Fahrenheit 173 - Aged Spirits

Berry Bros. & Rudd 12 y.o., 46% (Caroni, Trinidad):
Without water the nose is a little prickly and the palate a little harsh, so I add a drop. The nose is power­ful and quite oaky yet rather nice. Complex with notes of gin­ger­bread, brown sugar and dried fruits, also a little earthy. The palate is rich, sweet and rather oaky. Also earthy but with nice notes of orange, brown sugar and mint. The finish has gin­ger­bread and mint but it's hot, spicy and quite oaky. Dis­ap­point­ing. All in all it's rich and power­ful. Very oaky which makes it seem much older than 12 years but also makes it dry and peppery. (83 p)

El Dorado 12 y.o. (Guyana):
The nose has caramelized sugar, dried fruits (figs, dates), oak and a note of arrack. Also a little earthy, un­for­tu­nately. Yummy palate: rich, sweet, fruity (orange and apricot marmalade) and oaky. De­velops notes of mint and dark chocolate. The finish is fairly dry and oaky with brown sugar and gin­ger­bread, also notes of citrus and mint. It's milder than it was a few years ago but just as nice. (88 p)

Diplomático Reserva Exclusiva, 12 y.o. (Venezuela):
Complex nose with crème brûlée, cocoa and mint. Also herbal and oaky. The palate is smooth, very mild and very sweet but the sweetness is nicely offset by fresh notes of mint, lemon and custard. Drying, de­velops notes of oak and allspice. Very nice finish with caramelized sugar, oak and a note of gin­ger­bread. All in all very nice but perhaps a little too sweet. (The nose is much nicer now than when the bottle was first opened a few months ago - then it had strange notes of pickled gherkins and tequila.) (89 p)

Pampero Aniversario (Venezuela):
The nose is pre­dom­in­antly oaky and a little earthy but it also has very nice, subtle notes of brown sugar, dark chocolate and leather. The palate is mild and smooth with dried fruits and pepper­mint. It's light and sweet at first, then drying, grows richer and more power­ful. De­velops notes of oak and gin­ger­bread. The finish is fairly dry with oak, tobacco and brown sugar. All in all smooth and beautifully bal­anced, complex and very nice. This is the nicest, youngest and cheapest of the four. Brilliant! (90 p)

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