El Dorado High Strength Rum

I am seeing El Dorado High Strength Rum around the internet more and more lately. I have noticed that nowhere on the bottle does this rum say that it is a Demerara rum. The rum is also clear - ala JW&N Overproof- and the rum appears to have little to no age to it. My questions are:

1. Is this product in fact a Demerara rum?

2. How does this rum taste in comparison with Lemon Hart 151?

3. How does this product work in cocktails that call for Demerara 151?

I would apprecite any insight into the El Dorado High Strength Rum that any of my fellow TC'ers might have.

Mahalo,

Craig

[ Edited by: CincyTikiCraig 2009-08-14 21:49 ]

I haven't seen the High Strength up in my area yet. Being a clear rum I think it would have a completely different taste and effect in a cocktail than LH. In my view Lemon Hart 151 is in it's own class of over proof as the clear 151 brands remind me of jet fuel. I am no expert so it will be great to hear the different opinions folks have.

I have a bottle of El Dorado High Proof that I've used in tiki drinks. While I have never gotten my hands on LH 151 and therefore can't compare the two, I can tell you that I've used it in drinks calling for Demerera 151 and found it completely satisfying and far less caustic than Bacardi 151. I don't have the bottle here in front of me but I'm pretty sure it identifies itself as a Demerera rum in small print on the bottle.

On the bottle:
"DEMERARA DISTILLERS LTD. GUYANA
Produced and bottled by Demerara Distillers Ltd.
Plantation Diamond, Guyana"

I have used it in place of Lemon Hart 151 as Lemon Hart is not available here.

On 2009-08-19 10:39, GentleHangman wrote:
On the bottle:
"DEMERARA DISTILLERS LTD. GUYANA
Produced and bottled by Demerara Distillers Ltd.
Plantation Diamond, Guyana"

I have used it in place of Lemon Hart 151 as Lemon Hart is not available here.

Interesting. The rum is produced by Demerara Distillers, yet does not state that the product is a 'demerara rum' per se. El Dorado's other rums-the White, Gold, Dark, Spiced, Black Label, 3, 5, 12, 15 & 21 year old all specifically say "Finest Demerara Rum","Superior Demerara Rum" or just "Demerara Rum" on their labels. Even their Rum Cream is labelled as a Demerara Rum Cream. The High Strength carries no such claim on it's label. furthermore, this product is not listed on the company website:

http://www.demrum.com/sitemap.cfm

How does it work in a cocktail (like, say, a Zombie or Jet Pilot)? Does it have the complex smokey notes that are typical for a Demerara rums? As it's not barrel aged it's going to be lacking some flavour, I'm guessing.

You are correct in that it lacks the notes of traditional Demerara rums but I can't compare it to Lemon Hart 151 as I've never had Lemon Hart. It is much like W&N overproof. You end up using it for it's high-octane rather than for flavor.
In the Jet Pilot for example I adjust the rums to my taste as follows:
1 oz Dark Jamaican rum (I use Coruba)
1/2 oz El Dorado 12-year-old Demerara
1/2 oz Gold Barbados rum (I use Mount Gay)
1/2 oz Eldorado High Strength

For me at least, this produces a mixed drink with a complexity to my liking and in some small measure makes up for not being ableto get Lemon Hart here in my part of FloriDUH.

Based on the above, it sounds like the El Dorado High Strength is not a good substitute Lemon Hart Demerara 151.

The Lemon Hart 151 has the same smokey Demerara notes of the lower proof Lemon Hart, only more so.

Is this the bottle you mean?

A bottle shop here showed me a list of rums he could order for me and knowing El Dorado was a demerara rum i had him get me a bottle.Unfortunately it's just an over proof rum like the Wray & Nephew as mentioned.Lemon Hart is impossible to get here so i was hoping this would be a good subsitute,but it's not.

El Dorado has three kinds of overproof rums.
Two are named overproof, one is white, the other is gold, and the third one is the High Strength.

I have the golden overproof that is in fact a demerara rum as the label says, and has a smokey flavour.

I can only get the El Dorado High Strength version - clear with a red and white label.
That is the one I was referring to in my post; unaware of the other versions.

On 2009-08-24 07:38, snackbar wrote:
El Dorado has three kinds of overproof rums.
Two are named overproof, one is white, the other is gold, and the third one is the High Strength.

I have the golden overproof that is in fact a demerara rum as the label says, and has a smokey flavour.

OK gang, now we know what we need to be buying!!

Snackbar, where are you finging this golden Demerara overproof?

Well, I live in Europe and it isn't available in stores. I bought mine at a webshop. I don't know how it tastes n comparison with Lemon Hart 151, because sadly enough you can't buy that anywhere in Europe.
But my guess is that they are quite different, the Lemon Hart is a much darker overproof.

Before I was able to get LH151, I used the El Dorado high strength in drinks that called for demerara - if for no other reason it seemed closer than bacardi. I haven't yet tried a side by side sipping test between the two on their own (not mixed in drinks), but the question might inspire me. Anyone tried the Goslings 151 - is it dark?

On 2009-09-12 20:07, toofastjim wrote:
Anyone tried the Goslings 151 - is it dark?

It's my go-to 151 since I can't get LH 151. It's dark, rich and flavourful. While it lacks the smokiness of real demerara rum, it's the closest match to a demerara 151 that I've found.

I would recommend the Goslings 151 too. Dark and smokey. A great 151 rum.

On 2009-08-25 10:25, snackbar wrote:
I don't know how it tastes n comparison with Lemon Hart 151, because sadly enough you can't buy that anywhere in Europe.

I managed to get several bottles of Lemon Hart Demerara 151 from a webshop in Germany a couple of years ago. I just checked their website but unfortunately they don't list it anymore.

curious if anyone has updates on ED overproof rum (clear), as it has shown up for first time in my local ABC...

I like it and think it is definitely worth buying. As far white 151 proof rums go I've only had El Dorado High Strength and Bacardi 151 but I've had many 80 proof whites. It has a mildly grassy aroma and an organic semi sweet flavor, totally unlike Bacardi 151 which has a harsh flavor and is not suitable for sipping. El Dorado on the other hand is a bit of a sipper. Tastes like a fine silver rum and goes down easy, once you learn how to avoid the burn! It is great for those occasions when you want to float a high proof spirit without significantly changing the flavor of the underlying drink, but be careful as you can easily over do it because it goes down so easy in a mixed drink.

[ Edited by: TropicDrinkBoy 2013-09-05 23:37 ]