El Dorado 1997 Guyana Port Mourant (Uitvlugt Distillery) Rare Collection – 57.9%

El Dorado 1997 Guyana Port Mourant (Uitvlugt Distillery) Rare Collection – 57.9%

Stats: Distilled in 1997 at the Uitvlugt Distillery in Guyana, this rum comes from the historic double retort wooden Port Mourant still (now housed at Diamond). It aged tropically for 20 years before being bottled as part of the El Dorado Rare Collection at 57.9% ABV with no additives.

Background: This was sent to me as a 1 oz blind sample.

Conditions: Enjoyed neat in a Glencairn over one session. I poured half the sample and let it sit for a long while before approaching it. I wrote the following notes before looking at the reveal.

Nose: Initially get a lot of baking spice/barrel influence, almost rye notes. Appears to have had long tropical aging. A mild, funky, sour milk note. Confectionary notes beneath the surface. With time it reveals itself to be more in line with a wooden Guyana still. Nutmeg, cardamom. Grassy, earthy.

Palate: Immediately get funky wooden pot still notes. Creamy, chocolatey milk that aged in wood casks. Pecans. A lovely sweetness, almost like fresh cane syrup.

Guess: Wooden still… Versailles or possibly Port Mourant, primarily tropical aged, proof under 50%…

Reveal: After I checked out the reveal and discovered it was in fact long, tropically aged Port Mourant, albeit at a much higher proof than I perceived, I poured the other half of the sample and quickly consumed the rest. Whether it was power of suggestion or the fact I didn’t let it rest at all, these were my concluding notes….

Nose: Comes across much hotter this time, actually cinged the nostrils on first whiff which was not the case the first time. Wet forest, dank earth, dark dried fruits and more of what I picked up earlier.

Palate: Way hotter than before. Super woody. Unmistakable Port Mourant. Yummy.

Final thoughts: This is delicious. Hands down the best El Dorado product I’ve tried to date. I can’t compute how they have stocks this good but routinely release their single still releases at 40%. But I guess they have been listening to consumer trends as they have taken the majority of sugar out of their core line and are now rolling out 12 year single stills at cask strength. The world needs more Port Mourant.

My Rating: 4

My Scale:
1 – I don’t want this in my mouth ever again
2 – Best used for mixing
3 – Decent sipper
4 – Very enjoyable
5 – I’m buying a back up bottle