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B-21 Top Recommendation
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"I can't overstate how much this barrel hits on every measure - distillery style, individual character, complexity, and most importantly, pleasure. It's all there." - Andrew Kitz, B-21 Spirits Buyer
We're perfectly confident saying that rum has officially arrived on the craft and collectible spirits scene. Over the past year, we've seen one spectacular offering after another hit it big with our spirits clientele, especially these meticulously selected single casks. Arguably the most dynamic player in that category today is Eric Kaye's Holmes Cay brand. No one has traveled the world more extensively or more fanatically than Eric in search of singular treasures from the greatest rum estates and distilleries out there, and one of our favorite selections just got tagged with 97 points and a 2025 Top 100 Spirits designation from Wine Enthusiast.
The Holmes Cay 2018 Guyana Cask #111 from the iconic Diamond Distillery is easily one of the most compelling single casks of any kind that we've brought on board recently. A rare example from the famed, historic Versailles wooden pot still at Diamond, this is a 100% molasses-based, heritage mark that should top any Demerara fan's shortlist of must-haves. The ex-bourbon cask was aged moderate climates for four years in the UK and another year in New York, so it maintains a vibrant, youthful, bright edge to its classic Demerara profile. The versatility of this cask is off the charts. While it's tremendously complex and heady in every sense, it's also supremely easy to enjoy, and the medium-weight palate profile makes it a natural for an elevated (really, really elevated) tiki cocktail, should you so choose. As Andrew sums it up, "this cask is so much fun it’s downright dangerous," which is why you'll want to load up while you can. You'll go through it quickly, and we expect we will too. |
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Distilled at Guyana's Diamond Distillery, this gem has a straw hue and ripe banana and coconut scent. Splash in some water to temper the alcohol heat; you'll still find plenty of bold roasted banana, warm nutmeg and walnut, finishing with distinct roasted peanut.
97 points, Kara Newman, Wine Enthusiast (Oct 2025)
All you Demerara fans need to pay close attention to this one. Eric Kaye’s latest selection from Diamond Distillery is a must-try. Coming off their famed, historic Versailles wooden pot still, this cask is as classic a young Demerara as you can get. Aged in ex-bourbon oak, it spent four years in the UK followed by a year in New York before bottling, so it maintains a wonderfully vibrant, youthful personality, having not been subjected to the stifling tropical climate of Guyana. I can't overstate how much this barrel hits on every measure – distillery style, individual character, complexity, and most importantly, pleasure. It's all there. The pale gold/straw color introduces a nose of luxurious salted caramel, butterscotch, cooked mango, papaya, and pot pie with root vegetables. Some aggressive swirling brings out notes of lemon custard, shortcake, nutty pistachio and macadamia, and a flourish of cookies & cream on the tail end. Heady stuff that you could sit and smell all day. The palate is supremely approachable, medium weight with excellent balance and just a faint suggestion of heat. It leads with sweet corn bread, green apple, and fried plantain, before transitioning to more salty caramel, and a nutty, sherry-like flor. The medium-long finish has a salty, Speyside-esque lift that brings mint chocolate and more cookies and cream. It would be absolutely brilliant in a cocktail, but you’ll be missing out on so much if you don’t try it neat first. All in all, this cask is so much fun it’s downright dangerous.
95 points, Andrew Kitz, B-21 Spirits Buyer (Nov 2025)
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