Uitvlugt 1999

The name Uitvlugt (pronounce “eye-flut“) comes from the surname of the Dutch settler Ignatius Charles Bourda Uitvlugt who owned a sugar plantation in this area in 18th century. This plantation carries his name as well as the sugar mill, the distillery, and the nearby village. The acronym ICBU (his name initials) is still to be found on certain rum bottles produced in this distillery. The plantation was founded sometimes between 1759 and 1776 for sugar and coffee plants and it was used purely for sugar cane since 1838. The Uitvlugt distillery set in the middle of the neverending plantations on the west side of the Demerara river was first mentioned in the end of the 18th century. The distillery flourished even through the thin times and a new sugar mill that supplied molasses to the distillery was built in 1871 (the sugar mill exists till nowadays). During the merging of the estates the distillery equipment was moved from the closed to the functional distilleries which gave Uitvlugt the perk of owning many different distillation stills at the beginning of the 20th century, and therefore to make many varieties of rums – from light to heavy ones. The most versatile still from all of them was “French Savalle Still“ installed in 1921 (another one in 1980) and which was able to produce up to 9 different types of rums including the ones from long lost distilleries such as Skeldon, Albion, La Bonne Intention and Blairmont.

In 1974 the Guyana government has started to privatize sugar plantations and distilleries in order to create one large united company – Guyana Liquor Corporation (now called Demerara Distillers Ltd. or DDL) with only one functional distillery, which eventually became Diamond. The merging process has been accomplished in December 1999 when even the Dutch distillery Uitvlugt closed down. Due to its large stock of aged rum inside the warehouses it is still possible to find independent bottlings of rum produced in this unique distillery from the times when it was still prospering and its rums were appreciated for their high quality and unique character.

The bottle you are holding in your hand was bottled at barrel strength without any added caramel. Its content is the most sincere witness of the quality that the Uitvlugt distillery could offer and keep for over 200 years. All thanks to the dedication of master blenders who served the tradition and virtue that was handed from generation to generation since the 17th century.