Port Mourant El Dorado Rare Collection PM 1999 16yr 61,4%

"Looking at the previous reviews, this is a controversial rum. I didn't really like the 1997 brother because of an unpleasant acidity. This one may be the slightly simpler of the two El Dorado Port Mourants, but for me it's clearly the better rum. Up front: a little oxidation does it good. A few minutes or even hours in the glass is no harm to let some aggressive alcohol evaporate here. The nose is a typical, mature Port Mourant: aniseed and wet cardboard, wet wood. Plus rubber, Kalamata olives, dried fruit, very ripe banana, heavily roasted coffee. Everything is very harmonious. I could smell it for hours. The mouth is a little weaker, but I don't find the raging alcohol that others have described. I find the alcohol integration perfectly fine. The profile is similar and bone dry. Aniseed, old and wet wood, some brine, the roasted coffee again, plus leather and licorice. The finish is long and surprisingly smooth with leather, licorice, soft tannins and lots of dark spices: anise, cloves. I think this is a super PM! I wouldn't buy it for 250€. The 140€ I paid is excellent value for money"

"Second, slightly younger El Dorado Rare PM for today.Nose: with a little time, the high ABV is well tamed. Now I have a full-bodied, intense but at the same time balanced PM in the glass. Powerfully spicy-woody and aromatically fruity-roasty. Vanilla and nutmeg stand alongside orange peel and dried currant. Seems charred, almost burnt, but that doesn't bother at all. There is also strong sweetness from maple sap and burnt sugar. 88Palate: again strong and intense, salty-bitter and dry at first, then warm and creamy, with licorice, vanilla and nutmeg. Plus fat pecans with a slight umami impact. Seems strongly toasted. The so typical orange peel comes in at the back. The bitter start is a bit too heavy, but then a very nice, mature PM. 88"

"Compared to the Prelude we just tasted in the RumX Advent calendar, this one is not quite as round and the alcohol is less well integrated. Unfortunately, I have to admit that this is the one that appealed to me the least of all, but that is generally "complaining on a high level" with these bottlings"

"Basically an exciting flavor profile of bitter wood, strong black tea, tobacco, licorice, papaya and some leather. Unfortunately, but me personally on the one hand much too bitter and sourish and the alcohol could be much better integrated..."

"Un Port Mourant rustique, authentique et pourtant d’une grande élégance. Le nez, assez vif, dévoile des fragrances florales et herbacées qui se complètent bien avec les épices (vanille, réglisse, anis, poivre) le chêne et les notes sombres sur le cacao, le cuir et le mélasse lourde de Demerara. Les notes de vernissage du bois sont très délicates et ajoutent un brin de complexité exaltant. L’attaque en bouche est vive. Le côté rustique de Port Mourant ressort avec des notes amères de boisé humide, de tabac, de cuir, de café, de cacao, de réglisse et d’anis. Les notes sombres de mélasse et de caramel cuit se complètent avec les fruits secs et exotiques pour donner un peu de rondeur. L’alcool est bien intégré dans l’ensemble. La finale est longue, chaude et pimentée, sur cette même trame boisée, amère et torréfiée, lourde et sombre. Les copeaux de crayon et les épices assèchent le palais, tandis que les notes fruitées donnent un peu de souplesse à ce profil très concentré. Un superbe représentant de Port Mourant, étonnamment disponible et accessible."

"Klasse Port Mourant - El Dorado. In der Nase hauptsächlich das Fass und Holz zu erkennen. Am Gaumen hat er dann irgendwie einen dunklen Geschmack. Das Holz kommt hier durch, außerdem sehr würzig und noch trocken und kräftig. Super."

"Very dark, spicy, smoky, roasty, herbal, citrus, brown sugar, licorice. Very pertinent and a rounding component such as vanilla and caramel is unfortunately not present enough. The palate continues in a similar vein with lots of bitter, herbal and woody notes. For me, Port Mourant is not quite one of the ED Rare Cask Champions. However, lovers of such aromas will certainly find an excellent rum here. Less woody/dark on the nose compared to ED PM 97, but intense and unbalanced in the mouth."

"Must breathe a little. Naturally very powerful, very spicy, some dried fruit. Complex, alcohol integration very good. A few drops of water bring out pencil. Port Mourant is typically pronounced recognizable.In the mouth then more caramel, of course a lot of oak and massive spices.Great, long finish. Overall, very successful wood maturity!I am now not so the Port Mourant fan, but this one pleased me very much. A powerful, tart, very masculine aroma."

"Good El Dorado with the classic PM profile of the late 90s. Certainly not the top of the Rare Cask series, but like the vast majority of the range, solid and good. Full-bodied, dark and roasty, orange peel meets prune and aniseed. Just a little brisk in the finish, otherwise I would probably give it a few more points!"

"Having emptied most of the bottle I feel ready to contribute my opinion about this one. Phenomenal. The complexity is a little hidden, you need to have your taste buds a little prepared for this type of strong juice and, as the English used to say, "unapologetic". We're dealing with a pure, powerful, and perhaps divisive demerara, as this rum will tell you whether you're a real fan of the style or not. In my case, my god, how divine it is. If you can find it for 160€ or less, go for it. At more than 240€, turn to the best Nobilis expressions, where similar quality can still be found for around 170€. If you're not a Guyana aficionado, give it time to develop on your palate! Don't settle for your 3 cl sample. This is the shining example of where the "sample warriors" in this community will miss out on the quality of this bottle."