El Dorado unveils second high esters blend
Demerara Distillers has blended two different pot still rums for the second edition in its El Dorado high ester series.
The new limited edition – Port Mourant (PM) / Diamond High Ester (DHE) – follows the series’ inaugural release in 2024, called La Bonne Intention / DHE.
Demerara Distillers’ Diamond Distillery in Guyana has 14 stills, allowing for an exploration of rum’s complex flavours.
According to the company, high ester rums are marked by intense fruity and floral notes, driven by the high concentration of the aromatic compounds that define their signature character.
For the latest release, the distillery combined spirits distilled in 2014 with the PM double wooden pot still and a small John Dore double retort pot still.
The PM still, which was initially installed at the Port Mourant Estate in Guyana in 1732 and used to make rum for the Royal Navy, was moved to the Diamond Distillery in 1999.
The distillery’s small retort pot still, which dates back to 1950, is unique in its ability to produce rum with ethyl acetate levels of up to 70,000 parts per million (ppm). Because of the high concentration, the DHE wash is prepared well away from the main fermentation area next to the still house and fermented for several months.
The distillation process involves slow boiling and high reflux in the DHE still, which is said to help retain and extract the high concentration of ethyl acetate produced during the “funky fermentation” process. As a result, the rum achieves ester levels exceeding 1,500 grams per hectolitre.
El Dorado PM/DHE is aged for 10 years in second-fill Bourbon barrels, resulting in aromas of green apple, flambéed banana, and subtle notes of clove, cigar, and peat. On the palate, the fruit-forward rum showcases notes of ripe tropical fruit, clove, and infused tobacco spice.
Offered at cask strength of 51.7% ABV, El Dorado PM/DHE is now available at select retailers, fine dining establishments, and online platforms in the UK and the US, with a recommended retail price of £123 (US$139).
Earlier this year, EL Dorado crowned Erick Lerch from Toronto, Canada, the winner of its 2025 Heritage Cocktail Competition.
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