English Harbour Reserve 10 Year Old Antiguan Rum 700ml

English Harbour is made by Antigua Distillery on the southern edge of the island, taking its name from the old Royal Navy anchorage nearby. The rum is column distilled from molasses and then left to age in the Caribbean heat, where a decade in barrel does the work of far longer in a cooler climate.

Ten years in ex bourbon oak leaves it rich without turning heavy. Coconut, cinnamon and tropical flowers open the nose, backed by molasses, dried fruit and fudge. The palate is viscous and layered, butterscotch and baked apple giving way to espresso, toasted nuts and singed orange peel, with nutmeg and cardamom spice through the middle.

The finish runs long on cigar box oak, honey and a trace of menthol. A sipping rum for the after dinner hour, best served neat or with a single cube.