Here we have another single cask Uitvlugt 1989 for tasting, this one bottled by @cormancollins in 2022 at an abv of 49.5% (cask strength I presume) after spending most of its 32 years of aging in continental Europe.

From what we know, the liquid came from a single cask and was distilled using a pot still, which can only point to the Port Mourant double wooden vat still, the only “pot still” that would have been found in Uitvlugt during that time. Interestingly, I was unable to find any information on the number of bottles produced, quite unlike the previous releases by Corman Collins.

The nose presents everything right about a Port Mourant, subtle and pleasant, soft notes of floral hibiscus, vanilla, and raisins. Its also accompanied with light leather and liquorice, just enough to give it a slight edge in its complexity. I really liked that rounded character too, with sweet caramel, toffee, and a hint of lively peppermint.

The palate starts off rather peppery if I may say so, but it then soothes into the leathery and liquorice notes. A slight grippy on the sides, drying, and the oak starting to show as it moves into the finish, but still very pleasant, rather like a dry port. The finish has light toasted notes, raisins again, slight cola and funk, sweet caramel and black tea.

I found myself enjoying this Uitvlugt 1989 quite a bit, because I do think that Port Mourants of the late 80s and younger have tended to lose its original character, that of a big, rounded and sweet rum that has come to define the original Royal Navy blend and our idea of Demerara rums of old. This one still holds true to that heritage, with a nice balance that keeps those flavours intact but also possessing some of those new style characteristics that has come to define continental Demeraras of late, making it perhaps a perfect rum to bridge the gap between the two.

Image Courtesy of @weixiang_liu