape and the coconut, all caramelized, grilled, spicy, for a creamy mouth of the most beautiful effect, which contrasts with a slightly bitter and salty woodiness. Add to it a vegetal side (green grass) which gives a beautiful structure to the mouth, and you have a rum which does not fall into the easy way at any time, and which passes very well for 60°. It is well balanced, sweet/salty, fruity/woody, we never get bored with this Blairmont 82 in the mouth, it is a fact.

The finish is long and rather dry, still on dried fruits, and a bitterness brought by the wood/leather/grass trio, and at the very end, this little salty and iodized side which returns, and even a hint of herbaceous freshness (mint?). 29 years is definitely not forgotten! but it is far from looking its age.

A rum that has a sacred pedigree and that could have quickly resembled a juice of aged wood but, in fact, not at all. It goes down very very well, and even rather easily, and this even if the 29 years inevitably leave traces of wood, bitterness, but also coconut, and vegetal freshness which give it a serious boost that modifies the entire taste dimension of the rum, for the better, and without the worse. For comparison, the Blairmont 91 can pale in comparison, and even seem more woody. The 60° goes down remarkably well and we enjoy it from start to finish. Note: 91

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Albion 1986/ 60.6°

25 years of tropical aging for this Albion distilled in 1986 and bottled in 2011. The Mark AW probably refers more to the double wooden still from Port Mourant, set in Albion mode for the occasion.

The color is coppery rather than amber, so much so that its dress has reddish reflections; it is oily as desired, greasy, and a crown of incalculable droplets appears and gives way to crocodile tears in slow motion mode. On the nose, it is excessively rich, medicinal, it smells of burnt tire, tar, rubber, the Rolls Royce of caronized demerara. Add to that a very dark molasses, liquorice, and even a peppermint side for an invigorating brown of freshness (lemon zest). The alcohol is very well integrated.

The mouth is hyper concentrated, resinous, dark and fresh at the same time, with a lot of licorice, even zan, mentholated (peppermint), and with always this tire/tar side, but mixed with freshly acidulated citrus fruits (lemon, orange). A sort of syrup with stop-cough candies with citrus flavor, and spicy (pepper).

The rest is endless, always with this tarry, resinous side that never ends, and this sweet liquorice that will remain in the mouth for long minutes (hours?) after tasting... The empty glass alone rehabilitates the rubber and the liquorice, 100% gourmet.

An Albion in all its splendor, tarry and deep, as said above surely the rum that can wonderfully reconcile Demerara lovers and Caroni lovers. Extreme and surely sickening in the long run, but it is not a rum that should be abused in any case. If you were coughing before tasting this rum, you can be sure to be cured after a few cl… unfortunately not (yet) reimbursed by social security. Rating: 92

To help you (and me) find your way around, regarding the notes:

90 and + : exceptional and unique rum, it is the best of the best
between 85 and 89 : highly recommended rum, with that little something that makes the difference
between 80 and 84 : recommendable rum
75-79 POINTS : above average
70-74 POINTS : in the low average
less than 70 : not very good

Review courtesy of DuRhum.com.

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