Port Mourant 1999-2015 / 61.4°

No need to go back over the Port Mourant still and its historical side, there is already enough to do on this site. Let's go straight to the tasting...

Mahogany amber color, and still those tears that seem stuck in the middle of the glass.

On the nose, it is powerfully aromatic, even if the 61.4° is rather 'good', provided of course that a safety perimeter is respected. The nose will console PM lovers: damp wood and anise, freshly cut and crushed wood, mixed with smoking and burnt molasses, but with - besides that - a lot of fruit. As for the Enmore, we find the aromatic markers of the house, but with more fruit, as if DDL had wanted to offer resolutely easier rums for its first attempts, perhaps not to rush from the start (even if the degree of bottling would melt any taster who was a little too curious). And while this fresh aniseed scent takes up a little more space, we discover olive, candied orange, clove, and this spicy woodiness which reminds us, if need be, that this rum is cask strength and, all in all, quite old (16 years in tropical aging inevitably leaves traces).

The rum could be left there, abandoned, for hours, and it would still be just as alive and talking. The anise is in any case very present and allows not to fall into the heaviness of the wood. With more than half an hour of rest, the nose is still as concentrated, and now offers a somewhat destabilizing smell: a mixture of aniseed wood with very very ripe fruits (including orange, and very mature guava, even rotten) and grilled almond, for a result that may seem strange, but original, even if for the time being, not very well balanced.

On the palate, the attack is powerful (but not so much given the degree of bottling), and beautiful and well concentrated, on the strength of the wood and its tannins, mischievous and mean, but quickly tamed by the freshness and the ardor of the anise and citrus fruits. Dried fruits, leather, olive, there is bitterness, but fortunately the mouth softens thanks to the exotic fruits (guava).

The finish is shorter than expected, without the explosion that one expects from a PM at more than 60°; it lasts, but it is far from a Velier 97 to compare. This finish is fresh, aniseed, mentholated, with exotic fruits, but the rum left much too quickly, and too easily… Slight bitterness and acidity at the very end of the mouth.

Comparison with the PM 1997 from Velier (15 years old, 65.7°):
at almost the same age and with the same aging, the comparison is necessarily interesting and rather justified. O ne again, the Velier selection is darker and empyreumatic, toasted and molasses, and clearly more concentrated in terms of aromas; it is also better balanced, more complex, and the alcohol is definitely better integrated. The Rare Collection from 1999 has a slightly crazy nose, and destabilizing at rest. As for the mouth, the PM 97 appears hyper concentrated, sticky and exquisite, with an endless finish. The Rare Collection 1999 offers a much less sticky and balanced mouth, less explosive despite a rather interesting finish.

A confusing Port Mourant, which would probably knock out many aged rums on our continent, but well below the selections of Mr. Gargano. For my part, I expected a mouth as concentrated and sticky, explosive; instead it is good, but it clearly lacks something to make it a champion in its category. Note: 83

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Versailles 2002-2015 / 63°

Coming from the legendary wooden pot still, it is quite rare to come across a rum 'marked' VSG.

Amber/old gold color, with a multitude of legs quickly emerging, leaving little room for spaces, followed by lascivious and blocked droplets, as if stuck.

On the nose, it will need some aeration to fully open up, but we find a very -very- toasted profile: toasted/burnt caramel, molasses, toasted dried fruits (prunes), toasted nuts (almonds), and a good dose of cinnamon and especially curry; it is very aromatic and almost sticks to the nostrils (thick and honeyed). It smells of half-cooked cake batter, licorice, roasted coffee beans, lemon zest, but it remains clearly on molasses, curry and dried fruits, with a well-integrated alcohol. Rest will reveal a little more fresh notes of citrus zest, and exotic fruits (dried), almond, giving the nose even more diversity. A heady rum.

The palate is hyper concentrated and sticky, honeyed; at first quite sweet, it quickly becomes tannic and licorice (licorice candy), with a clear presence of bitterness with leather, coffee, but with enough caramel to avoid grimacing. Very dark molasses, dried fruits (always that prune), clove, and cinnamon. The finish is very long, on burnt oak, with still a lot of licorice; it is a little burning and spicy, but always well balanced. It is very long and very tasty, with a mouth that supplants the nose.

The much younger - and unfortunately too rare - Versailles 98 from Velier is also very much focused on these toasted aromas of molasses and dried fruits (and nuts), and can even seem sickening upon opening. This Versailles 2002 is much less so, and this is perhaps partly due to the added sugar (RumCorner measured the Versailles 2002 at 14gr/L).

The only one in the range that provides this sticky effect in the mouth, and a finish worthy of the name, explosive and tasty. The most accomplished of the 3 technically, just a shame about the excess sugar (and especially the lack of transparency on this subject) which spoils the party a little. Note: 86

With this Rare Collection series, DDL is clearly following the path traced by Luca Gargano, and there is no doubt that the next bottlings to be released will raise the crowds just as much. The prices remain nevertheless very high, especially for a new series that has not yet proven itself, and which still has everything to prove.

The comparison with the rums released by Velier will not convince more than that for the moment, and this despite a certain quality. It lacks more length in the mouth and magic. Only the Versailles gives a very nice presence in the mouth, but it is also the one with the most added sugar (the high degree greatly helps to make the pill go down).

DDL will have a lot to do to surpass the quality of previous bottlings, but they will be able to count on time (which pushes the lover of a Velier bottle further away each day), and on their stock which surely contains what makes the difference... See you soon for the sequel.

To help you (and me) find your way around, regarding the notes:

90 and + : exceptional and unique rum, it is the best of the best
between 85 and 89 : highly recommended rum, with that little something that makes the difference
between 80 and 84 : recommendable rum
75-79 POINTS : above average
70-74 POINTS : in the low average
less than 70 : not very good

Review courtesy of DuRhum.com.

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