2012 El Dorado High Ester Blend LBI / DHE Cask Strength Guyana Rum (750ml)
"Delicious...estery funk with tons of complexity, and then navy strength on top of that makes this Rum an absolute winner." - tastings.com
2024 marks the first offering in the High Ester Blend Series, combining the La Bonne Intention (LBI) marque from the versatile French Savalle Still with the never-before released Diamond High Ester (DHE) marque from El Dorado's small John Dore Double Retort Copper Pot. Both distilled in 2012 and aged for 11 years in old Bourbon barrels, the ester count is reportedly over 1500g/hl (diffordsguide.com), however it's not certain whether that refers to esters after distillation (i.e.- before maturation) or after years of tropical aging. Regardless, according to more than one review, the results are pretty special, bursting with fruit, funk and floral notes. Bottled at a natural strength of 57% Alc./Vol., no outturn numbers are stated.
Other reviews... Dark amber color. Aromas and flavors of bananas foster, grilled pineapple dipped in chocolate sauce, baked cherries, and pecan pie with cinnamon with a round, lively, dry medium-to-full body and a warming, gigantic, long finish revealing nuances of chocolate creme brulee, ripe banana and pineapple drenched in caramel sauce and lit on fire, cinnamon and nutmeg with clove and ginger accents, and kola nut. First and foremost, delicious; also estery funk with tons of complexity, and then navy strength on top of that making this Rum an absolute winner. 96 points - tastings.com
...There is a lot to be unpacked here and it rewards the patient. The palate is simply strong and very firm, fortunately without any kind of bitchy sharpness. It’s more like a very hot very sweet and very strong black tea. There’s salt, honey, olive oil, brown sugar, salted caramel ice cream, orange peel, sweet soya, and then a repetition of the sweet spices, freshly baked pastries, coffee grounds and unsweetened chocolate…and more of the spices mentioned above. The rum as a whole presents as somewhat dry, but it all leads to a really long, dry, aromatic that sums up the profile quite nicely, but without introducing any new elements. Well. I must say, I’m happy that this is not a rum which was twisted into some semblance of conformity by some moron’s idea of a formula. It’s quite original, while still hewing to a profile that is recognizably Demerara. To do so was probably the right decision, since, overall, the rum works extremely well. The high ester component is less assertive than the Jamaicans have led us to expect (that’s not a criticism, just an observation), yet it does well to balance off the more traditional flavours provided by the LBI, which, even back then, always seemed to be somewhat indeterminate... For that strength, that nose, those tastes and the overall quality, there’s nothing here that I don’t like. My suggestion would be to park the high ester expectations, enjoy the complexity of the blend, appreciate the strength, and maybe even drop the coin to get one for yourself. - thelonecaner.com
Notes from the producers... Aroma: Gusts of figs and start-fruit whiff ahead, trailed by cinnamon and vanilla notes, and balanced by the mellow aromas of toffee and honey, with hints of banana undertones. Taste: the brief introduction of orange peel is overlayed with rich spicy notes in the pallet, prominently vanilla with cinnamon. Clove, dark chocolate, and slightly burner caramel hit the mid-palate delicately, before a smooth transition to honey that softens the leathery, spicy finish. A rum to be sipped and savoured for its delicateness as much as its deep impact, lush minerality and dry finish.