Port Mourant 1990 Samaroli Single Cask #38

A single cask demerara rum distilled onthe Port Mourant still at Uitvlugt distillery. Distilled in 1990 and bottled in 2003 from single cask #38 by Samaroli.

Samaroli is perhaps Italy's most revered independent bottler of Scotch whisky. With an impeccable taste in single cask whiskies, and an eye for aesthetics (if not English spelling at times!), he is regarded by many as a visionary. Many of his bottles now occupy deserved sports on the pantheon of whisky greats, and their rum output under the tenure of Antonio Bleve is increasingly revered as well.

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.