El Dorado 12 Year Old

I revisited El Dorado after discovering they've apparently stopped adding sugar. Also of note is the "double wooden pot still" which I'd guess is the famous Port Mourant(?). Some of my favourite ever rums have come from this still though the characteristics don't seem so pronounced. The coffey still is definitely more present in the blend (sans sugar, this reminds me more of Havana Club which is also column distilled). Not to judge others but I think if your experience of rum is limited to the added sugar brands, you're probably going to find this a bit underwhelming as it lacks the viscosity and richness. The colour also leads you to believe this will be a richer rum (and I believe caramel colouring is still added... maybe if this is removed people will have a better understanding of what they're drinking). The main thing people should bear in mind is coffey stills produce lighter body rum.

To my mind, this incarnation of El Dorado 12 is better than its predecessor but isn't going to wow the masses in the same way. I also think that, at this price point, it is one of the better rums around. With that said, I'd happily a bit more for a 12 year old with a greater percentage of the pot still. This would probably put it in line with quality and price of some other good rums (I want to mention Doorly's 12, though I've not had it recently, so don't quote me on that).

If I only had £40 to spend on rum, I'd probably buy this again (or maybe Havana Club 7 which I think is a criminally overlooked, bang-for-buck rum, likely due to being so common). But I'd likely pony up a few extra quid for something more exciting.

Bottom line: this isn't the best rum, but it is doing a lot right for fans of rum and I don't want any of the negative points I've raised to take away from the "integrity" progress this brand has made.

1st March 2023

Smooth and tangy good rum as a neat drinker it’s very nice with pleasant floral aftertaste

7th January 2023

Smooth rum. One of the nicest I've tried. A winter warmer.

10th November 2022

Smooth warm relaxing

16th September 2022

The sort of rum to sip, consider, and really enjoy. The taste notes it leaves changes over the time you take to enjoy it. There is a flavour at the start I can't quite put my finger on (but like it!) and then there is definitely a smokey vibe. Many of the smokey whisky I have tried, I have not acquired the taste for, but this is fabulous. Obviously the 12 years taken to distil this are not wasted. And yes, just figured the initial taste is vanilla, then the smoke kicks in. This was a present for my 53rd birthday. Happy Birthday to me, loving getting older all of a sudden!

16th February 2022

Guyanas best kept secret

23rd August 2021

Excellent, best rum under the sun

6th May 2021

Has to be in my top 3 rums, a little smokey which I like, it's the same price as diplomatico's exclusiva and and between the two I think I would choose the Eldorado 12

30th April 2021

Really disappointed with this bottle. After really enjoying the El Dorado 12 before and savouring it's smooth and smokey flavours. This bottle is just not the same. It takes like a completely different rum and not one that's truly enjoyable to sip over ice.

13th March 2021

I agree with "Honestly ... disappointed". Harsher than I expected. The tasting note above: "Long, sublimely smooth" is not true at all, at least for the bottle I have.

22nd February 2021