Demerara Distillers Limited has the advantage of three centuries of perfecting the art of ageing and blending, which distinguishes the taste of Demerara and gives our rum its soul.
Ageing and maturing in oak
The signature rums from each of our heritage stills are aged in oak barrels in custom-built warehouses. First being reduced to their required strengths, our rums are then drawn from the huge stainless stains tanks and laid down for as much as thirty years in 45 gallon oak casks (once-used whisky barrels). It is through this process that the rum acquires, through contact with the oak, its golden to deep brown colour and rich mellow character.
Coaxing out rich & diverse character
Ageing at ambient temperature under tropical climatic conditions contributes crucially to the mellow smoothness of the final spirit, with its complex flavours and rich aromas that make Demerara Rums so unique.
The flavours of oak wood from the barrels and the complexities of the interaction between wood and spirit are greatly enhanced by the tropical climate of Guyana.
The ageing process is significantly speeded up by the high humidity and steady temperature – resulting in a Demerara 8 Year Old Rum, for instance, having a maturity equal to that of a 16 year old spirit aged in more temperate climates.
Blending - with 300 years of tradition
The final magic is artfully carried out by our Master Blender and her team, drawing on the skills and traditions perfected over the centuries. It is their careful selection and hand crafting which adds individuality and style to the final blend. All the complex elements of the blend are then allowed to marry together until the desired aromas and flavours are achieved.
When the Master Blender is satisfied, the results are reduced to bottle strength and bottled on site at the Distillery’s state-of-the-art bottling plant.
A ‘blend’ can be a combination of signature rums (or marques) from different stills, often of a specific vintage or batch, skilfully combined to produce a particular flavour and strength. This ensures continuity of flavour and quality, year on year throughout the range.
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Quality Assurance
Demerara Distillers Limited was built on the pillar of a stringent Quality Assurance programme, reflected in the fact that in 1995 the company became the first distiller in the Caribbean to achieve ISO 9002 Accreditation.
The company moved to the updated version of the ISO 9000 (2015) series of standard in 2018. Our Distillery, Liquor Bottling Plant, Beverage Operations, Bulk Terminal and Quality Assurance Department are the areas certified.