Overview
Brand: Raising Glasses
Origin: Diamond Distillery, Diamond, Guyana
Still: Wooden Pot (Versailles)
Age: 9 years
Finish: ex-Bourbon*
ABV: 57.5%
Coming back to Raising Glasses' original releases, we're looking at Moongazer today. The Moongazer is a legendary giant in Guyanese folklore that would stare at the full moon, and if anyone were to pass in between his legs, he would crush them to death. Hopefully, that's not going to happen when sipping through this bottle.
Moongazer is a 9 year old rum originally distilled at Demerara Distillers Ltd. (DDL) in Guyana, using the storied Versailles wooden pot still. This bottle is a bit distinct from the others in the 2022 cohort, as Raising Glasses says it breaks some of their "rules" around what they look for in a single barrel of rum:
- It contains added coloring that DDL added before casking– something that is not unusual to find in Guyana rums, but definitely odd to do at the start of the maturation process
- It spent its full 9 years aging in the UK, with no tropical aging period– actually very common as far as independently bottled Guyana rums go
- It was proofed down from cask strength to 57.5% ABV– in my opinion, this is totally fine, as some rums don't retain their finer qualities when blasting your tastebuds with that level of heat
Let's crack open Moongazer and check it out.
Appearance
Dark reddish copper, medium clarity, medium-low viscosity
Nose
Dark raisins, caramel, low-cacao dark chocolate, Fig Newton bar, dried medjool dates
Palate
Raisins, figs, vanilla, grape mixture, medjool dates, green apple, chocolate, caramel
Finish
Long, fruity, warming; prunes, vanilla, caramel, oak, root beer hard candy, tobacco leaves
Rating: 8/10
Summary
Moongazer in 3 words: dried dark fruits. Raisins, medjool dates, figs, and prunes are all over the place in this rum, and are supported by notes of non-dried raisins ("grapes") and green apple, as far as fruits go. Chocolate, vanilla, caramel, and root beer hard candies also come through in different parts of the experience.
There is plenty of oak and alcohol throughout, but these fruits and other, more savory notes shine through and add up to a wonderful rum. I particularly like the Fig Newton note that combines the fig and a pastry-like note together. This is complex enough to be an interesting pour time after time, while not being too wild so as to confuse the senses.
While Port Mourant seems to steal the limelight as far as IB Guyanese expressions go, this Versailles still Moongazer stand in (very tall) defiance of the status quo. This is a really fun pour that fans of Demerara rums should not pass up.