Hamilton 86 Demerara

I had tasted this before and have been using it as a dark rum mixer for a while. I did a pretty decent rum tasting today for my wife and I and I was surprised by just how much oak this has in it. We tasted it alongside Pampero Aniversario and Blackwell Jamaican dark rum and while it was well received the amount of oak flavor present was more than expected. The nose has nice notes of alcohol, caramel, smoke, oak and a hint of spice and tropical fruit. The taste is slightly sweet, again a hints of dark fruit, cherries and spice, but very strong oak flavor. I will still use this as a dark rum mixer but I am now more aware of the potential for that oak flavor to pop up in some more delicate recipes. I can definitely see how this is similar to the basis for some of the El Dorado expressions as well, and I prefer this iteration without the added sugar. Not one I would entertain as a sipper though.

Love the tobacco, chocolate, and cherry notes that make this bottle great. It’s a great sipper, and great for the price.

I'm a big fan of demerara heavy rums. I also prefer it as a simple compared to standard white sugar in most drinks. As such, I'm a big fan of this rum.

I've only tried Pusser's as far as Demerara rum goes to this point. This has wonderful dry brown sugar notes. Demerara and oak notes meld with vanilla and spice on the back end. The finish is nice, long, and delightful.

Plenty of burnt brown sugar with a hint of something earthy or almost maraschino liquor-like. Really lovely.

This is a very thick heavy molasses rum. Old school tiki drinks adorn this.

Tastes of dark raisins dark chocolate molasses and some charred wood

Great for the OG trader Vic Mai Tai

Absolutely incredible black rum. Bought this because I kept reading that it was a tiki bar staple and they weren't kidding. This black rum is bursting with sweet caramel & brown sugar notes that adds a wonderful depth of flavor to any cocktail. Its on the sweeter side (without being too sweet) but tastes much more bold and natural than other black rums. I would argue that this could be drank on its own. Will definitely be buying more of this.

This was my second Demerara rum after El Dorado 15. By comparison, this one is significantly less sweet and complex, but perhaps a bit more on the funky and smoky side. Great in a Dark & Stormy, so I’m hopeful it will work well in other cocktails too. Much easier to sip than expected, although not how I’d typically reach for it. Looking to explore this one a bit more...

This is a very rich, Carmel, oaky, sweet rum that’s the pinnacle of simple demerara rums. Well balanced and not over oaked like many

This rum sold me on Ed Hamilton. Rich and complex, it is great for sipping or mixing. Mild notes of smoke, toffee and tobacco... it’s worth coming back to again and again.