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  • Nick's Import

2002 El Dorado Rare Collection Versailles Cask Strength Demerara Rum (700ml)

GUYANA
$350. 00
Bottle
$4200.00 Dozen
ABV: 63%
Rum purists will be pleased to get their hands on a trio of limited edition rums from El Dorado's Rare Collection. Launched in 2016, each one features a rum from one of three renowned Guyanese stills. Demerara distillers actually operate nine different stills, capable of producing a range of rum styles. Of significance are the three heritage Wooden stills in the operation, relocated from their original estates: Enmore, with its wooden continuous Coffey Still. Port Mourant, with its wooden Double Pot Still and Versailles with its wooden single pot still.

On the surface, the Rare Collection mirrors El Dorado’s 12, 15 and 21 year old rums, though the packaging is more conservative with low key colours and an embossed ship on the shoulder of the bottle. The big difference is that these are all-natural, single still, cask strength, unblended and non-chill filtered rums. They're also limited to 3,000 bottles worldwide.

The Versailles wooden pot still is the only one of its kind operational in the world. This edition was distilled in 2002 and matured in x Bourbon barrels. Bottled in 2015 at 63% Alc./Vol.
Extremely limited stocks.

Other reviews... The newish OB! Entirely aged in Guyana, where they have very greedy angels. The volumes go down fast, while the strengths remain high or even go up. Colour: gold. Nose: it seems that it’s a little simpler than the Mezan, but that’s probably the super-high strength. What I seem to find in the background is a bag of vegetables and herbs, such as capers (which is a flower, isn’t it?), and plenty of wood varnish, with an acetone-y side. Let’s dig deeper… With water: as expected, this is more wood-driven than the Ultra-clean Mezan, with a BTAC side (yup) and plenty of tarmac, tarry wood (restored old boat, teak oil), and just ideas of ‘brand new sneakers’. Mouth (neat): huge. Distilled vin jaune, mint essence, artichoke, concentrated walnut oil… All that is spectacular and, I have to say, wonderful. Huge distillate. With water: very extremely good. Please call the anti-rumporn brigade! Finish: very long, big and yet elegant and ‘well-chiselled’, always with a lot of tar (and other tar-like elements, pitch and such). Droplets of lemon in the aftertaste. Comments: like, I mean love it much more than the Port Mourant in the same series. Ça c’est un alcool, monseigneur, as they would have said at Versailles (the castle).
90 points. -Serge Valentin, www.whisky-fum.com