Kill Devil (Hunter Laing) 2008 Guyana Port Ellen Finish 11-Year 11-Year

That’s my first only Port Mourant Still bottle and now I can understand the hype, it is really o a league of its on when it comes to flavour. I am really enjoying this rum but I am a little confused. When I first opened i could smell the peat from afar and the palate followed through with heaps of Islay notes which I love but then after the first day it kind of went away and I can’t get as much peat as on the first glass. So because of it I won’t be giving it a 10 but it’s worth a 9 as the base rum is fantastic.

So I'm petty sure you could sneak this into an Islay scotch tasting and perhaps no one would suspect somethings off. This rum gets me really excited for the category, as I've had a few really great samples of rum so far which has highlighted the diversity and quality of the spirit category.

But onto the tasting. On the nose there is car exhaust, tar, burnt plastic, tobacco, molasses, sour, lemon, and an earthy/grassy note. If you spend more time nosing, more of the gentle elements (e.g. fruit) are noticeable, similar to a smoky scotch.

The palate is a lot gentler than the nose. There is honey, peat, salt, pepper, ginger and it's viscous/oily. Very pleasant.

The finish is long, with notes of orange, oak, light pepper, and a lingering tobacco.

I think this is fantastic, and would be a good choice for anyone who loves their Islay scotch (think Ardbeg or Octomore). If you are looking for prominent rum notes, this may not be the best rum for you, as I felt they were buried quite a bit under the Port Ellen finish.

9/10