Hello everyone, I propose you a new journey back in time, towards English Guyana and more particularly the Enmore distillery! It is May 1994, Ayrton and Roland have just tragically died in Imola but that doesn’t stop the activity at Enmore… as well as its old wooden still: « Versailles ».
25 years later, the German bottler Rum Artesanal offers for sale a nice big « Dark Demerara Rum » distilled this disastrous month. Titling 51.4%, this one lets us predict a good moment I hope!
First info, we are speaking about the VSG mark … but according to other sources it would be the REV mark. So here we are again into the hell of marks, who is right?
Well everyone in fact, because you should know that the VSG mark was the official one practiced at Versailles and then at Enmore when they distilled rums via the still from this old plantation.
The REV marks more than likely comes from the broker, and specifically Cadenhead. It would simply mean Rum Enmore Versailles … well, something not too complicated to understand for once, everything seems to be coherent 🙂
As for the Versailles distillery, it was a plantation located along the Demerara river which stopped its activities around 1968. As often, the sugar plantations distilled their molasses and when it stopped, the wooden single pot still will have been installed at the Enmore distillery which continued to produce rum from VSG mark.
Thanks to Florian and Marco for the details, there are two very significant sources to try to get around in this pretty mess;)
Gros dark Demerara 
Enmore 1994 « VSG »
Color
Dark demerara rum …. everything is said 🙂
Nose
We are clearly on a « dirty » rum, and this without the slightest negative side .. it is a real English rum well oldschool with its old garage side.
We find woody, rubber, burnt caramel, camphor, varnish, a beautiful panel of spices, a big patex glue and polish on the first nose … although the contact may seem at the very least rough, it is not. This nose only seems to be greed and friendship … the 54.1% are completely melted together, it’s very creamy.
The black fruits like blackcurrant or blackberry then appear with a beautiful lemon which brings a nice freshness to the whole. And this despite the imposing ladle of molasses which seems to have been lovingly placed in the barrel at one time or the other.
The large English marmalade, the ripe banana and a hint of cola finish this very concentrated nose, but not at all disgusting as some old dark demerara can be.
Palate
Haaaa it’s bold, it’s well roasted, it sticks to the teeth, it lines the palate … no doubt, it’s a good big demerara 🙂
The chocolate powder comes directly to the fore as well as a beautiful licorice and quite a few dried fruits including the slightly bitter nut.
The finish is rather sustained with woody notes, coca quid and a not unpleasant bitterness. It’s still one of those rums that literally chews for long minutes …
The alcohol is really very sweet, we are on an old Demerara who has had all the time to age and to settle down in barrels for almost 26 years anyway …
Price
109€ (for 50 cl)
Conclusion
Pwwaaaa, what a story this old Versailles … we are clearly immersed in the world of old Demerara, but without it turning on horrible woods juice.
Very good selection, a really top barrel … I’m really angry to have miss this bottle ! 🙂
Score
92/100
