Background: so, I was forced into a partial lockdown before I could retrieve some precious bottles from my office. I had no choice but to order a few new bottles for telecommuting. This is one of those bottles. A pot-still rum from Guyana means it either came from the Port Mourant still or the Versailles still. I heard this is Port Mourant juice.

Nose: honey; sweet floral notes; apple cider; citrus fruits and mandarin peel; fresh sugarcane; aniseed; molasses; sweet pastries like marzipan, with an additional layer of charring -- maybe a creme brulee and a baked alaska, too; eucalyptus and menthol, very “green” yet indubitably woody; pepper and saltwater at the base, followed by more citrus, this time calamansi and unripe lemons; yes this is a Port Mourant, alright.

Palate: a spicy entry; aniseed and a bit of sichuan peppercorn; Christmas cake; then it gets smoky -- a spicy, smoked gingerbread man, if you will; salty liquorice; black olives and canned anchovies; sour cream; lime juice by the campfire; smoke and ashes.

Finish: sweet and herbaceous; that “green-ness” of the typical aged Port Mourant; eucalyptus; wood and vanilla; salty liquorice and molasses for days; honeydew melon.

Conclusion: What a balance between distillate character and cask influence! Probably the cleanest, greenest and freshest Port Mourant I have tried; not a bitter note to be found. This is not one of those monster Demeraras that made Velier its name, and it is not trying to be. One has got to respect that.

Score (assuming a normal distribution with mean 50): 88/100

Image Courtesy of u/zoorado. 

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