El Dorado Versailles Cask Strength Single Still Rum 2009

El Dorado Versailles Cask Strength Single Still Rum 2009 is a 112.4-proof (56.2% ABV), 750mL vintage-dated Guyanese rum distilled in 2009 and aged a full 12 years in oak at the Diamond Distillery. Every drop comes off a single still — the Versailles wooden pot still, the only operational wooden pot still of its kind in the world — and it is bottled at cask strength with no dilution. Demerara Distillers Ltd. reserves these single-still releases for its rarest marques. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.

• ABV: 56.2% (112.4 proof) — cask strength
• Size: 750mL
• Vintage: distilled 2009, aged 12 years in oak at Diamond Distillery, Guyana
• Still: Versailles single wooden pot still (marque VSG) — the only one of its kind operating in the world
• Producer: Demerara Distillers Ltd. (DDL), Guyana
• Casks: oak barrels (ex-bourbon) at the distillery in Guyana

Rum From the World's Only Wooden Pot Still

The Versailles still is a piece of living rum history: a wooden pot still that produces a heavy, full-bodied marque no modern still can replicate, and the last one of its kind still running anywhere. Demerara Distillers kept it alive through distillery consolidations that shuttered the rest of Guyana's estates, moving it to Diamond where the 2009 vintage rested 12 years in tropical oak. Cask-strength bottling means the rum reaches the glass exactly as the cask gave it — intense, uncut, and unmistakably Demerara. For rum collectors, single-still vintages like this are the Guyanese equivalent of single-barrel bourbon.

Tasting Notes

Expect a deep, brooding pour: dark molasses, burnt sugar, and dried fig over old leather, tobacco leaf, and polished oak. The palate is full and oily at cask strength — treacle, baking spice, and charred orange peel — with a long, warming finish of espresso and clove. A splash of water opens it considerably.

How to Enjoy

Neat in a nosing glass, or with a few drops of water to unlock the mid-palate. At 112.4 proof it also stands up beautifully in a stirred rum Old Fashioned. Pair with dark chocolate (70%+) or a fine cigar.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a single still rum?
It means every drop in the bottle was distilled on one named still — here, the Versailles wooden pot still — rather than blended across multiple stills the way standard El Dorado expressions are.

Why is it bottled at cask strength?
Demerara Distillers bottles these limited single-still releases without dilution, so the rum is exactly as it came from the cask — 56.2% ABV for the 2009 Versailles.

How old is the 2009 Versailles?
It was distilled in 2009 and aged 12 years in oak at the Diamond Distillery in Guyana.

Is the Versailles still really wooden?
Yes — the Versailles pot still is built of wood, and it is widely cited as the only operational wooden pot still of its kind in the world.

Browse more El Dorado single-still releases or explore our full rum collection. Limited cask-strength vintages sell through fast — order the 2009 Versailles online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.