Mount Blair

Blairmont is a former plantation and distillery that was located on the banks of the Berbice River that runs through Guyana and empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The name comes from the first owner of the place, an Irishman named Blair Lambert (1767-1815). The plantation then took the name of Mount Blair and then Blair Mont. Apart from this 1991 rum, Velier also released a 1982 vintage in 2010, 28 years old ( 60.4°).

Price : Bought for €75 some time ago, today expect to pay around €110/120 for a bottle (70cl and 56°).

Age : Distilled in September 1991 in a column still of the "Savalle" type (French Savalle Still, a metal column still dating from the 18th century), and bottled in 2006, i.e. a 15-year-old rum. 7 barrels allowed the bottling of 1,913 bottles.

Released in 2006, this rum is one of the rare Velier bottlings from this era to still be available… which is a small feat in itself when you think about it and especially when you see the current difficulty in finding certain references. A reason if one were needed not to hesitate for long if you find it somewhere. But let's not be too pessimistic and move on to the tasting!

The rum has a relatively oily amber color with orange-red highlights . Thick and heavy legs appear on the glass, quickly giving way to numerous droplets that slowly fall to the bottom of our glass. The impression, already, of having an older rum in the glass; but what could be more normal with a rum aged entirely in the tropics? and which could at best be compared with a rum aged 35 or 40 years old from other bottlers (who practice aging in Europe to avoid too much evaporation).

The nose is fabulous, both fruity (on citrus fruits and very ripe fruit) and on this smell of varnish-glue so dear to Demerara rums . The result is a concentrated nose, very rich and thick, and which can seem quite harsh. For the fruity side we easily recognize orange marmalade which gives a warm tone to the whole and which directs the tasting, lemon and a basket of freshly picked white fruits: apple, pear and peach. Dried fruit appears further in the background and even a little more precisely with rest, just like a smell of concentrated wood (oak juice).

A dash of water softens the nose considerably, making it more fruity and seductive, and releasing notes of coconut and vanilla. It may not be your habit, but do not hesitate to add a few drops of water during your tasting, there is a good chance that you will be amazed, especially with cask strength rums.

In the mouth, we are always faced with something quite concentrated, even gourmet , and this despite the 'young' age of the rum, something that would become almost usual - and unique - among the rums released by Velier and Luca Gargano. Unique and so good... we come to think for a short moment that these bottlings are only passing, limited in quantity, and we already regret their next disappearance... while still hoping for new discoveries!

Let's get back to this mouth: the attack is rather oily and warm, still very aromatic, the woodiness becomes concentrated and even makes one think of a sort of oak syrup. The vanilla takes a nice place before the fruitiness makes a brief appearance on more gourmet touches (flambéed banana and still the orange marmalade from the beginning). Finally, some very concentrated, very black liquorice closes the march with the return of the woodiness. The addition of a few drops of water does not really distort the rum, even making it more pleasant because it is sweeter, but awakens the woodiness a little more.

The finish is long and warm, and the woodiness, the tannins, take their place without ever really disappearing . They are the bosses on this finish and no other aroma would have enough strength to eclipse them! The taste that remains in the mouth is reminiscent of green tea, rough on the palate. The empty glass continues to spread its perfume for a long time, letting the licorice have the last word.

A very well-kept rum with a resplendent and very aromatic nose, both fruity and woody, which will please the enlightened lover of Demerara rums for sure . In the mouth, the promises are well kept but the woody takes up too much space to give the rest any chance. In short, a rum as beautiful as youth but rough as an old man, a rum that smells at the same time of the sweet perfume of a young lady in bloom but which the next moment gives you a mean blow of the cane in the back and brings you to your knees. Note: 80.5

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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