Uitvlugt, pronounced [eye-flut] was located on the west bank of the Demerara river near the Dutch-established town of the same name. The distillery was established at the end of the 18th century and remained Dutch-owned until the government in Guyana began to nationalise and consolidate the country’s rum production in 1974. Thereafter it became part of the portfolio of Demerara Distillers Ltd (DDL), who closed it down at the end of 1999. Uitvlugt originally operated double wooden pot stills, however these were replaced by a four column French Savalle still in the early 1920s. A double wooden pot still was reinstalled in the 1950s however, moved there from the closed Port Mourant distillery. That still produced this rum. It is constructed from Greenheart wood, which is native to Guyana and is mostly used in boat-building due to its ability to remain strong while constantly wet. The wood is also well suited to distilling, stripping spirit of sulphites in the same manner that copper does. The Port Mourant and the Versailles single wooden pot still are the last of their kind still in operation. The Port Mourant still is so-called as it started life at the distillery of the same name, established in 1732. Its configuration produces a typically heavy bodied and oily distillate, generally credited with being one of the key components in the old Royal Navy blend. Port Mourant rums remain high in demand to this day, and the still remains in operation at Diamond, the last remaining distillery in the country.

This Demerara rum was distilled on the Port Mourant still at Uitvlugt in 1975 and bottled by Berry Brothers and Rudd

Berry Brothers & Rudd is a firm steeped in history. They were established in the late 17th century, and received a Royal Warrant from King Edward VII in 1903. The company has been bottling single malt whisky and rum from almost as early as that, with an increasingly impressive output of the latter in recent years.

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@weixiang_lu of 88 Bamboo gives the following tasting notes:

"There is a substantial amount of depth and complexity in the nose, beginning with that familiar anise of Port Mourants, coupled with spicy white peppercorns. Also present are leather and liquorice, and recurring wafts of dried prunes. Richer notes of coffee and ripe red cherries also surface when it is left to breathe.

The initial palate was oily, savoury, not unlike olives in brine. Soon after were notes of leather and hints of iodine that thankfully faded as quickly as they appeared, giving way to fruitier notes of sultanas and vanilla. The finish is a tad tannic and dry, sour wood overlapping with sweet marzipan, and long lingering prunes that is so distinctive of Port Mourants of the 70s.

Interestingly, the BBR Port Mourant 1975 was quite different from its 40 year old brothers from Kingsbury and Black Tot. The difference of 8-9 years in aging was telling - the BBR was fresher, anise notes were stronger, highlighting its continental aging as many of the younger Port Mourants do.

Truth be told I am not a fan of wholly continentally aged demeraras; they lack that big, rounded profile that gives demerara rums that extra character and mouthfeel. But thankfully Port Mourants of the 70s, including this BBR bottling, were distilled much differently from their younger counterparts, with a fuller and richer profile that brings notes of purple fruits and sultanas, balancing against the spices and anise, and as a result producing an well balanced demerara for the ages."