2006 El Dorado, BBR Exclusive Cask, 18-Year-Old, Rum, Guyana (48.8%)
About this SPIRIT
El Dorado
El Dorado Rum is a Rum produced at Diamond Distillery, the only extant distillery in Guyana. The distillery is located on the outskirts of the capital, Georgetown, just a few yards from the Demerara River.
Once the molasses arrives, everything takes place on the sprawling site, from fermentation (with commendable carbon-capture technology being employed) to final bottling. Within the still house are a veritable cornucopia of stills, ranging from highly efficient multi-column apparatus for producing light-bodied white rums; through to the unique jewels of the ancient wooden stills Versailles (a single wooden pot still), Port Morant (a double wooden pot still) and Enmore (a wooden Coffey still). This irreplaceable range of stills and the skill of the men and women operating them mean that Diamond can produce arguably the broadest range of rums on the planet.
When is a wine ready to drink?
We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.
Not ready
These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.
Ready - youthful
These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.
Ready - at best
These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.
Ready - mature
These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.
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Description
I ventured a long way to find this cask. Visiting the fascinating Diamond Distillery in the Guyanese capital, Georgetown, marked my first foray to the continent of South America in search of special things to bottle for Berry Bros. & Rudd. It was an absolute delight to venture into one of the cavernous warehouses to taste some casks that featured rum made on the ancient Versailles single wooden Pot Still.
Instantly heartwarming for this confirmed rum lover, the nose is pure old Demerara rum – richly spiced, nutty, treacly and heavyweight dark fruit. Expansive in the mouth, with chewy confectionary and gooey compote, this is one for slowly sipping and sharing with any fellow devotees of fine rum.
Rob Whitehead, Spirits Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd (October 2024)
spirit at a glance
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