El Dorado 25 Takes Top Shelf to New Heights
We’re celebrating another great milestone here at Uncommon Caribbean today as this very story marks the 500th post in our history! Considering that we publish new content each and every day, and we first signed on a little over a year ago (476 days to be exact), we feel it’s as good a reason as any to raise an extra, EXTRA special toast right about now. El Dorado 25 more than fits the bill.
But, there’s another great to reach above the top shelf for today’s Friday Happy Hour and experience. You see, El Dorado rums hail from Guyana. This most uncommon of Caribbean countries celebrated the 45th anniversary of its independence from the UK yesterday.
As El Dorado 25 is Guyana’s most prestigious blend, why not go for the gold today?
Truly, if any rum should be bathed in gold, per the effect I was trying to achieve with the accompanying photo, it’s this stuff. That’s because like gold, El Dorado 25 is rare, beautiful, and very pricey.
Come to think of it, judging by how hard it is to find El Dorado 25, I probably should’ve gone for a platinum or diamond effect!
It’s just that elusive; that special.
Our Chance Barbados Encounter with El Dorado 25
So, you can imagine the fantastic surprise it was for Patrick and I to find the bottle pictured at The Cliff. Not that we really should’ve been surprised. After all, The Cliff is arguably the most luxurious restaurant in Barbados.
We, however, weren’t planning on stopping at The Cliff during our brief Barbados trip. Then we ran into Jessica Williams at the Barbados Surfing Association Junior Championships. Jessica told us she was working at The Cliff that night as a hostess and invited us to come check it out.
WHO is Jessica Williams and WHY would we do what she says? For the answers, click here. See the other sexy woman modeling sultry swimwear with Lea Solomon? THAT is Jessica Williams.
We understand each other now, right…? Good.
Meeting up with Jessica and having the opportunity to apologize in-person for dissing her in the older post was nice. Being the faithfully married rum-loving guys that we are, though, our attention was soon diverted by the equally sexy Ms. El Dorado 25. Before I give you my impressions of the rum, though, let’s talk a little history.
DDL’s Revered Rum History
El Dorado, as a brand, has really only been around since 1992. It may seem surprising, then, that they produce such amazing super-premium blends. The brand’s parent company, Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL), though, has been around for quite a bit longer.
Virtually anonymous to the public, DDL has long stood among the giants of the rum industry. The company made its mark operating as the world’s largest supplier of bulk rum and spirits. Industry giants the likes of Diageo, Jim Beam, Hiram Walker, Corby’s and others leaned on DDL for much of the 20th century.
The company’s rum pedigree, though, actually goes back MUCH further than that! All the way back to the late-17th century. That’s when 300+ individual distilleries produced a broad selection of unique rums all over Guyana. Hundreds of years and many consolidations later, all 300 have come together under the DDL roof.
The best of each distilling tradition was retained as well. You can even see it in the company’s heritage stills, the only wooden stills that continue to be used in rum production today. These treasures date back to the 18th century and are built with a special kind of Guyanese hardwood so dense it doesn’t float! The rum that comes out of these stills obviously bear a unique flavor separate and apart from anything else you can put to your lips.
El Dorado 25 Tasting Notes
Certainly, when I put a first sip of El Dorado 25 to my lips, it was an entirely new experience for me. Initially commissioned on a very limited basis for release in 1999 to commemorate the millennium, El Dorado 25 is a blend of rums from DDL’s special stills aged for 25 years in oak casks and presented in an eye-grabbing decanter.
Warm and bold, my first sip had a lasting burn that announced its supreme distinction without equivocation. That is to say, it was different in a refined, mature way. This was made clear right off the bat.
Subsequent sips were a smooth, joyful mix of complex flavors and sophistication heralding the best of Guyana… Perhaps the best in the world.
El Dorado 25 is truly a special treat that, personally, I feel honored to have had the opportunity to try. Enjoying it in an equally amazing place like The Cliff with my brother and other esteemed company (hi Huggie and Cherrianne!) only added to the grandeur of the occasion. The only thing better might be getting my hands on my very own bottle of this stuff in Guyana itself. I’ve read you can score a bottle for under US$200 there!
Anywhere else (like here, for instance), be prepared to pay much more. If you can stomach the sticker shock, though, I guarantee you it’s worth it.
Cheers!
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