The Demerara river runs thick and brown through Guyana, and the name has clung to the rum longer than anyone can remember. At Plantation Diamond stands the country's last distillery. The rest have closed, been dismantled, forgotten - but the casks and the recipes survived. It is from here the Italians at Rum Nation source the molasses distillate for their solera.
Expert description
Rum Nation Demerara Solera No 14 is a Demerara Rum from Guyana, aged in ex-Bourbon casks with a 12-month further maturation in Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez Sherry casks and bottled at 40%.
The rum is distilled from cane molasses at Demerara Distillers' Diamond Distillery, which today is the only remaining distillery in Guyana. Rum Nation blends distillate from pot still, which gives body and estery weight, with distillate from column still, which keeps the rum light enough to drink easily. The blend is built up in a solera system, where casks of different ages are continually topped up, so the expression stays consistent from bottling to bottling instead of carrying an age statement.
The main maturation happens in used American oak casks from Bourbon, which lay down vanilla and a creamy sweetness at the base. Then follows 12 months in fresh Sherry casks that have held Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez, and this is where the spice, the raisins and the dark chocolate come in. Finally a small proportion of very old Enmore rum is added, pulling the whole blend in a deeper, more estery direction. Colouring has been added.
Demerara Solera No 14 belongs to Rum Nation's core range and has been on the market for so many years that it now serves as a benchmark for what softer, semi-sweet Demerara rum tastes like.
Tasting Notes
Nose
Dark and a touch musty in a good way. Concentrated molasses first, then mocha, cola and white chocolate, with bergamot and a distinct hint of barbecue smoke behind it.
Palate
Syrupy and velvety. Molasses, dark chocolate, coffee and raisins, spiced up with cinnamon, cloves, orange peel and black pepper. Towards the end it dries out and shows oak.
Finish
Long and sweet, almost vermouth-like, with liquorice, aniseed and leather. Underneath the sweetness lies a bitter herbal note that lingers long after the last sip.
Specifications
Name: Rum Nation Demerara Solera No 14
Distillery: Demerara Distillers Diamond Distillery
Bottler: Rum Nation
Region/Country: Demerara, Guyana
Type: Demerara Rum
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Ex-Bourbon casks, further matured 12 months in Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez Sherry casks
Natural colour: No
Distillation method: Blend of pot still and column still
EAN no.: 8033749400178
Serving suggestion: Neat in a tulip glass at room temperature, or as a base in an Old Fashioned
Flavour Profile
Sweet · Spiced · Sherry-finished · Molasses · Dark Chocolate
Did You Know?
Rum Nation is Danish-owned. Mac Y bought the brand in 2018, and Fabio Rossi, who founded it in Italy in 1999, stayed on as blender. An Italian bottling of Guyanese rum with a Danish passport.
See our full range of Rum Nation
Listen to our podcast:
