rated the FDC 12 at 7. Tried the 18 and gave it an 8. So not surprising this is a solid 7. What I am surprised at is the "eco" tag and additional 3 years is going to cost an additional $20 in Alberta....almost 50% more than the 12 year and almost the same amount as the 18. Kudos to the FDC marketing department but is NOT enough of a sensory difference for the extra $$. Cheers

Nekem nagyon hasonlít a Havana Club Selección de Maestros -hoz, ami az egyik kedvencem. Szóval, ha az bejött, akkor ezt is imdáni fogod!

Nekem nagyon bejött a Appleton Estate V/X, főleg ár - íz arányban. Na ez annál drágább és nekem kevésbé ízlik. Szóval részemről maradok a fitalabb tételnél.

just catching up on the streaming comments and stumbled onto this. I've been sipping this over ice for 40 years and never read the bottle. Thought this was a variation of my classic downstairs...till I went and looked at the bottle. Made with rum - mind blown! Never knew this important detail! I like it cold....really cold. If it was a slurpee flavor it would be perfect. As much as I enjoy the sip, this is one of the few I flashback to some of my first cocktails. It should be a staple in everyone's bar. there are newer brands but they call it "classic" for a reason! Cheers.

Finom rum, édesebb fajta. Ami nekem nem tetszett az a lecsengése. Nekem túl karcos, méghozzá oylan olcsó alkoholos stílusban. Egyszer érdemes megkóstolni, mert ez az én ízlésem és nem a tiéd! :-)

Egy igazán különleges rum, ami már az illatával is megragadja a figyelmet. Az ízvilága kifejezetten egyedi, és ahogy kortyolgatod, mintha egy kis tenger ís visszaköszönne benne. Tökéletes egyensúlyban van az édesség és a szárazság, így azok számára is ideális, akik a rumjaikat nem szeretik túlságosan édesen. Nekem nagyon bejött, és bátran ajánlom azoknak, akik valami különlegesre vágynak.

This has an Appleton vibe. I suspect there's not too much pot still in this blend.
Smell is pretty mild. I get fermented apples and caramel under a touch of cleaning fluid.
Taste is all that, with a bit of fire tempered by a good dose of added sugar. The finish is all banoffee pie.
Hey, it cost £20. I got no complaints. I will pass it round the dance floor Saturday night, and I'm sure no-one will mind!

I can't work out the smell in this! My mind keeps going to tequilla, but I really can't bring back the memory.
Taste is very dry, mild, wood.
Doesn't really taste much like a rum to me, but can't really work out what it does do.

I am always looking to expand my rum collection. Now, on holiday in the Cote D'azur, there was a rum from Martinique in the shop. An old French area, so made from freshly pressed sugar cane. Bought a bottle for 24 euros. 3 year old rum. Smell is fruity, taste is fruit a bit of lightly smoked wood, and a little caramel. All in all not a bad rum for this price

For a former Cuban, this has only a hint of the typical tobacco and leather vibes. Mostly I get citrus and oak and a bit of (added?) sweetness. Very long finish, and overall, more depth of flavour than I would have guessed.

Geruch nach Melasse, Vanillie, getrocknete Früchte.
Farbe schönes Bernstein. Im Geschmack ausgewogen Richtung Süss und die selben Aromen wie im Geruch, ein ganz klein wenig Holz, im Abgang harmonisch und keine bitteren holzigen Aromen, was mir sehr zusagt.
Sehr gefälliger Rum für jeden Tag, nicht zu Süß.

Excellent rum with rich, deep flavor. I've been disappointed several times by nice aged high end (cost-wise) rums that were bottled at 40% ABV, that didn't have the flavor to back it up, so I was very hesitant to spend the money for this bottle. However, I found it at end of the bin for almost half the price and couldn't resist. Definitely worth it. Not sure I would pay the full price for this, when a bottle of cask strength Foursquare ECS is often the same price or cheaper, but if you can find this for around $100, or if you prefer lower proof sipping rums, this is a steal.

With apologies to Giuseppe Gonzalez, this was the rum that made me obsessive about the category. It is a penny candy store, redolent of chocolate and butterscotch, in a rum. It is so over the top that everyone swears it is heavily dosed, but I have only seen tests that disprove this. Drink this on its own, or mix into a Cable Car!

For a good solera rum, it’s pretty harsh. I find that this rum guards its secrets well. But boy is it a great mixer. Great for a Queen’s Park Swizzle. Even better in a Charles Dickens Punch.

Before this, I knew only of Bacardi and Myers. It was a revelation and one that has stood the test of time. A candidate for the best aged Spanish rum—up there with Santa Teresa 1796.

El Dorado 12 is great and typically I like less aging in my rums. But there is something truly magical about the 15. One of the few rums that I will drink on its own, but will confess that it forms a part of my baller Mai Tai.

I love Demerara rums and one of the great joys is that El Dorado 12 is available pretty much everywhere. Mixed with lime juice and a 2:1 Demerara syrup, it makes for the best Dark Daiquiri.

This is a good rum, nothing really to complain about. But it is expensive for what it is.

So Bacardi is over-blasted for no reason I can figure. Sure, it's not delicious, but it's classic and drinks over the years have been designed and balanced around it. Swapping it out for Don Q or something not even Puerto Rican is a corruption.
That said, side by side, this smells identical to Bacardi Superior: it smells like water used to boil pasta. I don't know why. It just does.
Taste-wise it is pretty similar to Bacardi's white, but a bit more aged(?) So instead of tasting like bitter astringent it is a more rounded harsher biting astringent.
If I had to drink one of these straight, Don Q would win. In a mixed drink, it's hard to decide.
Bacardi is classic, and Don Q is lost bringing little character.
So 1 point more for better straight (which I wouldn't do) and 1 deducted for being a corruption of a classic cocktail ingredient.

Something is off about this bottle. It's not undrinkable and I'm sure it's someone's cup of tea, it just isn't mine. Little to no burn or bitterness, and a decently strong up front flavor for 40% ABV, but I just didn't enjoy the flavor profile.

Nose : honey; lots of honey and caramel
Slightly coconut and dark chocolate tasting
Not so complex as expected but easy sipper maybe due to 38% abv
This Rum for me present an unique characteristic; high quality ingredients; you feel that you are sipping something very special from the beginning

I Like orange, chocolate and rum, I only buy this Rum from the maker, I dont know the ones ones...

Rich and deeply sweet aroma. Tastes exactly as it smells, rich, dark, and sweet with spicy finish.

Purchased at Total Wine. Tasted on 9-8-24. Clear. Doughy aroma is mild, but a distinct smokiness is there. Flavor is one of the mildest cachaca that I’ve ever had. Incredibly smooth finish. People who don’t like the strong taste of cachaca would like this.

Sampled from the Forbidden Hole stash September 8 2024
Appearance: clear
Aroma: sweet, grass
Flavor: smoky, tangy.
Notes: tastes flammable, with a brown sugar flourish at the end; this is a bit more bitter than I expected

rated the FDC 12 at 7. Tried the 18 and gave it an 8. So not surprising this is a solid 7. What I am surprised at is the "eco" tag and additional 3 years is going to cost an additional $20 in Alberta....almost 50% more than the 12 year and almost the same amount as the 18. Kudos to the FDC marketing department but is NOT enough of a sensory difference for the extra $$. Cheers

Nekem nagyon hasonlít a Havana Club Selección de Maestros -hoz, ami az egyik kedvencem. Szóval, ha az bejött, akkor ezt is imdáni fogod!

Nekem nagyon bejött a Appleton Estate V/X, főleg ár - íz arányban. Na ez annál drágább és nekem kevésbé ízlik. Szóval részemről maradok a fitalabb tételnél.

just catching up on the streaming comments and stumbled onto this. I've been sipping this over ice for 40 years and never read the bottle. Thought this was a variation of my classic downstairs...till I went and looked at the bottle. Made with rum - mind blown! Never knew this important detail! I like it cold....really cold. If it was a slurpee flavor it would be perfect. As much as I enjoy the sip, this is one of the few I flashback to some of my first cocktails. It should be a staple in everyone's bar. there are newer brands but they call it "classic" for a reason! Cheers.

Finom rum, édesebb fajta. Ami nekem nem tetszett az a lecsengése. Nekem túl karcos, méghozzá oylan olcsó alkoholos stílusban. Egyszer érdemes megkóstolni, mert ez az én ízlésem és nem a tiéd! :-)

Egy igazán különleges rum, ami már az illatával is megragadja a figyelmet. Az ízvilága kifejezetten egyedi, és ahogy kortyolgatod, mintha egy kis tenger ís visszaköszönne benne. Tökéletes egyensúlyban van az édesség és a szárazság, így azok számára is ideális, akik a rumjaikat nem szeretik túlságosan édesen. Nekem nagyon bejött, és bátran ajánlom azoknak, akik valami különlegesre vágynak.

This has an Appleton vibe. I suspect there's not too much pot still in this blend.
Smell is pretty mild. I get fermented apples and caramel under a touch of cleaning fluid.
Taste is all that, with a bit of fire tempered by a good dose of added sugar. The finish is all banoffee pie.
Hey, it cost £20. I got no complaints. I will pass it round the dance floor Saturday night, and I'm sure no-one will mind!

I can't work out the smell in this! My mind keeps going to tequilla, but I really can't bring back the memory.
Taste is very dry, mild, wood.
Doesn't really taste much like a rum to me, but can't really work out what it does do.

I am always looking to expand my rum collection. Now, on holiday in the Cote D'azur, there was a rum from Martinique in the shop. An old French area, so made from freshly pressed sugar cane. Bought a bottle for 24 euros. 3 year old rum. Smell is fruity, taste is fruit a bit of lightly smoked wood, and a little caramel. All in all not a bad rum for this price

For a former Cuban, this has only a hint of the typical tobacco and leather vibes. Mostly I get citrus and oak and a bit of (added?) sweetness. Very long finish, and overall, more depth of flavour than I would have guessed.

Geruch nach Melasse, Vanillie, getrocknete Früchte.
Farbe schönes Bernstein. Im Geschmack ausgewogen Richtung Süss und die selben Aromen wie im Geruch, ein ganz klein wenig Holz, im Abgang harmonisch und keine bitteren holzigen Aromen, was mir sehr zusagt.
Sehr gefälliger Rum für jeden Tag, nicht zu Süß.

Excellent rum with rich, deep flavor. I've been disappointed several times by nice aged high end (cost-wise) rums that were bottled at 40% ABV, that didn't have the flavor to back it up, so I was very hesitant to spend the money for this bottle. However, I found it at end of the bin for almost half the price and couldn't resist. Definitely worth it. Not sure I would pay the full price for this, when a bottle of cask strength Foursquare ECS is often the same price or cheaper, but if you can find this for around $100, or if you prefer lower proof sipping rums, this is a steal.

With apologies to Giuseppe Gonzalez, this was the rum that made me obsessive about the category. It is a penny candy store, redolent of chocolate and butterscotch, in a rum. It is so over the top that everyone swears it is heavily dosed, but I have only seen tests that disprove this. Drink this on its own, or mix into a Cable Car!

For a good solera rum, it’s pretty harsh. I find that this rum guards its secrets well. But boy is it a great mixer. Great for a Queen’s Park Swizzle. Even better in a Charles Dickens Punch.

Before this, I knew only of Bacardi and Myers. It was a revelation and one that has stood the test of time. A candidate for the best aged Spanish rum—up there with Santa Teresa 1796.

El Dorado 12 is great and typically I like less aging in my rums. But there is something truly magical about the 15. One of the few rums that I will drink on its own, but will confess that it forms a part of my baller Mai Tai.

I love Demerara rums and one of the great joys is that El Dorado 12 is available pretty much everywhere. Mixed with lime juice and a 2:1 Demerara syrup, it makes for the best Dark Daiquiri.

This is a good rum, nothing really to complain about. But it is expensive for what it is.

So Bacardi is over-blasted for no reason I can figure. Sure, it's not delicious, but it's classic and drinks over the years have been designed and balanced around it. Swapping it out for Don Q or something not even Puerto Rican is a corruption.
That said, side by side, this smells identical to Bacardi Superior: it smells like water used to boil pasta. I don't know why. It just does.
Taste-wise it is pretty similar to Bacardi's white, but a bit more aged(?) So instead of tasting like bitter astringent it is a more rounded harsher biting astringent.
If I had to drink one of these straight, Don Q would win. In a mixed drink, it's hard to decide.
Bacardi is classic, and Don Q is lost bringing little character.
So 1 point more for better straight (which I wouldn't do) and 1 deducted for being a corruption of a classic cocktail ingredient.

Something is off about this bottle. It's not undrinkable and I'm sure it's someone's cup of tea, it just isn't mine. Little to no burn or bitterness, and a decently strong up front flavor for 40% ABV, but I just didn't enjoy the flavor profile.

Nose : honey; lots of honey and caramel
Slightly coconut and dark chocolate tasting
Not so complex as expected but easy sipper maybe due to 38% abv
This Rum for me present an unique characteristic; high quality ingredients; you feel that you are sipping something very special from the beginning

I Like orange, chocolate and rum, I only buy this Rum from the maker, I dont know the ones ones...

Rich and deeply sweet aroma. Tastes exactly as it smells, rich, dark, and sweet with spicy finish.

Purchased at Total Wine. Tasted on 9-8-24. Clear. Doughy aroma is mild, but a distinct smokiness is there. Flavor is one of the mildest cachaca that I’ve ever had. Incredibly smooth finish. People who don’t like the strong taste of cachaca would like this.

Sampled from the Forbidden Hole stash September 8 2024
Appearance: clear
Aroma: sweet, grass
Flavor: smoky, tangy.
Notes: tastes flammable, with a brown sugar flourish at the end; this is a bit more bitter than I expected