It has been a while my friends, but I am not going to get into that. Anyway, we have four old Demeraras on the agenda, which may have been distilled in four different centuries.

Bristol Enmore 1980 18YO (46%): I’ve only heard good things about this but given that the only other 1980 Enmore I know is absolutely horrible, I am not sure what to expect. The colour is vastly different though (this is one is golden) so chances are it is not the same type of stuff. Nose: Surprisingly fruity, way fruitier than most other Enmores we know. We get a mix of papaya, apples and peach, later also apricot, mango and dried apple chips. Behind that we can find herbs, fresh cane juice, wet wood, salted caramel or caramelized popcorn as well as licorice. It is very unusual but I like it. Palate: Quite similar to the nose but also decidedly different at the same time. The fruits from the nose make a reappearance but the Rum feels a lot drier, woodier and more bitter than the nose suggested. It is a bit like fresh oak that has been infused in Earl Grey tea for a long time, but we also get dry woods, the popcorn again, apples and papayas in the fruit department, vanilla, as well as more of that Demerara spicyness. Finish: Fried lentils, fennel (seeds), chili flakes, wood and apple chips paired with those bitter notes we’ve just described. Very cool, and certainly a very different Demerara Rum. (87/100)

Cadenhead’s Caribbean Distillers Ltd 1972 30YO “PDW” (53,1%): Caribbean Distillers Ltd was a subsidiary of DDL back in the days, which, if I understood that part correctly, took care of the European distribution, among others. So Cadenhead’s probably bought it directly from them. As far as the Rum is concerned, this could be anything. Nose: Lots and lots of cinnamon. Think that nice, fresh, warm and lovely cinnamon roll. Next to that we can find light tobacco, more spices, and slightly floral notes. It is incredibly pleasant, just not as rich, heavy and complex as you might expect. Palate: Where’s my cinnamon now? I get mostly tobacco and related, somewhat smoky notes (think smoked paprika perhaps). Then oak, licorice, orange peel, leather and more tobacco. Very nice but still not very layered. Finish: Long with oak, tobacco, spices and leather. A cool Rum, but nothing close to those other legendary Demeraras Cadenhead’s used to bottle. (88/100)

E.H. Keeling & Son Old Demerara (1960s, 45%): This one dates back to the 1960s according to my notes and might have been distilled in the ’50s even. Lance has it at around 1955. E.H. Keeling was a spirits broker and merchant who also happened to sell rums under their own label, by the way. Nose: It kinds smells like one of these standard heavily coloured Demerara blends with its notes of wood, licorice, dried fruits and roasting aromas, dark chocolate perhaps. I am pretty sure it is a column still distillate, but that’s all I can say (but then again, I’d probably say the same about these blends, while those are often indeed: blends). Palate: Still plenty of dark and dry wood with a strong astringency. Spices, licorice, roasting aromas, prunes and tobacco round it off. Finish: Licorice, old wood and orange peel stay entertain us for a short while. It is a good Rum, and if it weren’t a Demerara, I would have said that it is a great product given its time – but we know how good some of these old beauties have been. At the end of the day, we should treat it at face value, however. (83/100)