In the glass Mezan Diamond Distillery Guyana 2007 PX Cask Finish is a very dark brown almost mahogany in colour. As Managing Director of the self styled “untouched rum” Neil Mathieson has set the bar high in terms of expectation. Mezan Diamond Distillery Guyana 2007 PX Cask Finish. I’ve not been reviewing a great deal of Independent Bottlings of late. I’m not going to pretend I’m wearing some kind of halo and advocating Distillery Bottlings. Thing is though, with the likes of Foursquare, Worthy Park and Hampden Estate producing so many of their own bottlings over the past few years, I’ve found my buying habits pointing more in that direction.

With the XO and vintage bottlings my preference is to offer people a product that they can drink straight. After thirty years of tasting professionally I personally never drink anything at cask strength so perhaps this has coloured my choice. This is not to say that we will not produce at other strengths but it will depend greatly on the liquid. One other point is that with no ‘enrichment’, the natural flavour is quite prominent, we continue to try to make this one of the major points in our selections. The cellar master takes care to dilute the rums only slightly, ensuring a fine balance between enjoyable tasting and the full expression of aromatic intensity. This careful adjustment allows the rums to be experienced at their finest - flavourful and aromatic without being overwhelmed by the alcohol. Thus, Mezan rums stand as a testimony to the distinct rum styles born from the azure waters and tropical climates of the Caribbean. When sipped it is as expected from the nosing but the ABV gives this an extra ooomph. This really adds even further depth to the rum. I cannot remember the last Mezan rum I reviewed. I’ve reviewed 6 so far. 2 actually from Guyana. In terms of my experience with Mezan Rum, it has been mixed. I really enjoyed their Panama expressions and the continuous release the Mezan Jamaica XO. Others bottlings not so keen.This rum has been matured in ex-bourbon barrels, aside from the last year where the rum was moved into an PX Sherry cask for the “finish” or secondary maturation. It was distilled in 2007 and bottled in 2019 and is noted as being aged 12 years. It was aged in Europe for 9 of these years. All this information is provided on the bottles rear label. As you can see. The Jamaican rums in this blend come from at least two very well respected distilleries. Monymusk and Hampden Estate. Both companies do well in the domestic market but their reach outside of Jamaica is mainly through bulk rum sales to be used in blends. Both currently have rums available in the UK. Hampden Gold and Rum Fire from Hampden Estate and Monymusk have a Gold Rum on offer. Neither can match the reach or popularity of Appleton Estate. Jamaican rum is produced in such a traditional and well-regulated manner, not too mention the wonderful tropical climate that these producers would have to be doing something truly awful to be producing a bad rum. At least that is what the first sip gives you. It’s worth persisting beyond one glass with this rum. It’s almost as if your palate needs to open up to it. The second glass is so much better. You get more of the notes that were in the nose. Despite being quite high in esters and some “funk” it has a beautiful balance which younger Jamaican rums do not have. It’s similar in many ways to Hampden Gold for example yet it also shares some of the qualities of more aged Appleton Estate rums. The finish is still pretty short but as a Jamaican sipper its not bad at the price. Anyway, lets take a look at what we are getting in this bottle. Mezan Diamond Distillery Guyana 2007 PX Cask Finish comes in Mezan’s rounded stubby bottle. This is a Cask Strength offering and is unsweetened, uncoloured and un-chill filtered. So the standards are set and presented prominently on the front label. No fannying about here. This is rum from a Single Cask (though I understand it is a blend of rums – we’ll come to that later). My bottle is from Cask number 1 of 3 and is bottle number 72 of 423.

When deemed to have reached optimal maturity, Mezan rums are bottled with just a hint of filtration to preserve their intrinsic character. This practice underscores the cellar master's commitment to highlighting the individual craftsmanship of each distillery. So I was quite surprised to find that my wife had decided to buy me a bottle of this Mezan Diamond Distillery Guyana 2007 PX Cask Finish. To be honest she’s really been pulling out some great stuff over the past couple of years. The type of rums I consider buying but opt for something slightly different. Then wish I had bought them a few weeks later, when they sell out! First up as you can see from the photo above this Mezan is a lot clearer in the glass than the bottle. It is almost straw like in colour and once again Mezan assure us on the label that it has not been coloured or sweetened in anyway. In terms of producing untouched product Mezan Rum’s timing could not have been much better. Priced competitively and with growing interest amongst rum lovers Mezan offer an excellent gateway for the consumer who is keen to try untouched rums but whose budget perhaps does not extend to bottlings from the likes of Velier, Silver Seal and Samaroli.Now, the exact still is not stated on the bottle. It’s about the only information that isn’t available. However, it is noted on the rear label that this “rum is blended from spirit produced by several of the column stills” at the Diamond Distillery. DDL have a number of column stills (I am not 100% sure how many were operational as of 2007) including the EHP Coffey Still originally housed at the Enmore Sugar Plantation and the French Savalle still which was moved from Uitivlugt. Both stills can produced a variety of different rum marques which are used in some of the El Dorado rum brand line up. The nose on this rum is full of Dunder and Jamaican Pot Still “funk”. For those un accustomed to such rums this may not immediately appeal. For those, like myself who know how well such rums work in mixed drinks and as occasional sippers it will be a welcome and familiar aroma. Now, Mezan have never become known as being a fantastic Independent Bottler in the way Velier, or before them Samaroli became famous. Until recently, they tended to bottle at between the 40-46% ABV mark. For many enthusiasts, looking at Independent Bottlings – this is no longer an option. Many want to see the Cask Strength Expression straight from the barrel. It may be, that some of the notes I have written might give people and impression of overbearing sweetness. This is a similar profile to the likes of Foursquares Exceptional Cask Series. Sweet but not sweetened.

In the Caribbean, known as much for its idyllic beaches as for its deep-rooted rum traditions, a spectrum of aromas and styles has evolved, unique to each island and each distillery. Mezan's selection, meticulously curated by the cellar master, brings forward this rich diversity, offering rums that represent the purest expression of the Caribbean's rum-making heritage.

Try a Mezan Jamaica XO Sample…

There is so much going on with this rum, it’s difficult to describe everything that you will encounter. This drinks more like a Tropically Aged Demerara than a lot of other IB’s, I have had recently. This is a rich, fruity rum which shows just how rum really doesn’t need to be artificially sweetened. A secondary maturation or finish in a quality cask will give you all the sweetness you need. It has some quite strong alcohol notes yet a quite surprising note of vanilla. I can detect some oak and woody notes, quite a lot of spice. All in all its really quite complex. Some nice tropical fruit notes and a even a hint of toffee/caramel. The initial sip is quite sweet with notes of sweet sherry, toffee, raisin and plum. This isn’t the full story though. Further sips reveal notes of tobacco, oak and some heat – a touch of green chilli/wasabi. The mid palate moves into a mix of tobacco, vanilla and sweet Rum and Raisin ice cream. With some toffee sauce maybe……. Mezan produces a range of rums from all of over the Caribbean and Latin America, and its latest is this offering born in Panama, which starts with column-distilled molasses that is aged in second-fill American white oak casks, then finished in Portuguese Moscatel wine casks. No sugar is added.