Dos Maderas 5+3

Got the Dos Maderas gift pack as a gift from the RumRatings club team.
The content is a full bottle of 5+5 and four samples, one each of the rum base, the Dos Cortados Sherry, the 5+3 and the Don Guido Pedro Ximenez(PX) Sherry.

I started the tasting with the base which is a blend of 5yo rum from Guyana(DDL) and 5yo rum from Barbados (a little unclear if it comes from WIRD or Foursquare, seen both data) imported to Jerez in Spain, it’s quite good and I can clearly recognize Demerara. There’s probably a decent part Port Mourant in it.
Thereafter I went on with the Dos Cortados Sherry, which is very dry.
Then time for the 5+3, there the 5 stands for the aging of the base in the Caribbean and the 3 for 3 years of Solera aging in used Dos Cortados barrels in Jerez. These 3 years gives a clear footprint to the base and makes it drier.
From nose to the medium long finish I recognize dry Sherry, vanilla, caramel, oak and fruit. It’s just slightly sweet and quite good even if it not really can compete with the Sherry finished English Harbour.

At this stage (5+3) I feel that it’s an English styled rum.

For the rest of the tasting of the gift pack see my review of the 5+5.

Pictures: Content of the gift pack & The emptied sample of the 5+3.

I am not a big fan of cask-flavouring as too often you end up with the collatoral damage of two styles clashing together, dosed with some sugar to ease the pain. But to be honest, this one is not too bad. The rum is light (I would have expected more body in 8 yo Guyana/Barbados rum) and so is the sherry, so the two styles do get a chance of mingling together.

Fruity (orange mostly) with a hint of charred oak and a little vanilla on the nose, all very light. More spice and nuts on the palate with a hint of sherry (brandy). A little mocha bitter in the end and (thank you, thank you) not that much sugar added. Ok, not really dry but close enough to keep all the fresh and fruity notes alive.

Nice and light sipper for a change of flavours but at its pricepoint underperforming; I can buy a Mount Gay XO (with some change left) or a Doorly's 12yo and there is no way this comes even remotely close.

it's just flat, the smell is better than the taste, nevertheless, it's easy to drink

A bit dry, with strong alcohol scent. It opens up in a bit sweet vanila and oak

Sugar: estimated at 14 -16 GPL. This rum is no where near the 5+5 big brother. The Sherry taste is there along with some vanilla, ginger, and honey. It's got a strong alcohol aroma with a trace of something akin to sulphur. It took me back to the 70's when we used to get used whiskey or rum barrels and put water in them to eventually create a wild beverage called "Barrel Wash". Long and strong on the alcohol and short on smoothness. Definitely a "Mix Only" type of rum.

5 years in oak casks + 3 years in spain in sherry Dos Cortados casks in solera system. Interesting method of aging already used by different company but the double or triple aging is the "marque de fabrique" of Dos Maderas. Sweet notes of dried fruits (nuts) and toasted aroma in the mouth. Sweet but not very long aftertaste. Need more maturity. Waiting to taste big brother...

Quite different beast from 5+5. It has much less (if any) sugar compared to the heavily sweetened and doctored 5+5 taste. 5+3 has recognizable Bajan traits, fruity nose, fruity and spicy taste, with a hint of oak. It is a solid rum, but compared to Doorly 8y it is not so rich in flavor, not as smooth as Cockspur 12 VSOR. For someone who does not need a ton of sugar in rum it is worth a try.

Er besticht mit einer leicht scharfen Note. An sich ganz solide aber muss es mögen. Im Vergleich zum Dos Maderas 5 + 5 merkt man das ihm die 2 Jahre doch sehr fehlen. Kein schlechter Rum, aber kein einfacher

so in for a penny in for a pound, new nothing about it bought it blind. Its beautiful. Doesn't have an alcoholic taste, not to weak not to face punching, bloody brilliant

My frist few sips were disappointing. No alcohol burn but no flavor at all. I couldn't see mixing because it would add nothing. It's not bad, just nothing there.