Rum Nation 2009 British Guyana Limited Edition 10-Year

I thought this was fantastic. Lots of flavor. The rum is made in the classic British style and has been aged for a total of 10 years, of which 4 years have been tropical aging and the remaining 6 years have been European aging in sherry casks. The rum is slightly dry to dry and has the character of orange peel, red berries, leather and cane sugar. Bottled at 56.4% alcohol strength.

This is a Demerara with sherry finish. I don't know why, but sherry finishes are seldom between Demerara rums. I know only a few Demerara Bottlings with Sherry finishes.

Nose: Dry red fruits and gum aroma, like red rubber rings. This is clearly the sherry influence here.
Followed by dry fruits like raisins. The mark is not clear, I would say it's like the unsweetened El Dorado 12. There is some sharp and earthy aroma deeper in the glas. I would say it's not old enough for a good Demerara.

Taste: Red rubber rings, red dry fruits like cherries. The sharpness increases. I get some wood and bitter substances now. Maybe it's the tannins but there is also another metallic influence.
This reminds me of the English Harbour Sherry finish rum. It was also not old enough with 5y of aging. The bitterniss is too strong for my liking.
I get dry fruits now, some dark chocolate. The finish is spicy, with dry fruits, bitter substances and gum.

Aftertaste: Gum, red dry fruits, dark bitter chocolate

Conclusion: I think this bottling in not succeded. There is e.g. the Mezan 2007 Guyana with sherry finish. The bottling shows how well a Demerara with a sherry finish actually works. It didn't work here for my taste. I would pour the rum back into a bourbon barrel and store it in the tropics for at least another two years.
It has to get rid of the bitterness and young metallic flavors.

Rating: 76 points

Sweetness: 1.5/5
Fruits: 2/5
Spice: 4/5
Complexity: 2.4/5
Value (60 Euro): 2/5