El Dorado 15 Year: "Baked hot prune cake". The Definitive Review.
Over the last few years we have managed to taste all the important rums - and have lost count at about 120 rums. ED15 was one of the first rums we reviewed and accordingly suffered from our newness. It is actually quite interesting to read through all three reviews to see the development of our tasting, which remained surprisingly consistent.
By now you've noted that ED 15 garnered an average score of 7.5 (Sue Sea - 7, Me - 8 ). That has changed for the better and this definitive review will reveal why.
Some rums work well for mixing while others are good daily sippers. El Dorado 15 Year is neither of these. Rather it is an exceptionally long aged, heavy rum that serves very well - but only for special occasions. Later, I'll tell you why...
Sue Sea:
I normally start my reviews with my impressions of the bottle and the ambiance it does or does not create but that has already been well done, so I'll get to this most interesting Demeraran rum.
My intial aromatic impression was simply magnificent: rich - very rich, robust, thick and heavy. Lush! Like a cooking deep orange marmalade, with leather, a bit of vanilla and brown sugar. Think of a nice baked gingerbread right out of the oven.
The early palate was a smooth, buttery honey. This was followed quickly by an eruption of growing heat and spices: ginger, cinnamon and a bit of clove. The finish was surprising - a very dry, short cinnamon, follow by a long, drying aftertaste - the kind that demands a mouth clearing of cool, clear water - but not to the extent that it detracts from the experience.
El Dorado 15 Year was a rum that made me want to explore, to take repeated tastes to fully appreciate its character. It was a great rum, consistent, but full of explosive surprises. The aroma was the very best part but drops off quickly, to be replaced by an surging heat/sweet that was much appreciated. However the ending dryness was close to being over the top, the only factor that limited my rating.
This rum is not for everyday consumption. It is so rich and robust that it is almost liqueur-like. I'd call it a dessert rum to be served to guests (and myself, of course!) after a fine meal. One or two drams will be quite enough. I can easily imagine this fine sipping rum on the rocks with milk or cream, or perhaps even a coconut cream. As a sipper it almost begs for a dollop of real whipped cream on top, if only to counter the ending dry heat.
A great dessert rum and example of extreme aging.
Me:
Please know that it's just fine to combine Sue Sea's and my reviews, as I'll reveal other tastes and factors on which we both agree. El Dorado 15 Year is a Demeraran style. By DDL, it better be, lol! The rum opened with a deep, rich, sweet and tarry leather, black raisin and prune. Deep I say, with a high rich vanillan and darkest of orange, and some wispy clove and spice tones. Potent, thick, heavy and rich. Lovely!
The taste is consistent and begins almost syrupy smooth and sweet. But this is where the surprises begin. I was first struck by a growing hot black pepper, which fades rather quickly - only to be followed by a "bump" of dry cinnamon, then a sweet clove. The aftertaste then slowly emerged for a long hot black to white pepper glow. A mouth experience.
I fully agree with Sue Sea on the predominant and wonderful aroma. El Dorado 15 is completely consistent, but it is fair to say the palate, finish and aftertaste serve up one surprise after another. Opening sweet - then explosive but quickly fading dry heat, to be followed by a lasting and glowingly hot aftertaste.
It is rare to find a rum with such an intriguing combination of short finish with such a long aftertaste. What you have here is the result of both distillation and very long aging. El Dorado 15 Year deserves to be in your collection, if not only for its uniqueness, but as an example of extreme age. Fifteen years in the tropics can be compared to thirty years or more in Scotland.
Accordingly the rum becomes very heavy, thick and rich - almost to an extreme. This is what makes El Dorado 15 Year a specialty sipper for special occasions. After three drams of evaluation both of us actually found ourselves beginning to sweat. The experience - however intriguing - is demanding and must be limited. It's powerfully rich character will even overshadow a good cigar: although a good sipping rum almost always begs me to light one up, this rum did not.
In closing, we have found that seven to ten years is about perfect for a fine aged rum: think Mount Gay Extra Old or Seales 10 Year - both of which earned scores of "10". This amount of aging seems to reveal all the complexity, balance, smoothness and development that a rum can reveal. A younger rum is not ready - and an older risks going too far.
El Dorado 15 Year borders on that, but remains a recommended purchase for both the understanding and the special occasion experience. Well done!
Score (10 is best): very solid 8.