Gourmet Pool Enmore Demerara Rum 1988

Expert review by Rob Bauer

Rob Bauer

9.1/10

"Nose Violets, coffee, and dried rose petals. Ylang-ylang blossoms. It feels like sniffing a coffee in a Victorian-era orangery. Why Victorian? Picture an old, fragrant Chesterfield armchair as well. Add the finest Dominican tobacco and an old leather-bound book—Jane Eyre, perhaps. What we have here is elegance, ladies and gents—an attribute I don’t usually associate with Enmores. After minutes of breathing, very dense dried mango and pineapple coil their way out of the glass. We deem this most excellent. Palate Jane Eyre, indeed! The first sip impresses with an extremely delicate sweetness, elegance, and balance—almost a Victorian purity! The cask is by no means in charge here; the distillate is. Given the label’s mention of a Coffey Still, I first had serious doubts, as the EAM mark usually refers to the wooden Versailles pot still. After consulting with the bottler, he conducted further research with the broker and received the following clear confirmation: it is indeed a distillate from the Wooden Enmore Coffey Still. This makes it something of a minor sensation! Fact is: this rum drinks like juice! Beautiful pencil shavings, sweet milky coffee, with carob and roasted pecans in between. I’m very surprised. You immediately want to take a second sip. It doesn’t have the heaviness and deepness of a 1994 REV or the bangers from the 1970s, but instead an incredible lightness. Almost floating, paired with a thick, viscous mouthfeel. Works wonderfully if you ask me. Finish Long and and extremely juicy, but also vegetal. Very much green coffee and long-steeped green tea, giving it that typical jungle-y vibe that I love about these old Demeraras. Rating The juice perfectly matches the elegant bottle and presents itself with a very dangerous drinkability and freshness. I’ve been a fan for quite some time of drinking strengths in the 48–52% range—provided the dilution happened naturally, i.e., through evaporation rather than added water. This Enmore lands right on the perfect sweet spot. Thanks, Seb, for the sample and the glass"