Since we are on a small Demerara trip let’s have a wee battle between two El Dorado Diamonds today.

El Dorado Diamond “<SVW> DLR” ‘CBH’ 1998 20YO (55,1%): I’ve never heard of CBH to be honest but that shouldn’t bother us. Nose: Demerara Rum par excellence. My description of “dry sweetness” makes only sense if you ever had this type of distillate in the glass. We get plenty of glue, salted coconut, apricot jam, molasses, iodine, burnt caramel, licorice, high quality tobacco and a potpourri of spices. This is right up my alley. Palate: Sweeter than the nose suggested. I get a mix of salted coconut, molasses, an excellent Grain Whisky (think old Invergordon), lots of wood, dark caramel and lots and lots of different spices. Finish: Roasted and salted coconut, oak, iodine and spices make this a long and complex sip. This might be my favorite El Dorado to date I think. (92/100)

El Dorado Diamond “<SVW> DLR” ‘De Monnik Dranken’ 1998 20YO (54,9%): Nose: Very rich and sweet with salted caramel, iodine, coconut chips, apple tart, rich grains and sweet berries. Oh yeah, very lovely indeed. After a while dark cherries, milk chocolate and wood. Compared to the ‘CBH’, it is slightly more pleasant and inviting because of the added sweetness and the additional fruity notes. Palate: Very similar to the palate. The Rum has a very pleasant texture and smoothness which makes it almost too easy to drink. Compared to the ‘CBH’ we immediately find those added red berries and the ever so slightly higher sweetness but perhaps it just comes across in a slightly different way exactly because of the difference in profile. Then roasted coconut, salty wood, caramel and molasses as well as the spices again. Very nice. Finish: Long and rich with the spices, the apple tart from the nose and the salty wood again. A bit more simplistic and approachable than the ‘CBH’. While it falls a bit short all in all, that still makes it an excellent Rum in my book. In a way, this might also be an excellent Armagnac by the way, which makes me want to prepare our next French Brandy session. (89/100)

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