The bourbon comes through with rich notes of oily vanilla and buttery caramel next to those deeper port notes of dried stonefruits next to marzipan with a hint of rose water. The palate builds on that by veering into a real sense of bright red cherries and chewy prunes stewed in Christmas spices with a sense of musty oak and more of that marzipan edging in. The end lightens to a velvet sip that’s perfectly rounded as the spice, cherry, and almond slowly fade out. That’s why today — even in the dead of winter — we’re calling out some of the best expensive dark rums we’ve had the pleasure to have ever tasted. Ever. The jewel in the crown of Demerara Distillers Limited, certainly for those of modest means is the El Dorado 21 Year Old Finest Demerara rum. El Dorado isn’t Rum in the Raw, though: It’s a smooth and sophisticated rum that’s well worth seeking out. Available in nearly a dozen variations, I tried three of its oldest bottlings. All are 80 proof.

Hailing from Guyana, El Dorado makes what is known as demerara rum, which is simply a rum from the Guyana area that is made using demerara sugar, aka turbinado sugar — you probably know the coarse brown crystals best under the trade name Sugar in the Raw. This really needs a little time to open up on the palate. Let it bloom in the glass with a touch of water and take your time savoring each sip. Pusser’s Aged 15 Years Pussers Personally speaking I cannot give any rum a 10 because I do not believe a perfect rum exists. The late great Vince Lombardi once said, "Gentlemen, we are going to relentlessly chase perfection, knowing full well we will not catch it, because nothing is perfect. But we are going to relentlessly chase it, because in the process we will catch excellence. I am not remotely interested in just being good.""

This is the perfect post-meal digestif. It really feels like the ultimate winter sipper, especially when you get a little water in there to let it bloom in a big old snifter glass. Diplomático Single Vintage Diplomatico The DDL Master Blender is credited with the creation of El Dorado 21-Year-Old Rum which uses a blend of rums selected from their world-famous stills, the Enmore (wooden Coffey still), the Versailles (single wooden pot still), and the Albion (Savalle still). All of the rums in the blend have been aged in oak for a minimum of 21 years, making this one of the oldest production rums in the world. As pictured the rum looks very dark in the bottle but lightens up once poured in the glass. The rum is a deep rich mahogany colour. The nose is that classic Demerara but more specifically El Dorado nose. Anyone who has tried an El Dorado rum will recognise the rich, fruity notes. The brown sugar and spices. Lovely. Very inviting. Even once the rum is gone nosing the empty glass is a joy. There is nothing in the nose which is off putting or feels like it shouldn’t be there. The El Dorado Rare Collection will likely need little introduction. This is a rum from the EnmoreEHP(Edward Henry Porter – original owner of what was the Enmore Estate) Wooden Coffey Still. My suggestion is to sip this rum neat at room temperature to enjoy all the nuances. The addition of a little ice causes the rum to become somewhat drier and less sweet, which may be preferred by some.

I’m a huge fan of Demerara rums and El Dorado rum in particular. This bottle was a very welcome Christmas treat. It has long been a rum I simply must try. Musty oak sits next to a real rummy funkiness on the nose. The palate has a nice underbelly of Christmas cake with plenty of spice, dried fruit, and nuts that are counterpointed by that wood, funk, plus a hint of minerality. The finish is surprisingly short, sweet, spicy, and centered on the old oak barrels.Demerara Distillers launched the El Dorado range of rum into the market in 1992, becoming one of the first rum producers to market a premium quality aged rum, El Dorado 15 Year Old Special Reserve. The El Dorado range has become the internationally recognised benchmark for many rum brands that choose to display an age-statement on their bottle. This is significant in that each age-statement on El Dorado rums specifically indicates the youngest rum in the blend, even though the oldest rum may be many years older. Which is one the most heralded stills in DDL’s portfolio. It is capable of producing a number of different marques of rum from light to heavy and is featured regularly in both El Dorado’s and other independently produced blends. Demerara is also a name tied to sugar, an extension of which is rum. Specifically, Demerera signifies the rum of Guyana, of which many call as the world’s best. Demerara rum, as you might expect, is produced on the banks of the Demerara River, just outside of Guyana’s capital of Georgetown. All Demerara rum is distilled in Guyana, regardless of where it may be aged and bottled. The rum is derived from sugarcane grown along the banks and is distilled by the last remaining Guyanese distiller, Demerara Distillers Limited, or the DDL. It’s a little disappointing that almost a year since they announced this release DDL have not released anything else new. I do hope they have plenty moreup their sleeve! During the early 20th century all the stills were merged and all ended up in the hands of DDL – Demerara Distillers Limited. The wooden coffey still – EHP – is the last one left since 1880 and the only wooden column still used in the world and what gives El Dorado rum its distinctive flavor. Made of a Guyanese wood called Greenheart, it produces mild and fruity medium bodied rum. The EHP single barrel rum from El Dorado comes from this still. It’s used in the El Dorado 5yo, 8yo, 12yo, 15yo, 21yo, and 25yo and what is shipped off to blenders elsewhere in the world.

There are around 3000 bottles of each of the Rare Collection available. Which means they are definitelynot a Single Cask rum or likely asingle distillation. This rum islikely ablend from the Enmore Coffey Still married together to produce one larger “batch” of rum. To have yielded 3000 bottles we are talking about a lot of barrels when one considers the Angel’s Share which could have run at over 75% total yield! This of course is just my own musings and suggestions. If anyone has more solid information or a difference of opinion please let me know. I’m offering this insight in the absence of the “correct” information.

The finish a medium length offering quite a lot of spicy oak and you get a nice tingle on the tongue which takes a long time to die down. Allowing you to savour some of the less immediate notes – a little leather, a touch of tobacco. There is also a quite familiar Enmoresmokiness to the finish.

Velierset the benchmark by which all aged Demerara has perhaps been judged, particularly over the past 5 years at least. Prior to that (and prior to greater knowledge regarding additives) El Dorado were seen as kings. For whatever reason a decision has been made that Velier will no longer bottle El Dorado’s aged Demerara and it appears they will be doing it themselves. This is one of those sips that make you say, “wow…” It’s just so goddamn easy to drink without water. It’s also a wonderful outlier on this list with all that cherry really bringing some brightness. Goslings Papa Seal Single Barrel Goslings There is much more but my ability to discern the different sensations is well behind this rum’s ability to provide them. I can only attest to vague impressions of tea leaves, cocoa and even a hint of coffee in the swirls of flavours in my mouth. This is rich and elegant! In the Throat 13.5/15

Tasting Notes

This well-crafted expression is a marrying of Venezuelan rums aged in ex-bourbon and ex-single malt casks for up to 12 years. The rums are then hand-selected and hand-blended to find the perfect balance of taste and texture. The blend finally spends a year in sherry casks to give it that final note of ultra-refinement. Master Blender Trudiann Branker hit it out of the park with this Barbados rum. The expression is a blend of rum aged for five years in Tawny Port casks that’s married to 14-year-old rums aged in ex-bourbon casks. That blend is then transferred to fresh Tawny Port casks for a final year of resting/finishing. The rum is then bottled at cask strength with no fussing whatsoever. This age statement is quite different from those rums which feature a solera style age statement which highlights the oldest rum in the blend and usually includes a high percentage of rum which is much younger in the blend. In my opinion, this sets the El Dorado 21 Year Old Rum apart from its peers and it is very hard to find many comparably aged rums in my marketplace.