El Dorado 1996 Guyana Enmore EHP Rare Collection 21 Year – 57.2%

El Dorado 1996 Guyana Enmore EHP Rare Collection 21 Year – 57.2%

Stats: Distilled in 1996 at the now defunct Enmore Distillery in Guyana, this rum was produced on the historic Enmore wooden two-column Coffey still, the only one like it in the world, which now resides at Diamond. Aged entirely in Guyana in ex-Bourbon casks, it was bottled at 57.2%. This was a limited release from a few years ago as part of the El Dorado “Rare Collection.” I do not know if there was any sugar or coloring added.

Background: Sample received as part of a trade.

Conditions: Enjoyed neat in a Glencairn glass.

Nose: Something very Foursquare-esque… Cinnamon, toasted coconut, buttered popcorn. But also old ladies perfume (rose/floralness), nail polish remover, and modelers glue. After some time… melted caramel, cotton candy, white chocolate. Surprisingly, not very woody.

Mouth: Dry and thick but oily. Extremely mild in the heat department. Some wood influence at the forefront but nowhere near the expectation from 21 years of tropical aging. Individual notes and characters don’t really pop out for me. There’s some brown sugar sweetness. Some peppery wood tannins. Not finding a lot of complexity or compelling notes.

Final Thoughts: I don’t have much experience with rums from the Enmore still that aren’t 40%, and this is my first opportunity trying an expression that was actually distilled at the original estate so I was really stoked to try this. Honestly, it was a little underwhelming. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with this rum. It’s easy to sip, tastes good. It just isn’t as dynamic or special as I hoped it would be.

My Rating: 3

My Scale:
1 – I don’t want this in my mouth ever again
2 – Best used for mixing
3 – Decent sipper
4 – Very enjoyable
5 – I’m buying a back up bottle