🇬🇾Guyana

El Dorado 5: 140+ Years of Pedigree at a Very Nice Price

As we’ve noted a time or two before, the finest rums don’t always carry the highest prices. Nor are they always the most aged. El Dorado 5 is a prime example.

A cornerstone product of Demerara Distillers Ltd’s (DDL) legendary Diamond Distillery in Guyana, El Dorado 5 retails around US$20. Its imminently satisfying flavor and sophistication, though, are worthy of a much higher premium.

Legendary Stills

Like all great rums, the secret to ED5’s surprising flavor stems largely from the distillation stills employed in its production. Unlike other rums, though, DDL’s stills are…well…unlike any others.

As we’ve noted before, DDL boasts a unique collection of Heritage Stills. From our earlier post on El Dorado 25…

These treasures date back to the 18th century and are built with a special kind of Guyanese hardwood so dense it doesn’t float! The rum that comes out of these stills obviously bear a unique flavor separate and apart from anything else you can put to your lips.

Indeed, among DDL’s Heritage Stills are the only wooden stills that continue to be used in rum production today. They imbue centuries of distinctive flavors and complexities into DDL rums. Yes, even rums as young and affordable as El Dorado 5.

140+ Years of Rum Excellence

The still that makes all the difference in ED5 is the Enmore EHP Wooden Coffey Still. Originally constructed at Guyana’s Enmore Sugar Estate in 1880, this beauty has been producing rums of exceptional quality for more than 140 years!

Incredibly…thankfully, you can enjoy a taste of a portion of this legendary still’s greatness in the value-priced El Dorado 5.

El Dorado 5 Tasting Notes

All that pedigree is nice, of course. The question remains, though: Is this rum any good?

To be sure, if you like rums that maintain a mix of dynamism and dynamite, then you’ll love ED5.

Enjoyed neat, the spicy fire emblematic of this blend is evident immediately on the nose. It’s not enough to singe your nose hairs, but also impossible to ignore. The slight sizzle awakens as much as it entices, portending something special.

The payoff on the lips is surprisingly subtle relative to the spicy aromatics. Dry and buttery, the initial flavor experience is heavy on tropical fruit flavors and wonderfully smoky oak.

The finish doesn’t disappoint either. Here, the subtle burn returns; a warming embrace worthy of slow and deliberate savoring. A hint of vanilla pops up here as well, though it remains nicely muted in the background.

At this stage of your El Dorado 5 sampling adventure you may have doubts. You might ask yourself: Could this rum – this marvelous taste experience – really be priced around US$20?

Yeah, you’ll want to pick up a bottle soon to see/answer for yourself.