No need to introduce El Dorado rums, the flagship brand of Demerera Distillers Limited; they will undoubtedly have allowed many enthusiasts to enter the world of rum, by offering very affordable and easy-to-access products, even if quite sweet in the end. We systematically find a gourmet and caramelized side, and for good reason: as with so many other producers and brands, the higher we go in the range, the more sugar is present; the 12 year old approaches 35gr/L, the 15 year old is at 35/40gr., and the 21 year old fluctuates between 15 and 30 depending on the version. It will therefore not be surprising to see the most high-end rums from DDL also affected by this phenomenon. We will see it below with the cross-tasting of the two carafes released by DDL and displaying 25 years of age.

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El Dorado 1980 / 43°

A selection of rums distilled as its name suggests in 1980, via the stills and columns of DDL (Enmore wooden Coffey still, PM double wooden pot still, Savalle still). There is also a 40° version.

The color is mahogany, shiny and very oily in appearance.
On the nose, a sticky smell of molasses mixes with that of fruit chewing gum, and banana and coconut liqueur. It is very rich and very 'candy', on caramel, vanilla, spices and roasted nuts, and dried fruits galore: from prunes to figs to grapes, all macerated in a dark and very sweet molasses. There is also something smoky in the air, tobacco but that is not enough to subdue the ultra gluttonous atmosphere. The lion's share is given to candied fruits, and more particularly a sort of fruit cake smell, with orange. The more time passes, the more it becomes roasted but still very gourmet: everything seems grilled, caramelized and smoky. Very pleasant but at the same time very artificial and sickening in the long run.

The palate is excessively fatty and sticky, liqueur-like (and that's an understatement), with the impression of drinking a syrup rather than a rum; a toasted caramel engulfs the palate in one go and sticks there, exuberantly and without embarrassment, spreading as much sugar as possible, and tolerable. The liqueur side is no longer in doubt, and it is not just sweet or softened, it is indeed excessively sweet. Once this impression has passed, and in a spirit that is still toasted and roasted (spices, dried fruits and nuts), we find orange, coconut, sugar and more sugar. Cinnamon, vanilla, sugar, caramel, sugar, raisins, fortified wines? port? and a little more caramel. The finish is short, sweet, on dried fruits and caramel, with a smoky oak but drowned in an ocean of molasses. The empty glass will become sticky, leaving a viscous film after a few hours.

Very good rum liqueur, delicious and deep. Its price will take you to other, much less pleasant depths. Diabetics should move on. Rating: 70, in the low average because too far from rum.

The first distilled in 1980 and the second in 1986, with DDL's strong idea of ​​highlighting age-old know-how and the different stills and columns of the distillery; In the same family, there is a 'millennium' version, with a blend of rums distilled in 1975, as well as a version of the 1980 at 40° (the other being at 43).

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El Dorado 1986 / 43°

A blend of rums chosen in 2011 by George Robinson, the master blender at the time (who died in 2011). History tells us that this selection was then put back in barrels to be 'married', and this until 2013 .

Dress identical to its little brother from 1980, saucy and still as fleshy and puffy.
The nose is however darker and woody, on brown tobacco, leather at the end of its life and worn, bitter chocolate and a burnt and humid woodiness. With something resolutely Port Mourant. It is very noticeable on the nose, especially when comparing the two rums: the first (1980) is hyper gourmand and caramelized, while this one is darker and woody, dry and incisive. Beauty and the beast in a way, but in an American and pot-bellied version, with pockets full of sweets.

The mouth is as sticky and enveloping as the 1980, if not more so. With always this impression of liqueur in the mouth, with lots of molasses, liquorice syrup, and this touch of woody made in PM, necessarily interesting! but dryly chased away by the scourge of an entire era, sugar. As faithful culprits, we find caramel, brown sugar, caramelized spices, and everything seems lost in there to tell the truth… A dessert in itself this 1986, we would just expect a little more rum in the end. The finish is summary, literally flattened like a pancake under the weight of a caramel too thick, drowned and futile.

Adding more rum from the Port Mourant still was not enough to make a liqueur pass for a rum. On the contrary, it sowed a little more confusion about the real intention of releasing such a bottling… to highlight its heritage? or to sacrifice it? Note: 71, in the low average because still not up to the standard of a rum from DDL, despite the Port Mourant touch.

The absurd idea that the older a rum (molasses) is, the sweeter it should be remains, but until when? And above all, up to what threshold? The 1980 peaks at nearly 50 grams of sugar per liter, while the 1986 approaches 40 grams. We already know the devastating effect of sugar on rum, which in addition to losing all identity interest, is very often drowned and literally cut off in its momentum and finish. How is it added? Probably by adding fortified wine or molasses, but it is a shame and unfortunate to waste such old rums in this way, and to sell them so expensively in the form of liqueur... The disappointment is great.

These two blends remain very good products, especially the 80 with an ultra gourmet and pleasant side, but we cannot decently classify them in the category of rums; that would amount to cutting the grass under the feet of producers who respect their production and their tradition, by releasing very old rums without smoke. These are therefore very good rum liqueurs, not to be confused with 25-year-old rums.

To help you (and me) find your way around, regarding the notes:

90 and + : exceptional and unique rum, it is the best of the best
between 85 and 89 : highly recommended rum, with that little something that makes the difference
between 80 and 84 : recommendable rum
75-79 POINTS : above average
70-74 POINTS : in the low average
less than 70 : not very good

Review courtesy of DuRhum.com.

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