Diamond Port Mourant Stills - Boutique-y Rum Company - 9 y/o - 55,9%
Photo taken somewhere in Stuttgart
We are really curious to try this bottling because it represents another step of (the falling) Demerara rum history and is the logical continuation of the Uitvlugt 21 bottling we reviewed last year. Long story short: The wooden Port Mourant pot stills were first brought to Uitvlugt distillery, and finally moved from Uitvlugt to Diamond Distillery (as funnily illustrated on the label), where they are still operating today. As they both used the same stills, let's find those small differences in each distilleries process (yeast, valves, screws and stuff).
Nose
Very zesty and austere! Engine oil mixed with wood polish and shellac. New ink, aloe vera and swiss pine oil dripping of the planks in an alpine cabin. Beautifuly herbaceous. We are seriously gaining momentum and even find some crystalline peat smoke. Behind the extreme notes more lovely ones appear like crushed vanilla pods and fine soap. That combination of complexity strongly reminds us of some naked ex-bourbon Springbank. No fruits in sight. Pure industrial style, distillate driven spirit as we love it. With water: Now one shy mango and an apricot peep out and get quickly carried away by a wave of aniseed and laurels. Here, water revealed aniseed, with the Uitvlugt we had camphor. Seems we found some differences.
Palate
Like chewing on card board that was just fished out of the sea! Austere and briny as heck, with a light body and zesty texture. We also get some fresh sugarcane (close to a Clairin), petrol and aniseed. With water it becomes "greener" with bitter artichokes, lemongrass and woodruff.
Finish
Medium long and all on cardboard, bittersweet grapefruits and petrol.
Rating
So good DDL preserved this interesting rum style and let's pray those wooden stills will never catch fire. We guess hardliners of tropical maturation won't appreciate this one, while continental lovers could take delight trying this one. We like both worlds. It could be interesting to pair this 9 yo Diamond and the 9 yo Springbank Local Barley 2018 side by side in a tasting (some Bonnie & Clyde action of both worlds).
