Rum is just one of those things that, when you see it bottled by a predominantly Whisky based independent bottlers, you know is going to be unreal. Combine that with the fact this is coming from the famed Guyanese Diamond Estate Distillery (Often found under the umbrella of El Dorado), we are surely in for a treat.
The Port Mourant still is the only functional Double Wooden Pot Still in operation, meaning this spirit is like no other, with sweet, burnt tropical fruits on the nose and palate, and a more familiar warmth of orchard fruits and mellow dried spice on the palate and finish, making it somewhat whisky-esque in the way that it drinks.
Bottled at a very hearty cask strength of 61.3%, and at an older age statement than El Dorado’s official cask strength bottlings, this independent bottling somehow comes out at a cheaper price than the branded stuff! Incredible.
El Dorado Distillery’s Port Mourant Rum is produced in a Double Wooden Pot Still which is the only one of its kind in use today. Constructed in 1732 on the Port Mourant Estate, this still was later moved to the Uitvlugt Estate and then to Diamond Estate in 2000. Since then, the Double Wooden Pot Still has been producing small batches of this El Dorado Heritage Rum. (And sometimes finds its way to independent bottlers too!)
Adelphi is one of the world’s top independent bottlers of whisky. They acquire casks already matured to bottle, as opposed to maturing them themselves, and the Adelphi brand has been synonymous with top quality whisky for in the post-2000 era. The company also owns the Ardnamurchan distillery on Scotland’s east coast, which distilled its first spirit in 2014 and released its first single malt in 2020.