El Dorado 8-Year

Great sipper, neat or on the rocks. Different enough from 12 that you don't mind having both in the house at the same time. As always with ED, very cheap and a great value.

This relatively cheap bottle blew my mind, one of the better rums i have tasted. I am definitely going to buy the 12y and 15y now. Paid €17,50 for it in the Netherlands, can't buy it everywhere. 8/10

El Dorado has recently become one of my favorite brands of rum. Thus far each and every one I have tried has been a winner. This one is no exception. Albeit not as smooth as it's older brothers, this rum is outstanding for the price. About $20 for a bottle in this region. Somewhat smooth with a bit of a spicy bite. Flavors of vanilla, caramel, butterscotch, and oak with also some spiciness (minor tongue-tingler). An all-purpose rum worth seeking out.

The 8-year El Dorado is probably the best value for the money for an everyday El Dorado. 5-year is just too hard and not that tasty while the 12-year might be too pricey for everyday consumption.

Yes, there really are worlds between this and the 12-year but if it doesn't have to be superb, the 8-year old is a good straight up rum.

Sugar: 14 GPL. I bought this today because I was out of what I call good mixing rums. It was cheap and cheerful at $35 CDN. Similar to the other El Dorado rums and less money than the 5 year old vintage. Can't figure out that but the LCBO in Ontario tends to have some bargains at times. Picked up several bottles of Flor De Cana 18 for $50 CDN at the same time the 12 year old was selling for $45 CDN. On to the taste of the 8 year old El Dorado. As noted, it has a similar profile as the 12 year old but is less sweeter. A bit sharper on the nose but it calms down after some time in the glass. Heavy on the oak along with some burnt sugar, a touch of vanilla and some spice. I could go on with all kinds on trace aromas and smells but it's a $35 rum so it's not that complex. I bought this for using in Rum punch and overall I think it's the bargain rum of the El Dorado line. I would purchase this again as a mixer.

Got this for a good price and was very curious how it compares to the 12 year. This one has a relatively sharp nose, just like its older brother. Somehow I just don't really like the nose on the El Dorados.

Upon tasting the rum I noticed that there is quite a bit of initial sharpness, which makes way for an oaky flavour combined with caramel. It's definitely not as smooth as the 12 year, but it has some nice warmth. There is a moderately long aftertaste, where the oaky flavour has the upper hand.

I think this is a good rum for when you just want a simple glass to relax with after work. A good "daily driver" if you will.

edit: After some contemplation it's more of a mixing rum for me. It makes for a damn fine Cuba Libre, so I use it for that.

My fav went from the 12, to the 21 and then the 15. As I've moved away for the high sugar rums, I have realized that the 8 is the right one for me with it's comparatively lower sugar numbers.This is a very good mixer and a good sipper. Much smoother than the 5yo too. Updated to an 8+

edited to add sugar test results- 8-15g

Sattes, helles Bernstein im Glas.
In der Nase entfalten sich Düfte von Holz, Vanille, Karamell und Früchten.
Im Gaumen sehr angenehm und nicht so süss wie 12 yo oder 15 yo, Karamell, Holz, Sahnebonbon....
Im Abgang ein langes fruchtiges Karamellaroma.
Ein guter Demerara für Einsteiger und für Entdecker dieser Machart. Für Fortgeschrittene leider zu wenig "Tiefgang".

Rich, bright amber in the glass.
In the nose, scents of wood, vanilla, caramel and fruits unfold.
Very pleasant on the palate and not as sweet as 12 yo or 15 yo, caramel, wood, creamy sweet ....
In the finish a long fruity caramel aroma.
A good demerara for beginners and explorers of this style. For advanced unfortunately too little "hearty"

I love both sweet and dry rums and have been searching for a rum that has a good balance of the two. El Dorado 8 is the closest thing I've found so far and I'm impressed with the quality and great value of this rum. It has a lot of the same flavors as the 15 year but without being too sweet and syrupy, then it's got some tobacco and tea like flavors of its own. It's excellent try it! Update: great value rum that has the classic funk of what I now understand as Demerara style, much like Pusser's blue label. I think this is better than Pusser's as it seems smoother with great buttery toffee flavor. Update 3: still good, a little less smooth than I recall. Excelllent mixed w ginger ale.

Alkohol: 40 %
Původ: Guyana
Aroma: Vůně docela v pohodě. Kakao, lehce zatuchlé dřevo, bujón, závan medoviny a medové nasládlosti, je i trochu větrová. (84 b)
Chuť: Chutí jsem docela zklamaný. Takový základ, obyčejný čokoládově vanilkovo dřevitý rum, nic moc bohatého, spíš fádní, nudný, s nahořkle dřevitou dochutí, která celkový dojem sráží ještě níž, než chuť samotná. Tím nechci říct, že by to byla nepitelná břečka, ale je to na opravdu velmi nenáročné popíjení, možná bude lepší spíš do míchaných drinků nebo do cukroví nebo tiramisu. (78 b)
Shrnutí: Šel jsem do něj s tím, že se mi dostane nějaké odlehčené verze El dorada 12 yo, ale ten rozdíl je zejména v chuti mnohem víc propastný, než jsem si představoval. Přitom rozdíl mezi 8 yo a 12 yo jsem čekal, řekněme, jen o třetinu slabší. V Maneu byl za 465 korun, takže jsem neprovařil moc, ale za trochu víc bych už měl v akci Pampero Anniversario nebo Barcelo Imperial, a to je setsakra velký kvalitativní rozdíl. Kdybych dal pětikilo na charitu, udělal bych líp.
Body: 81