This is a special barrel. I was walking through the distillery with the Master Distiller Roger Zimmerman when he pointed to this barrel. He told me it was a Port Exchange barrel that he hadn't brought himself to bottle just yet. He kept tasting it and just couldn't get over how great it tasted at cask strength. Richland's current Port Exchange line is bottled at 86 proof. The addition of some water helps bring out the fruitiness and chocolate notes but the port. But, this barrel was different. Even at 108 proof, it drank like it's 86 proof counterpart. The chocolate and berry notes popped with the balance from the caramel and spice of the rum.

Luckily, I was able to convince the Richland team that Roger was right. This barrel deserved to be released at cask strength. This is an uncut, unfiltered Chateau Elan Cask Exchange Port Rum. It's delicious and I hope you enjoy it!

It's important to clarify that this is a cask exchange an not simply a "cask finish". There is a big difference between the two. These barrels held Richland Rum for 3 years. The barrels were then sent to Chateau Elan and used to age their port. After bottling, the barrels were returned to Richland to hold the Rum that was originally in the barrel for at least another year. This is a unique collaboration. 

Notes of blackberry, chocolate, and caramel shine through. This is a well-balanced rum with lots of depth. There aren't many barrels and when it's gone, it's gone! make sure to get a bottle while you can.

Proof: 99.54 proof

Age: 6-Years and 2-Months

Bottle Count: 187 bottles