Dos Maderas 5+5 PX. Dos Maderas are a rum producer from Spain. The rum is blended at one of the biggest wineries in Europe, the Jerez de la Frontera. Which owned by Williams and Humbert who are more famous for producing Sherry and “Brandy de Jerez”.

The title relates to the ageing process undertaken by the rum. It is transported to Spain after the rum has been aged for 5 years in Guyana and Barbados.

It is then aged for three more years at the Williams & Humbert facilities in casks which have aged “Dos Cortados” (Palo Cortado). Once finished Dos Maderas 5+5 then undergoes a third stage of ageing in butts which have previously aged “Don Guido” sherry (Pedro Ximénez) for 20 years. Both “Don Guido“ and “Dos Cortados” have been aged for 20 years and are certified by the oldest Denomination of Origin in Spain: that of Jerez-Xérès-Sherry. All their rums are aged in Solera System.

Dos Maderas are quite a slick, “premium” looking brand. In the UK you can pick up a bottle of Dos Maderas 5+5 fairly easily. It is priced at around £40 for a 70cl bottle. It is bottled at 40% ABV. Presentation is in an stubby rounded bottle, with quite a bulbous neck the look is completed by a plastic topped synthetic cork enclosure. A maroon tube with gold lettering like the bottle is also provided to store the bottle in. It looks nice and you can see why it commands attention.

I saw a lot of Dos Maderas in Gibraltar when I was there and it has also been present in other parts of Spain and Europe, when I have visited. It would seem to be quite a popular brand. The bottle does seem to have had a few different incarnations over the past couple of years.

The slick marketing continues on their website. Which gives some decent information on the ageing process but tells us little of the actual rums which comprise this blend  beyond the fact they are 5 years old when they arrive in Spain and from Barbados and Guyana. Where they have been tropically aged. Via rum broker E&A Scheer.

The Solera Ageing of this rum is where it all gets a bit more complicated. Luckily Matt at Cocktail Wonk has visited Williams & Humbert so they have provided a more detailed look at the ageing process including the addition of some sherry to some of the casks in the solera. This isn’t mentioned in the company’s marketing.

Which goes some way to explaining the Hydrometer reading that I experienced (Johnny over at Drecon.dk got the same results with his Anton Paar density meter). 35 g/L of additives was the reading. Which is pretty high.

Swirled in the glass Dos Maderas 5+5 PX is a rich dark brown with red flashes. Nosed it is intense. As intense as the sweetness derived from the raisins used in the production of PX sherry this rum was finally aged in as part of the Williams & Humbert solera system.

Rich, plump raisins dominate the palate. Coating it with an almost cloying intense spicy sweetness. Rum and Raisin Ice Cream dialled up a notch or two. Sweet almost sickly milk chocolate rubs alongside a very spicy and surprisingly dry sherry like note.

This is a rum blend with rums in it from Barbados and Guyana. It tastes similar to an El Dorado rum – maybe the 12 or perhaps the 8 as the sherry like flavour does have a slightly “drying” affect.

Such is the intensity of the sweetness on the sip it is quite difficult to track anything further down the line. It’s very raisin forward. It’s also quite drying on the palate so the mid palate probably gets the best experience of the actual rum lurking in this blend. A slight oakiness and a little touch of the oak barrel.

As a drink it’s quite tasty – I ‘d enjoy it poured on pancakes or even as an after dinner drink. A bit like dessert wine.

As a rum it’s just totally masked by the sweet sherry. PX sherry is very sweet up to 400g/L of sugar can be used to produce such sherries.

Am I being unfair? No, not if we want to talk about rum. This reminds me of Legendario’s Elixir de Cuba. Now that is a liqueuer which is often confused as a rum. This is a heavily sherry dosed rum which, whilst not at liqueuer levels is far sweeter than a rum really should be. It confuses the category. Some would say it adds variety – I disagree. It should be clear that this is dosed heavily with sherry and perhaps noted as a “flavoured” rum.

In all fairness if I wanted to spend £40 on Sherry – I dare say I could get a very good bottle or two at the price this goes for.