Demerara named after the Demerara River in Guyana produces exceptional rums. This region was renowned for supplying many countries, notably the British crown, with sugar and rum. Distilleries were established around each sugar mill. Their purpose was to use the molasses to create rum, which was then given to slaves or sailors in the Royal Navy. More than ten years after Guyana’s independence in 1975, all the distilleries were closed down and are now operating as a single organisation called Diamond Distillery. To this day, Diamond Distillery continues to produce powerful, aromatic rums bearing the emblematic name of their former distillery. The vast majority of the spirits they produce are used to make blends, as they display a heavy, complex character as a result of being distilled in very old stills. 

A rum from Guyana distilled in 1975 and bottled in 1999 after 24 years’’ cask-ageing. It is not known which distillery the rum is from, nor which still was used to produce it. Rum Nation is an Italian independent bottler created in 1999 by Fabio Rossi, who had worked in the family wine and spirits import business founded by his father in 1956. During his trips to Scotland, he was impressed by various casks of rum from Jamaica and Guyana and wanted to offer them to the public. With the valuable advice of Silvano Samaroli, he launched Rum Nation and began travelling the Caribbean. After initial maturation at the production site, the rums selected then continue maturation in Europe, in a more temperate climate, sometimes in sherry or Spanish brandy casks. Rum Nation tries to keep the spirit of the country of origin, reflected in the presence of a stamp from the country on the label, which Fabio has collected since he was a child. Rossi is also behind the independent bottler Wilson & Morgan, which specializes in whisky.