El Dorado 21-Year

El Dorado 21 year is way too close to a good cognac than a flavorful aged dark rum, and it has a surprisingly strong after burn. Best memory is from the Demerara Distilleries between Georgetown and Cheddi Jagan Airport in Guyana when I visited their rum distillery and enjoyed their entire line up in its own surroundings.

A rich dark Demerara rum delivers an unexpectedly dry initial impression, despite the added sugars. Add an ice cube to bring out additional layer of flavors that elevate this rum. It would rate higher if not for the price point and additives. Aging a rum for 21 years is costly, but there are other other rums at lower price points that are equally as tasty.

This is a fantastic rum, some say it is backsweetend but I just don't care because it is great. Even if that is the case it is not real sweet, very flavorful with almost no burn on the finish.. The mouth is fantastic and the finish is even better. Definitely well worth being on your upper shelf. I did a blind taste with my 12, 15, and 21 and they are all very distinguishable from one another. 21 is by far a keeper!

My rating will probably rise to a 10 the more I get to know this rum. The 12yr old is lovely but this is an obvious level above. Very rich, dark fruits, not too sweet and a touch of smokiness.

The above was my first reaction, rating at 9. Today it's dropped to a 7. It's obviously a deeper darker version of the 12, more complex and so on, but does this mean it's better? Not for me. I can't yet distinguish all the flavours but I do get an overpowering effect of raisin or prune juice which spoils it.

My views change when I look back at old reviews. Overall opinion of this rum is don't go near it for £80, get two bottles of the 12 yr old instead. This rum was too long in the barrel. For a rum at that price, you shouldn't need to add water to try and kill off the overpowering prune flavour. Diplomatico 2002 is around the same price and far far superior.

My favorite rum for sipping. Wonderful nose. Love this stuff.

Si tu n'as pas cette bouteille dans ton bar t'es un naze

One of the best addition to my collection.

Strong start with a sweet and subtle finish, great on the rocks.

I had heard so much good about this rum, so my expectations were very high. It is indeed a quality sipper, but for me it just isn't up there with the best. I prefer more heavy and thick rums like the Abuelo Centuria.

A really nice, complex demerara rum. Though, pretty pricey compared to its younger brother totally worth it. For me a must have if you enjoy heavy dark rums and especially for those who liked the 12 or 15y El Dorado.

For me, one of the best rum that I've tried!

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This is a fine rum but i would say it's pretty much on the same level as the 15 year and not a big step above. The 15 year arguably has a slightly better finish but the taste of the 21 year is just ever so slightly superior. Nice oak barrel taste going on! You can definitely own both as they are different but i wouldn't say one is better than the other.

I bought this rum together with the plantation xo, just to give it a try. Was not disappointed!
Nice bottle, sweet smell. No burning sensation, very smooth.
Has a mild taste of raw sugarcane that took me back to my childhood.
Would definitely recommend!

Good, but then the 15 years is also good!
Quite a price difference.

Smell: black tea, caramel, dried fruit, some vanilla, some spice. Slightly better balanced than ElD15.
Taste: A lot of spice, light sweetness comes through (slightly sweeter than ElD15), caramel, nice long burning finish, slight bitterness.

I think friends of Dictador could like it.
It tastes richer than ElD15, but the price is too high for this small improvements.
ElD15 tastes a bit more watery. Go for ElD15, it's much better value for the price.

Sweetness: 2 / 5
Spice: 4.5 / 5
Fruits: 3 / 5
Mildness: 3/5

German:
Geruch: schwarzer Tee, Karamell, getrocknete Früchte, etwas Vanille, etwas Gewürz. Etwas ausgewogener als ElD15, aber recht ähnlich.
Geschmack: Viel Würze, leichte Süße kommt durch (etwas süßer als ElD15), Karamell, schöner langer Abgang, leichte Bitterkeit.

Ich denke, Freunde von Dictador könnten ihn mögen.
Es schmeckt besser als ElD15, aber der Preis ist zu hoch für diese kleinen Verbesserungen.
ElD15 schmeckt etwas wässriger. Ich würde ElD15 bevorzugen, er hat ein besseres Preis-Leistungsverhältnis.

Süße: 2/5
Würze: 4 / 5
Frucht: 3/5
Milde: 3/5

I rate it the same score as 15y. I would not say it is better than 15y.. its different. Its little bit smoother and creamy. On the nose you can feel tobaccoo, caramel and coffee. In the mouth flavours of vanilla, tobacco, oak and fruit. Not sure about the price... but my rating is based all about taste.

Naozaj chutný rum. Možno som po ochutnaní 12YO a 15YO čakal o čosi viac. Je výborný,ale v danej cenovej kategórii pre mňa nie top. Cítiť tropické tóny,jemnú drevitost a je naozaj plný chuti.

Price ~110 euro in Europe per bottle

“With a little help from my friends”, just like in song from Beatles.
Thank you,

This one is Guayana Rum (north part of the South America), from very historical important region - Demerara. But not about this region I wonted to talk today. Mostly I want focus on El dorado now and say two things about this Rum. One bad and one good. The good one that a number what you find on bottle is correct, it is the youngest age of rum you can find in bottle. This is fair politics in ‘Demerara distillers’. The second thing is that in the rum was added sugar. In ED 12 and ED 15 much more, than it is in 21 years old, but anyway I don’t agree with that fact.
But however, this El dorado 21 is very good! So be sure, you don’t feel this sweet additions from sugar here!

Color: 7;7,5-10 to darkest

Nose: deep, rich, caramel, bitter black chocolate, smoke notes, toffee, vanilla.

Palate: it tastes not as sweet as when you smell it. Very rich and complex. There is so much... it’s like you finish small puzzle before with some 10 pieces and now you take this El Dorado 21, and here is much more, hundreds of pieces... you need time and patience to “open your palate now”.
At start with first sips I found it little bit oily. Molasses, ginger, notes of spice and wood prevail in your mouth.

Very smooth and long aftertaste. It just like wave what covers you in “slow motion”. Again smooth, leather, dry, and finish with spices.

I was expecting a smooth ride. Strong flavour but harsh after taste.

Sono rimasto sorpreso da ciò che questo rum può offrire. All'olfatto è mielato/fruttato, al palato al primo impatto può sembrare un po' troppo legnoso con una marcata nota affumucata ma si fa tubito strada un finale davvero delizioso di sentori di caffè e cioccolato che risulta molto persistente. Un rum davvero valido, senza dubbio da provare almeno una volta. Io sono alla seconda bottiglia e chissà che non arriveri la terza!

Skvělý kousek, kdo má v oblibě El Dorado bude nadšený, velká dobrota!

Smooth, deep with a lasting honey aftertaste. Best served neat

I am a huge fan of the 12...I have also enjoyed a bottle of single barrel, which is excellent. The 21 is definitely more oaky, with a huge flavor character of caramel, spices, plum, fruit, and vanilla. Definitely better neat. It’s not as sweet as the 12, which I actually like as a change of pace, still a smokey Demerara but definitely closer to a nice scotch.

This is actually a very good rum. Well balanced and so on, but it is not my kind of rum. I actually think the 15y is a better alternative from a pure taste perspective.