Rum has long been tied to the high seas. In fact, moreso with the British Navy, which issued its sailors a daily rum ration, than to pirates, despite the popular association. That tradition ended in 1970, and the remaining stocks were bottled by Black Tot as the "Last Consignment". However, these bottles are very rare and expensive, so Black Tot also began sourcing rum to blend into something that they claim closely resembles the navy rum of old. According to bitters and bottles, the blend consists of: 40%: Guyana, aged 3-5 years, pot and column blend 20%: Guyana, unaged, pot and column blend 35%: Barbados, aged 5 years, pot and column blend 5%: Jamaica, aged 3 years, pot still only I see this exact blend cited a lot, and the bottle featuring a black label, though my bottle, despite having the exact same name, has an orange label and lists a Trinidad component. That's pretty historically fitting, since the navy's rum recipe changed many times depending on what is available. Black Tot actually gave me their new recipe, which is what is in the bottle with the orange label: 40%: Barbados, aged 5 years, pot and column blend, molasses 20%: Guyana, 0-5 years, pot and column blend, molasses 35%: Trinidad, aged 2-4 years, column still only, molasses 5%: Jamaica, aged 3 years, pot still only, molasses Review Since this a Guyana-heavy navy-style rum, I will be comparing it to Hamilton 86 and Pusser's (blue label). It's also noticeably more light than the other two. It's golden while the other two are a deep brown. Smell Black Tot is fairly light on the nose. I get oak, a touch of alcohol harshness, and maybe a faint hint of what I think is brine? Hamilton 86 is also light on the nose, but I mostly get molasses. Pusser's has the strongest aroma of the three, and I get a lot of prunes, molasses, and raisins. Taste With Black Tot, I definitely get a lot of demerara character. Earthy, charred oak, a light funk, and good body. There's a slight burn as you'd expect from a 46%. Pusser's comes very strong with charred oak and raisins, and while flavorful, it's maybe a bit less rounded. Hamilton 86 has a lot more of a jamaican black rum vibe, like Myers's, and much less of what I identify as demerara flavor. All 3 make great daiquiris, though all three are very different. Pusser's comes strong with the sweet, molasses, caramel, raisin notes. Hamilton makes more of a funky dark rum daiquiri. Black Tot is the most like a traditional daiquiri out of the three: lighter, a bit of Jamaica, a bit of Demerara, and I taste a bit of Barbados coming through as well. Verdict {rating}/10 Despite their differences, I do think that they are all quite good and quite similar, but Black Tot has just a bit more richness, a bit more kick, that edges it ahead. So, I went ahead and pulled out Pusser's Gunpowder Proof, which is the same blend as the blue label, but at 54.5%, which is way more than Black Tot, hence why I didn't include it in the initial tests. But it has that extra bit of richness and kick that I was feeling in Black Tot. I rated it 7/10 before, and as such, I also give Black Tot Finest Caribbean Rum a 7/10.

I've wondered for a while what actually separates Ron Abuelo 12 from Ron Abuelo XII Two Oaks, and whether "Añejo XII Años" even qualifies as a real age statement. You can see my review for that at the bottom. Review Smell Tasting alongside both Ron Abuelo 7 Year and XII Two Oaks, it really is like a step ladder in terms of aroma. The 7 year does have notes of oak and vanilla, but also a slight citrusy, floral note. The 12 year is richer than the 7, with bolder oak and vanilla but less floral citrus notes. By XII, it is very oaky, very vanilla, and the citrus floral aroma is gone entirely. Taste Next to the 7, the 12 is bolder in vanilla, a little more sour, and has less young character. The 7 would still work fine in a mojito, while 12 is richer and less bright and definitely intended for sipping. XII is even more bold. It is a bit more sour and it's significantly more dry and tannic than the 12. Verdict {rating}/10 Overall, Ron Abuelo makes some of my favorite rums in the Central American category, though it's significantly sweeter than some competitors, like Flor de Caña. I would say that the 12 year is a bit worse as a mixer than the 7, but improved as a sipping rum from the greater oak and vanilla flavor, though all are quite sweet. I would put them about equal in score for that reason, just suited for different purposes. 6/10

I've wondered for a while what actually separates Ron Abuelo 12 from Ron Abuelo XII Two Oaks, and whether "Añejo XII Años" even qualifies as a real age statement. Ron Abuelo themselves claim that XII is "double matured" for 12 years. Distiller.com(https://distiller.com/spirits/ron-abuelo-xii-two-oaks) goes into far more specifics, and says that actually XII does not carry an age statement. It's actually a blend of rums ranging from 8 to 40+ years old, with the average age being just over 11 years, finished for an additional 9 months in extra-charred first-fill casks. They also get very specific about the charring process and give a date, which also lends a lot of credibility. For context, Panama uses a weighted-age system, so, for example, blending equal parts 6 year and 10 year rum would allow you to call it an 8 year old rum in Panama. By that math, if the average age of the blend is at least 11.25 years, after an additional 9 month finish it can legally be called a 12 year old rum. I am also aware that a Ron Abuelo XII Three Angels exists, but I have not yet had the chance to try it. Review Smell Tasted alongside the 12 and Zacapa 23, XII is the woodiest of the three by far. Zacapa has a faint wine note that XII doesn't really have, while the 12 is a touch more citrusy and floral than both. Taste Compared to the 12, XII has a stronger note of vanilla and oak, a bit more sour (I don't know how to describe this sourness but you feel it in Havana Club 7 pretty distinctly) and it's significantly more dry and tannic. Compared to Zacapa, it's less sweet and more sour, and in general, the depth and richness is pretty similar, but XII just goes all in on bold intense oak flavor, it's dry and tannic to match, while Zacapa is more simple and sweet and cuts the oak flavor with sherry notes. Verdict {rating}/10 Overall, Ron Abuelo makes some of my favorite rums in the Central American category, though it's significantly sweeter than some competitors, like Flor de Caña. XII is bolder in oak, tannin, and sourness to the point where the sweetness stops being a flaw and becomes necessary for balance. It needs it in order to balance the very bold barrel taste of this rum. I like it despite its rough edges, and I'd put it tied with Zacapa 23 in score at 6.5/10, because both are deep, rich, easy to sip rums (or, possibly, full of additives like glycerin, though for Ron Abuelo, that remains unconfirmed). Neither is really a must-have for me. Zacapa 23 is a bit too sweet, and Ron Abuelo XII Two Oaks is a bit too sour.

I recently reviewed two bottles from Flor de Caña, and this one comes from the same distillery (probably) as an independent bottling. It is an 18-year-old release, and it costs about five times as much as Flor de Caña 18. Does that extra money get you something five times better? > Note: ExcellenceRhum(https://www.excellencerhum.com/en/nicaragua/8013-rum-samaroli-2004-nicaragua-single-cask.html) lists the origin as CLNSA, Chichigalpa, Nicaragua, while The Old Barrelhouse(https://theoldbarrelhouse.com.au/shop/scottish-whisky/samaroli/samaroli-2023-nicaragua-2004-vintage-18-year-old-single-cask-rum-700ml-50/) lists a "restricted (secret) distillery". Honestly, I trust ExcellenceRhum on this one unless there is more evidence of another secret distillery in Nicaragua. > Note: ExcellenceRhum and The Old Barrelhouse list 10 years tropical aging, and the rest in Scotland. Some sources list it as 19 years old, but it was distilled on December 31, 2004, so by September 27, 2023, it had not yet finished its 19th year. Review Smell The nose is dominated by oak. On the nose I get strong wood, vanilla, and a light floral note. Taste The palate is deep, rich, and very tannic. I get oak immediately, followed by vanilla and coconut. On the back, there are light fennel notes, and the finish is long with green apple and floral character, a bit like a Dominican rum. At first I compared it to Flor de Caña 18 Year, but it honestly tastes like Bacardi in comparison. It comes off as flat and flavorless compared to Samaroli's stronger presence. So, instead I reached for Ron Abuelo XII Two Oaks, and it was much better point of reference. Both rums share the same general profile of wood, tannin, vanilla, coconut, and a slight sourness. Of course, the Samaroli is higher ABV and delivers a bolder flavor in general. Verdict {rating}/10 I am very impressed by this rum. It feels technically excellent, and it reminds me of Foursquare ECS in that it is rich, balanced, and clearly well made. Still, I do think a low-ester column still rum has a ceiling for me, and that ceiling is probably around here. Within that style, though, this is about as good as it gets.

I've been looking forward to Flor de Caña rums for a while. It seems like the consensus has been that they are some of the best rums in their genre, but also, they come with a lot of baggage. I wrote more about it on their Wikipedia page. The original employees of Ingenio San Antonio. An older bottle of FdC 12, showing "slow aged" rather than an age statement. The company's history is pretty remarkable. Founded 140 years ago by an Italian entrepreneur, the company was taken over by the Sandinistas, only for them to hold elections and lose, with a relative of the Pellas family getting elected and returning everything. The Pellas family are now the only billionaires in the country and, ironically, have close ties to the socialist military dictator president Daniel Ortega, who confiscated their company decades before. Politics sure makes strange bedfellows. They faced a number of controversies, like the horrible working conditions that were suspected to be a cause of CDK, a disease that caused the death of half of all males in the town that the sugarcane fields are in (though, to be fair, was not exclusive to FdC), and the working conditions and the use of sick and underage workers drew heavy criticism towards Ingenio San Antonio, the fields that are owned by the Pellas family and supply FdC with molasses. Then there's the Pellas family (allegedly) using ties to the government to shoot protesters and unionizers, and, worst of all, removing age statements from the bottles, leaving the big number that heavily implies an age statement but doesn't actually mean anything. The 12, 18, and 25 you see might as well be a 23. They even got sued for it. But the good news is that things are improving. FdC now claims to be completely sugar-free, it has slowly re-introduced actual age statements, the conditions in the sugarcane fields have reportedly been taken seriously with real measures to address them, and they haven't (allegedly) shot protesters in almost a decade. Things are looking up!! Review Smell: Bold oak and vanilla, and a touch floral. Taste: Again, just bold oak and vanilla. The alcohol burn is light, and the finish is lightly floral. Even lighter than many premium Dominican rums. I added a few drops of simple syrup into my FdC 12 and I think it improved it. It really opened it up and I think it tastes pretty much like Bermudez Don Armando. I would definitely prefer the 12 year in a rum fashioned, and the 18 year just the way it is. Verdict {rating}/10 Flor de Caña 12 Years Old and Flor de Caña 18 Years Old are two great rums. In a lot of ways they are similar, and in some ways they are different. The 12 tasted so similar to Don Armando, that I am starting to suspect that I know where Bermudez imports their rum from. But it definiely livens up with a bit of sweetness, and I can totally see myself sipping it, though it might not be the first rum that I would reach for. It's nice with a bit of sugar and bitters. In the Spanish category, I agree that it's among the best that you can get in a typical liquor store. 6.25/10. It's more expensive than Don Armando, but I honestly thought that it was a steal for $22, and it's very hard to find in the US, so for $29, you're getting an almost identical product, just completely unsweetened, and you can get it literally anywhere in the US.

I've been looking forward to Flor de Caña rums for a while. It seems like the consensus has been that they are some of the best rums in their genre, but also, they come with a lot of baggage. I wrote more about it on their Wikipedia page. The original employees of Ingenio San Antonio. An older bottle of FdC 12, showing "slow aged" rather than an age statement. The company's history is pretty remarkable. Founded 140 years ago by an Italian entrepreneur, the company was taken over by the Sandinistas, only for them to hold elections and lose, with a relative of the Pellas family getting elected and returning everything. The Pellas family are now the only billionaires in the country and, ironically, have close ties to the socialist military dictator president Daniel Ortega, who confiscated their company decades before. Politics sure makes strange bedfellows. They faced a number of controversies, like the horrible working conditions that were suspected to be a cause of CDK, a disease that caused the death of half of all males in the town that the sugarcane fields are in (though, to be fair, was not exclusive to FdC), and the working conditions and the use of sick and underage workers drew heavy criticism towards Ingenio San Antonio, the fields that are owned by the Pellas family and supply FdC with molasses. Then there's the Pellas family (allegedly) using ties to the government to shoot protesters and unionizers, and, worst of all, removing age statements from the bottles, leaving the big number that heavily implies an age statement but doesn't actually mean anything. The 12, 18, and 25 you see might as well be a 23. They even got sued for it. But the good news is that things are improving. FdC now claims to be completely sugar-free, it has slowly re-introduced actual age statements, the conditions in the sugarcane fields have reportedly been taken seriously with real measures to address them, and they haven't (allegedly) shot protesters in almost a decade. Things are looking up!! Review Smell: Very bold oak, even more than the 12 year, but less vanilla and floral notes. I just get straight wood aromas. Taste: Flor de Caña 18 tastes very similar to 12, but just slightly less floral and slightly more oaky and tannic. The oak taste is bolder, deeper, and the traces of floral notes were mostly aged out. I tried it with a few drops of simple syrup, and I don't think it improved it. It needs to stay its bold, dry, tannic self. I would definitely prefer the 12 in a rum fashioned, and the 18 just the way it is. Verdict {rating}/10 These are two great rums. In a lot of ways similar, and in some ways different. I would not say that the 18 year old is better or worse, and I rated the 12 year a 6.25/10, so give the same score to the 18. It's more tannic, more oaky, has a bolder flavor, but does not lend itself to mixing as much. It still feels like it's missing a little something, but adding sweetness didn't make it better, so I don't know. But if I had to sip one or the other and could not add syrup, I would choose the 18. 12 is a bit more versatile, and of course cheaper, and I enjoy that one more in a rum fashioned.

This past weekend I attended the NY Rum Fest for the first time, and it was a fantastic experience. Imagine a conference room lined with about 30 tables, each representing a different company, and some offering upwards of 20 different bottles for tasting. Obviously, I could not try everything; even pacing myself and only taking small sips, I feel like I made it through less than a third of the bottles on offer. I will definitely be coming back next year. Cane juice aguardiente I took plenty of notes, but I wanted to start by spotlighting one company in particular: Nicoya. Their table stood out because Pierre Bardinet pulled a Hampden Estate and actually brought Nicoya's individual unaged marques for us to taste. Nicoya currently produces three marques: aguardientes of cane juice, cane syrup (aka cane honey), and molasses. Instead of using the much more common continuous multi-column setup, each ferment is batch-distilled in copper pot stills and then re-distilled in a copper column. These components are ultimately blended to create both their Blanco and Añejo expressions. Pierre let me try all three marques. I won't rate them since they're not for individual sale, but I wanted to share my feelings about them. Cane juice: Immediately reminiscent of Haitian cane spirits like Clairin Sajous. Vegetal, peppery, fruity, and sharp. Cane syrup: This one was more complex. There was still some vegetal notes, but now it was more deep, robust, and smoky, like Clairin Le Rocher, or Caña Criolla from The Rums of Mexico, with an aftertaste of buttered popcorn. Cane molasses: Interestingly, on the nose and initial palate, this one was the most subdued. Just typical notes of column still rum, but it had a deep umami note to it that I couldn't quite put my finger on. After trying each individually, I asked to have all three mixed together. The result was like an orchestra, where the cane juice was the top note, cane syrup was the melody, and molasses was the bass. Then I asked for more molasses because you always need more bass. It was actually incredible, and had it not been near the end of rum fest with a few more tables to visit, I would have stayed and played around with the blending some more. It was so fun! What other producer lets you taste cane juice, cane syrup, and molasses rums all produced from the same place in the exact same way, side-by-side? Review For context, this is happening at a rum fest and rum is being poured and carried around all around me, so subtle aromatic notes can easily be lost. Smell: Way lighter than the aguardiente blend that I just nosed. Compared to that, it doesn't really have much going on. Taste: I did swirl water around in my mouth between trying the three marks and these samples, but still, it's not exactly a fresh start. Even so, this rum definitely came off as noticably more dialed back compared to the marks. It's pretty light, and it has notes of oak, vanilla, caramel, and molasses, and less grassy brightness that you get in the Blanco. It leans more like a typical "Spanish-style" gold rum, and it's also noticably sweet, but not terribly so. Verdict {rating}/10 This review partly exists because I wanted to share my experience at Nicoya's table, and also there are basically no reviews for this rum. I think that neither bottling is fantastic, but at $20, they are competitive with Appleton Signature for value, which I consider to be a benchmark of budget rum. I gave Appleton Signature a 6.5/10, which is what I gave the Blanco version, but the Añejo was a bit more subdued. Still pretty good for an aged $20 rum.

This past weekend I attended the NY Rum Fest for the first time, and it was a fantastic experience. Imagine a conference room lined with about 30 tables, each representing a different company, and some offering upwards of 20 different bottles for tasting. Obviously, I could not try everything; even pacing myself and only taking small sips, I feel like I made it through less than a third of the bottles on offer. I will definitely be coming back next year. Cane juice aguardiente I took plenty of notes, but I wanted to start by spotlighting one company in particular: Nicoya. Their table stood out because Pierre Bardinet pulled a Hampden Estate and actually brought Nicoya's individual unaged marques for us to taste. Nicoya currently produces three marques: aguardientes of cane juice, cane syrup (aka cane honey), and molasses. Instead of using the much more common continuous multi-column setup, each ferment is batch-distilled in copper pot stills and then re-distilled in a copper column. These components are ultimately blended to create both their Blanco and Añejo expressions. Pierre let me try all three marques. I won't rate them since they're not for individual sale, but I wanted to share my feelings about them. Cane juice: Immediately reminiscent of Haitian cane spirits like Clairin Sajous. Vegetal, peppery, fruity, and sharp. Cane syrup: This one was more complex. There was still some vegetal notes, but now it was more deep, robust, and smoky, like Clairin Le Rocher, or Caña Criolla from The Rums of Mexico, with an aftertaste of buttered popcorn. Cane molasses: Interestingly, on the nose and initial palate, this one was the most subdued. Just typical notes of column still rum, but it had a deep umami note to it that I couldn't quite put my finger on. After trying each individually, I asked to have all three mixed together. The result was like an orchestra, where the cane juice was the top note, cane syrup was the melody, and molasses was the bass. Then I asked for more molasses because you always need more bass. It was actually incredible, and had it not been near the end of rum fest with a few more tables to visit, I would have stayed and played around with the blending some more. It was so fun! What other producer lets you taste cane juice, cane syrup, and molasses rums all produced from the same place in the exact same way, side-by-side? Review For context, this is happening at a rum fest and rum is being poured and carried around all around me, so subtle aromatic notes can easily be lost. Smell: Way lighter than the aguardiente blend that I just nosed. Compared to that, it doesn't really have much going on. Taste: I did swirl water around in my mouth between trying the three marks and these samples, but still, it's not exactly a fresh start. Even so, this rum definitely came off as noticably more dialed back compared to the marks. It was not completely bland, but more along the lines of Hamilton Breezeway Blend, which is the closest rum in taste, in my opinion. It seems like Nicoya Blanco might make a great daiquiri candidate, but unfortunately, I had no means of trying that at the time. Verdict {rating}/10 This review partly exists because I wanted to share my experience at Nicoya's table, and also there are basically no reviews for this rum. I think that neither bottling is fantastic, but at $20, they are competitive with Appleton Signature for value, which I consider to be a benchmark of budget rum. I gave Appleton Signature a 6.5/10 as well, and I am happy to sip it, so I may have to keep an eye out for Nicoya.

Matt Pietrek traveled the world, visited so many distilleries, and wrote a medical textbook-sized book on them. Luca Gargano traveled the world and gave us Caroni. I just went to my local distillery here in Brooklyn. Have you seen airline ticket prices these days? You can read more about the distillery in my article on Standard Wormwood(../../distilleries/standard-wormwood) The base fermentable is unclear, but USVI + Jamaica means almost certainly 100% molasses. But I can't know for sure. Review Smell: Very fruity. My initial thought upon smelling it is that this is something from Worthy Park or Hampden because it gives me a nice pineapple note and it's not as industrial as some funks can be at times. Taste: Surprisingly light. The nose was a lot heavier with Jamaican funk than the taste, but I actually prefer it not too overwhelming. It's probably in the neighborhood of OWH or Smith & Cross. But then the wormwood kicks in and it finishes with a light touch of Malört. As someone who went to college in Chicago, I am very familiar with Malört, and I can't say that I enjoy it, but I have grown a tolerance to it. As such, this finish is rather interesting. I can't say that I necessarily like it, but I don't hate it, and it's actually quite curious. In a daiquiri, it's pretty much fantastic. You really don't feel the Malört at all, and you just get a light, crisp, unaged Jamaican rum in your daiquiri, which is probably my favorite genre of daiquiri. Verdict {rating}/10 I would not call this a sipper necessarily, though I could sip it just fine, but it's just really nice as a mixer. I'd compare it to Spike's Breezeway Blend or Planteray 3 Stars, where it's light, crisp, funky but not overly so, and makes nice mixed drinks. Though, for the price, I can't really say it's a good value, when you can buy a 1L bottle of Planteray 3 Stars and 1L Spike's Breezeway Blend combined for the same price as a 750mL of this rum. But I get it, its art-is-anal small batch rum distilled in NYC. The bartenders were really friendly and knowledgable and I do recommend Industry City for the vibes, and you might as well stop by for a good rum cocktail. 7/10

I have done a lot of reviews of Dominican rums, but you know what is always conspicuously missing? Bermudez. They're one of the "Three B's" of Dominican rum, but to be honest, they kind of fell off as of late. Many other brands seem to have just as much if not more presence than Bermudez. I don't even think they still distill. So, I don't really want to get everything from them like I already did with Brugal and Barcelo, but I gotta at least try their flagship, named after their founder: Don Armando. Review Smell: Honestly it smells very much like other Dominican rums. Light on the nose, with a bit of vanilla, oak, and again that indescribable slightly floral scent that I associate with Dominican rums. Taste: It's extremely similar to Brugal. Just like the nose, the flavor is light, and has notes of vanilla, oak, and a slightly floral finish. It's a bit woody and tannic, distinctly Dominican, and I like it better than Havana Club 7 Year, since it's a bit less sour. I would say that it is most similar to Brugal 1888, as side by side, I can barely tell them apart, other than Don Armando being a bit sweeter. Verdict {rating}/10 Honestly, I tried some of the lower shelf stuff from Bermudez (I might get to that review eventually) and it did not impress me. So, when I saw this for $22, I thought, that is way too cheap to be good, especially at the airport in a tourist area, but this is literally their flagship, so I decided to bite the bullet and get it. The fact that it is among the best rums that I have tried in the DR is already not bad. Don't get me wrong, there's far better rums out there, but in terms of the DR, it doesn't get all that much better. But then on top of that, only being $22 without tax? Honestly, I would straight up recommend this rum if you see it. Gift it to someone who isn't all that into rum yet. It's half-decent, sweet but not offensively so, and cheap.

I have been holding off on El Dorado for a while, mostly because I wanted a big group photo of all the bottles together: 3, 5, 8, 12, 15, and 21, all together like a nice big family on the beautiful Coney Island beach. Well, you might have thought the 21 would be the hardest to acquire! But no, that is the first full bottle of ED that I acquired, because shortly into my rum journey, I took a trip to Canada and on the US-CAN border I stopped by duty free and got a whole liter of it for like $85, tax free; it was a crazy good deal. But that's not actually the first one I tried. Also early into my rum journey, I was actually given a sample of ED 15 by an employee of El Dorado for free. I don't know if I really have to do a disclosure, because it was early enough in my journey where my review isn't that good and I want to do a do-over. Oh, I also have a bottle of ED 12, but little did I know, it was actually one of the old bottles from before they severely cut back on the added sugar, so that might not be good to review since it has changed so much since then. So for now, I will start with the basics and worry about the rest later. Maybe there will be a family photo on the beach, maybe there won't be. > Note: I am seeing suggestions that it's a blend of Enmore Coffey and ICBU (Savalle column still). According to quebecrhum, the Savalle mark is the primary component in the blend. Review Smell There's a strong smell of vanilla and coconut, and that classic Puerto Rican "rummy" smell like Bacardi. Also, a slight herbal, earthy scent. Pusser's has a much stronger smell of raisins and prunes, while Hamilton 86 actually has a stronger banana scent. Taste Pretty disappointing, actually. Harsher and less demerara flavor. Compared to the other rums here, it's more like Bacardi because it's just lighter and has more of the coconut vanilla taste of bacardi. In a daiquiri, ED5 is a lot less interesting compared to the 8 year old version. There's just not much rum flavor. Verdict {rating}/10 El Dorado 5 was a bit of a disappointment. I find myself often disappointed by the rums that sort of straddle between the "mixer" and "sipper" tiers as they tend to have less of the young, crisp, punchy flavor, yet are not smooth and rich like their older counterparts. It could also be that I just so strongly associate the flavor of Port Mourant with Demerara, that a rum without it just doesn't even taste like a Demerara rum. I was so shocked by how Bacardi-like ED5 tasted that, on a separate day, I tried it with a fresh palate. And do I get some demerara notes with a completely fresh palate? Yes, there's a bit of earthy, smoky flavor... but it's still dominated by coconut and vanilla notes that are unmistakably Bacardi for me. It's pretty column still forward in flavor, and I guess at its price point, it's competing with Bacardi, in which case, it does beat it in flavor, but not by much. 5.25/10

I have been holding off on El Dorado for a while, mostly because I wanted a big group photo of all the bottles together: 3, 5, 8, 12, 15, and 21, all together like a nice big family on the beautiful Coney Island beach. Well, you might have thought the 21 would be the hardest to acquire! But no, that is the first full bottle of ED that I acquired, because shortly into my rum journey, I took a trip to Canada and on the US-CAN border I stopped by duty free and got a whole liter of it for like $85, tax free; it was a crazy good deal. But that's not actually the first one I tried. Also early into my rum journey, I was actually given a sample of ED 15 by an employee of El Dorado for free. I don't know if I really have to do a disclosure, because it was early enough in my journey where my review isn't that good and I want to do a do-over. Oh, I also have a bottle of ED 12, but little did I know, it was actually one of the old bottles from before they severely cut back on the added sugar, so that might not be good to review since it has changed so much since then. So for now, I will start with the basics and worry about the rest later. Maybe there will be a family photo on the beach, maybe there won't be. > Note: I am seeing suggestions that it's a blend of Enmore Coffey and Port Mourant wooden pot still, but a blend of at least four stills, Skurnik claims it also includes SVW (Diamond Coffey still) and Savalle column still. Review Smell There's a very distinct smell of caramel and molasses. It's quite similar to Pusser's, but a bit less raisiny pruney and more burnt caramel. Taste Rich, caramel, molasses, and a slight bitterness and burn. Rich, earthy, and has a distinct raisiny earthy taste that I associate with Demerara rum. Somehow, Hamilton 86 kind of reminds me of Myers's in comparison, just a bit more rubbery and banana. Meanwhile, Pusser's tastes much more like caramel and charred barrel. Pusser's and ED8 both share a similar earthy, raisiny taste. In a daiquiri, it's pretty interesting. Sweet, almost smoky, earthy, and complex. Hamilton 86 tastes more like a traditional daiquiri, and again, I can't shake that flavor of Myers's, but I actually like it a bit more in a daiquiri than ED8. Pusser's makes the most caramelly and raisiny daiquiri which I think is really fun, and it's quite different, but I enjoy it about as much as the Hamilton 86. Verdict {rating}/10 El Dorado 8 is decent, for sure, and I find it pretty much just as good as Pusser's and Hamilton 86, and those are at the same price point. 6.5/10. Honestly all 3 are slightly different, I would just pick the one that works better for your cocktails, and don't forget that Pusser's has a Gunpowder Proof version (capitalized because it's actually a few degrees below proof strength) which is a slight improvement still.