Review: Holmes Cay Single Cask Rum Guyana 2003 21 Years Old

In 2021, Holmes Cay released a single barrel of Guyanese rum from the Diamond Distillery in the village of Uitvlugt, the only distillery in the country. (The Uitvlugt name is used to distinguish this product from other products of Diamond Distillery, namely Port Mourant.)

Now they’re back with a new cask of the same distillate, only it’s been aged three extra years: 2 years in Guyana, 16 years in a refill bourbon cask in the UK, then 3 more years in that same cask in New York. 138 bottles were produced of what Holmes Cay says is the final cask of this rum, so grab a bottle of this “rarest selection” while you can.

Holmes Cay Single Cask Rum Guyana Uitvlugt 2003 21 Years Old Review

While Uitvlugt at 18 years old was quite sweet and estery, this expression is far more brooding and dense. Notes of dried pineapple and cloves are quite redolent on the nose, but there’s a tarry underbelly that keeps the fruit from spiraling out much at all.

As with the 18 year old, the palate calms things down, even more so this time around with hefty flavors of espresso, fresh asphalt, and creosote. That Madeira character highly visible in the 18 year old expression is just as active here, with notes of spearmint bringing up the finish. Bitter Angostura notes give the finish a cleansing quality that I didn’t get much of in the 18 year old, though the flavors of roasted walnuts and almond shells remain pungent. A surprisingly different experience.

102 proof.

A- / $299

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