El Dorado Special Reserve 15-Year

The El Dorado family is one of my favourites,after sipping a bottle of a 12yrs old,my wife made me a present.Well,the bottle didn't last long. Very sweet but keeps you warming for minutes. I never experienced this warmth. Nowadays,after trying a lot of rums,i tend to the Guatamala-Peru style of rums,but Guyana is El Dorado to me. A great Demerara rum,you need to try it

This is what I serve first to friends who haven't experienced 'good rum.' It sets a high bar and rarely fails to please. Many will find it slightly on the sweet side, but not as much as, say Diplomatico. The flavor is highly complex and alluring.

From a value point of view, at about $40 USD/bottle, I don't think you can do better. Focusing on the El Dorado line, the slightly less expensive 12 year bottle isn't as good as the even-less expensive 8year, so it's skippable. The more expensive 21-year bottle is noticeably smoother but questionably more enjoyable to drink. My cabinet always includes a bottle of ED8 for 'everyday' rum, 15 for entertaining, and EHP for special occasions.

El Dorado 15 comes in a classical bottle and the rum is delivered in a simple paper carton (picture).

When you smell the El Dorado 15 you find a very sweet and mild aroma. No sticky alcohol, just sweet aromas of orange, plums and a touch of vanilla. You also get a little bit of smoke and barrel.

I the mouth the El Dorado 15 is surprisingly spicy with sweet fruit and a little hint of vanilla. You also get a little bit of smoke and barrel, but just a little bit. This rum is very well balanced. El Dorado 15 has quite high alcoholic content (43%) but you don´t sense that at all.

This rum has to rest a few minutes before you drink it. A lot of flavors shows up after 15 minutes or so. A nice formula is to always let the rum rest for as many year old it is. 15 years old rum have to rest for 15 minutes in the glass.

The aftertaste is long, peppery (in a good way) and sweet.

This rum is a very nice and highly recommended sipper.

Was looking forward to tasting this for some time and was not disappointed. El Dorado 15 starts with a sweet and fruity taste that is followed by a karate chop of funky oak and cognac flavor. I'm not a huge fan of cognac but the change in flavor direction makes me like ED15. A small piece of ice or splash of water makes this rum very enjoyable. Being that I prefer drinking my rum neat, the fact that I have to add water to improve the flavor drops the rating to an 8. At $40 USD (01/2016) per bottle, I will put ED15 on the repeat list.

I can instantly smell brown sugar, dark fruit (prunes and dates), vanilla, a little spice and what can only be described as liquorice. To taste, the liquorice shows itself along with a dark treacle which provides a little bitterness. Dark fruit is present and I can taste the dates and prunes which add a chewy toffee flavour and feel. I can taste a slight orange flavour and then the liquorice returns to round out quite a dry finish. The finish is not too long but does leave your mouth with an almost leathery and tobacco warmth. Winner

Ok, this is very good rum, I just prefer the 12-year, which, I am given to believe, is not just a younger version of this, but a different rum. The 15-year offers hints of raisins and dark fruit flavors that (I think) indicate a sherry cask somewhere in its history. Many folks prefer this and good for them, but I find the underlying wine-y flavors less preferable than the more oak-y 12-year version.

Lovely and warm feeling when I drink this... Incredible balance and taste... On the rocks is the only way to drink this smooth delightful rum

i like this as both a mixer and a sipper. Versatility makes it a must stock for me.

Alkohol: 43 %
Původ: Guyana
Aroma: Vůně je vyzrálá, hutná, uhlazeně dubová, se skořicí, dřevitou kořenitostí, pomerančovou marmeládou, k tomu se přidávají i čokoládové pralinky a chvilkami i mentolové aroma (mentolové čokoládové bonbóny). (88 b)
Chuť: Chuťově velmi bohatá a přišla mi i dost proměnlivá, při každém napití jako bych výrazněji vnímal vždy jinou složku. Při prvním ochutnání mi přišlo, že je dost ostrá, podruhé uhlazeně dřevitá, potřetí kořenitá, pak pro změnu čokoládová. Chutí mi připomínala dokonce i nasládle čokoládovější whisky, v dochuti pak zase brandy. Dá se v ní stále něco nového objevovat. (92 b)
Shrnutí: Tak na patnáctiletou verzi jsem se po ochutnání 12y velmi těšil, a zanechala ve mně velmi dobrý dojem, moc dobrý rum, který svou barvitostí ani chvilku nenudí. Moc jsem si pochutnal.
Body: 90

I have used the 12 year in my Mai Tai, and tried sipping it on the side, but haven’t been a huge fan. This tastes so much better. A fantastic rum that stands on it own.