An El Dorado Demerara White Rum aged for at least 3 years in oak casks, then double filtered through natural charcoal to remove the colour.  This pretty much rounds off my El Dorado collection.  The 3,5,12,15 and 21 have now been reviewed.  Time will tell if any of the Single Cask, Spiced or Overproof offerings ever get a review.  Time and Geography anyway as if I could actually get certain El Dorado rums I wouldn’t hesitate…..

DDL (Demerara Distillers Limited) produce a fantastic range of Demerara rums which I would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys their rum sweet and fruity.  This offering however offers something slightly different being a white mixing rum.

I’ll take my hat off to El Dorado for not only bothering to age and charcoal filter a white rum for a minimum of 3 years but also to be able to get it onto the UK market for around £20 per bottle.  This offering comes in the same bottle as the 5 and 8 year old El Dorado rums.  I think that the different bottlings afforded to the 3,5 and 8 are to identify these rums as predominantly “mixing” rums.  It is certainly much quicker and easier to pour out of these bottles than the stubby 12,15 and 21 year olds.  My empty bottles of the 8 year old are testament to that.

I’ve tasted quite a bit of White Rum lately and built up a fairly decent collection.  To date I think the Lemon Hart White Rum has boasted the best score with most getting an average 2 star rating.  Which I think is perfectly appropriate for what is mostly an unaged mixing spirit.

So lets see if El Dorado can set the bar any higher than Lemon Hart (which contained a fair portion of DDL’s rum anyway).  So firstly as mentioned the presentation.  Well it knocks Lemon Hart White Rum out of the ball park straight away.  As always El Dorado excel presentation wise.

However, how does the El Dorado 3 Years stack up in the important parts of the review? That’s the real test.  First up is the nose and I have to say I was a little disappointed with this.  I got glimpses of Demerara but not a great deal unfortunately.  It didn’t hit you with sweet almost floral fruity notes like the 5 year old.  Nor did it have the added treacle/chocolatey notes of the 8 Year Old.  The El Dorado Demerara was there within the mix but it was interlaced with some fairly strong alcohol fumes (to be expected in a young rum).  Comparing this with the Lemon Hart it is slightly subdued in terms of the fruit notes.  As with most white rums both are pretty sweet.

In the mouth when sipped the rum exhibits a lot of its youth.  It is possible to sip young rums but young white rums are really classic sippers.  At only 3 years old this rum has no right or claim to be a sipper.  The sip is initially quite smooth but it quickly gives way to quite a strong alcohol burn in the mouth.  Leading to a little bitter after taste which lingers in the mouth.  There are traces of that sweet fruity Demerara we so love El Dorado for but not enough for me.  Again, comparing it to Lemon Hart it is slightly smoother but doesn’t quite have as much flavour.

So how will the El Dorado work as a mixer?  I’ll shake things up a little here for my review and rather than mix with cola we’ll try a little lemonade. It’s fair to say that comparing the El Dorado and the Lemon Hart side by side is quite difficult once you have mixed them.  The taste is very similar.  The Lemon Hart is slightly sweeter and slightly rougher in terms of the young alcohol mouth feel.  The El Dorado is more muted in terms of flavour but is a smoother and slightly easier spirit to drink.  With cola it is much the same story both hold their own and make a pleasant mixed drink.  Nothing is really floating my boat though.

I have seen glowing reviews of both this and the Plantation 3 stars.  Now whilst neither rum is bad (despite some people being quite upset with my comments regarding the Plantation 3 stars) neither are as outstanding as has been made out.  Both are pleasant mixing white rums which can make very pleasant mixed drinks or cocktails.

But, before anyone suggests I am dissing down on white rum I’m not.  There will be a review coming soon which shows just how good a white rum can be.

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