English Harbour 1981 25-Year

Like a good scotch, adding very little pure water opens it right up. Then it continues to open as it sits in the glass. A tasting of this rum just gets better and better until the rum is gone and I find myself licking the inside of the glass. A very special experience.

Tried this rum at a tasting session last night. Great nose and palette.
This rum should enjoyed over long time.
Rum alone could be a 9, but the prize is just to large to be overlooked.

If you buy and love rum add this to your wish list to add to your collection.

I am still in awe. This is awesome, it's so smooth, this is something that you have for a special occasion such as a graduation or arrival of a new born, drink this only with your closest family or friends as this is truly awesome. Unless you want to treat yourself.

It's so smooth, it's unbelievable, no afterburn on the way down either.

The packaging is awesome too. My bottle what's left is 2269 I'm going to get another one for sure. This to date is my favourite.

En rom der virkelig oser af klasse, man kan virkelig smage de 25 år på fad, dejlig kompleks, dog ikke så meget sødme, men i dette tilfælde er det heller ikke det der stræbes efter her. En luxus nyder rom, der er forholdsvis dyr, derfor kun:
Et genkøb hvis pengepungen siger ok.

I first had this in Antigua after we toured the distillery. My wife just bought me a bottle for Christmas. It's my favorite sipping rum of all.

Overpriced. For the sweetened mix it is. If only they would have allowed it to show some greatness, now it is masked by a sweet layer that takes away flavours. Crap - for this price, really?!! Sherried, fruity - and unfortunately suffering from an overpowering sweetness.

Das ist ein absoluter Spitzen Rum. Genau meine Wellenlänge!

It has a great opening and a fantastic finish. Must have.

smell is similar to cask 1623, with pears and apples etc. on the nose, very pleasant. The taste is absolutely amazing, very smooth. Definitely one of the top rums I've ever had my life! 98+

One of the deepest noses I've come across. Subtle vanilla, caramel, whiskey tones come through softly.
The tongue carries a uniqueness in that, to me at least, it's an aggressive smoothness. Starts with the flavours from the nose, carries to a deep brown sugar mid flavour accented with deep oak and smoke tones. Carries out to a spice finish on the tip of the tongue. This rum is the first I've come across that it's tasting experience is likened to an art show. Like a cresting wave that crashes on the palate. Incredibly tasty. An absolute must try at the very least for any rum fanatic.

Must have for serious collectors, though is getting harder to find. My bottle is number 1922 out of 5712 produced.Serious aromas, let it sit for a while and it will open up. Sweet, Very Complex, yet so smooth. Rum Perfection!

Sugar: Estimated at 15 gpl. The flavours in this rum are so well balanced that none of the vanilla, butterscotch, almond, wood, and baking spices stand out. Extremely smooth with no burn at all. This rum seems to disappear on your palate leaving you with a pleasant warmth. It’s so easy drinking that the rum seems to disappear and that’s a shame given the price and rarity of this rum. I tasted this in a flight that included El Dorado 25 and for that reason I give this a 9 out of 10.

For three years, this rum was on my list as a rum to taste among the best of those I had been advised to try.
With a beautiful light gold color, the nose is very pastry with butter, almonds, and vanilla. It's very complex. On the palate, we find this pastry side with always butter, honey, it is an extreme sweetness. A true delight ! The final is super long and soft on floral notes that remind me of wisteria with a light woody side. It is a wonder. Glad to have one of these bottles in my bar.

A very interesting rum, impressive taste, good finish, a lot of wood.

Had this in the Cayman Islands and was very impressed. Warm and sweet, with hints of molasses and the woodsy flavor of the casks.

I'm a fan of the EH5 and got to try this at the Boutique Rumfest. It reminded me of why I love Rum. Layers of complexity and depth underpinned by smoke, fruit and brown sugar. One of the best Rums that I've tried.

I was given a taste of this superb rum. Wow. One of the best I have ever had. A definite 10.

Happy Halloween starts with English Harbour 1981 25y rum while there is a snow blizzard in Chicago. Pretty nice and unique bottle and label design, but not drastically different from the traditional English Harbour rums. Bright golden color. Plenty of dry oak mixed with a lot of caramel, butterscotch, vanilla and burnt sugar to your nose and palate when neat sipped. Nose tells you there is some alcohol, but the taste buds are overwhelmed with the sweetness. Solid 9, but not enough special to earn a ten in my books.

This is the best rum tasted so far, but I have Appleton Joy, El dorado 25 and Zafra 30 left to check out. But i’m sure this one will remain top five together with the above mentioned and together with my Agricole favourite, Clement Cuvée Speciale.
I buy every bottle that I can if the price is reasonable. As I read somewhere, “if you got the chance to buy a bottle, don’t miss it”.
Picture: My collection of EH1981.

I tried this Rum in an Annapolis rum bar and it was fantastic. I was blown away by its balance. It was nearly perfect . It has all the elements of a great and memorable spirit. Up to that point I enjoyed Bourbon until I drank this neat with a drop of water and the results were life changing as I abandoned the Bourbon ship and entered the rum world. I do not own a bottle but wish I did . This is up to this point the best I’ve ever tasted and has led me to many other Guyana Rums. If you love rum you must try this and I emphasize the word must.

Great rum but between the price and the difficulty to find I’m torn on another bottle.

Birthday present from the wife, we were married in Antigua and 1981 was her Birthday so she splashed out the $400 for a bottle. Very nice, but like others have stated, not THAT much better than a $150 bottle of El-dorado or similar

Don't get me wrong this is a good rum and depending on what you like I could see why some would give this a higher score but it just doesn't do it for me. It's a very smooth rum, but heavy on the oak and doesn't have the sweetness, complexity or spice that I like. I feel it's more in the league of the El Dorado 21 and is well overpriced for what you receive. At least it won't go bad. I'll come back to it one day but for now it's moved to the back of the cabinet.

Recommended by the owner/bartender at the Occidental Lounge. Easily became one of my two favorite rums. A delightful mixture of strong oak and caramel.