El Dorado Rum – Yum!
I’m a newbie to Rum so last Wednesday nights @TweetTastings was a great opportunity for me to get my taste buds around this product. One which is getting extremely popular these days.
The rum in question was El Dorado Rums which are the only range of rums to be made from 100% Demerara sugar.
Demerara Distillers, the home of El Dorado Rum, has over 300 years of experience of sugar and rum production and have been integral to the history of British Naval Rum.
El Dorado rums are blended from batches of rums from different stills; Wooden Coffey Still, Wooden Pot Still (world’s only remaining) and French Savalle Still. They are then aged in American oak (Jack Daniel’s) barrels.
The Rums sampled were:-
- El Dorado Rum 3 Year Old
- El Dorado Rum 5 Year Old
- El Dorado Rum 12 Year Old
- El Dorado Rum 15 Year Old
- El Dorado Rum 21 Year Old
If you want to catch up on what all the tweet tasters had to say you can view their comments by searching for the hash tag #ElDoradoRum on Twitter.
So, what did I think?
Here are my tasting notes … and the one which was my favourite on the night!
Tasting Notes – El Dorado Rum 3 Year Old (40%)
Cask Aged Demerara Rum from Guyana.
A clear rum, the colour of which is achieved by being filtered through charcoal. That seemed a bit of a strange thing to do to me but there you go!
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Nose: Quite new-makey-spirit type aroma with popcorn featuring heavily. Sugary with hints of mashed bananas. Palate: Mmm … that’s very much like new-make-spirit. Popcorn and a very ‘young’ palate with lots of raw alcohol. Overall: Bit too ‘neat’ alcohol and young for me. It needs to develop and round off a bit more for me to enjoy it neat. It would be great as a mixer though – bring on those cocktails! |
| Available to buy from these Merchants:- |
Tasting Notes – El Dorado Rum 5 Year Old (40%)
Cask Aged Demerara Rum from Guyana.
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Nose: A sweeter aroma with more tropical fruits than the 3YO. It slowly opens up to release vanilla fudge, creamy caramel, coffee and burnt sugar. Palate: Very smooth with caramel and some cheeky spice! Finish: A liitle tropical fruitiness with very dry grapefruit on the finish. Overall: Much tastier than the 3 year old but I think I’d still be tempted to cocktail this – maybe I’m being too harsh? |
| Available to buy from these Merchants:- |
Tasting Notes – El Dorado Rum 12 Year Old (40%)
El Dorado Rum 12 Year Old, recently won Gold at the 2019 World Rum Awards, in the category for Pot and Column Still rums aged 11 years and over.
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Nose: Plump raisins and port aromas with vanilla, leather and polish. After a while there’s juicy cherries and dark chocolate. I think this would develop more if I gave it time – but that’s not going to happen me thinks! Palate: Oh! That IS nice!! So smooth with creamy vanilla, chocolate and molasses. Finish: Plump raisins and hints of Xmas cake but it’s also got some very nice spice at the finish. Not too peppery though. Overall: This is very nice – very sippable and one to savour and enjoy on it’s own. |
| Available to buy from these Merchants:- |
Tasting Notes – El Dorado Rum 15 Year Old (43%)
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Nose: Initially very similar to the 12YO – plump raisins and port aromas with vanilla caramel. Burnt sugar and honey are also very prominent. Palate: Very rich & smooth! Cherries, sweet caramel, chocolate! Who could complain? Finish: Getting lots of chocolate with hints of orange and even a little mint I think … Overall: Another classy rum this. Getting smoother and more refined as we get older. Plenty to offer – much to give! |
| Available to buy from these Merchants:- |
Tasting Notes – El Dorado Rum 21 Year Old (43%)
Produced using a blend of rums, aged from between 21 and 25 years of age
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Nose: Antique leather, toffee, fudge, honey and chocolate. And don’t forget those cherries! Palate: Similar to the 15 year old – Gorgeous alcohol infused cherries, plump raisins, caramel and chocolate but with a greater depth and old-worldiness about it! Finish: “The cherry is strong in this one …” I also got tastes of blackcurrant Ribena which was very intriguing! Overall: Real quality here. But I think I only touched the surface with regards to aromas and flavours as I’m certain it has a lot more to give. I shall need to do some more research! |
| Available to buy from these Merchants:- |
My Favourite On The Night
Out of the 5? Well it has to be the 21 Year Old doesn’t it? Real quality and certainly a rum to consider if you deserve a treat (which we all do of course!)
But the 12 Year Old is also really fantastic AND great value for money – always a major plus in my book!
For me, this tasting was a great introduction to the wonderful world of Rum, something I have to admit I hadn’t really considered before. El Dorado has changed all that!
Many thanks to Steve at The Whisky Wire (@TweetTastings) for a great evening, Love Drinks (@Love_Drinks) for sending me the samples and, of course, El Dorado Rum (@ElDoradoRums) without whom!
My fellow Tweeters on the night were:-
@SpiritAndWood @WhiskyUnplugged @T_M_Cocktails @The_Lady_Sybil @RealDramRob @thedramble @Spiritus_Online @Whisky_And1 @TheArtpunk @SplashyWine @Exotictramp @WhiskynStuff @moonbites @MashtunandMeow @TheWhiskyNovice @kizzsmyth @NeilMacKinnon1 @jwbassman_ @ScotchB78 @neillmurphy @swimforce01
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