El Dorado ICBU Single Barrel

From the 300-year-old Uitvlugt sugar distillery in Guyana comes this sweet-smelling but bone-dry-tasting rum. It's nutty like a fine Amontillado sherry, but with a noseful of bananas and sugar. Too bad they bottled it at a tame and lame 80 proof. Compare this rum with Duncan Taylor's 1997 offering, also from the Uitvlugt distillery, bottled at 105 proof and full of flavor and fire. The El Dorado people don't seem to know what to do with good rum: either they load it up with sugar and colorants, as in ED 12-25, or they refine it until it's only fit for little old ladies after church, like this stuff. Save your money for better rum.

These single barrels are great stuff, from the old stills which are unique in this world. It´s rum for demerara geeks and connaisseurs.

Tasted at Havana 1920 in San Diego on 5-18-24. Pours a cloudy reddish amber. Initial aroma to me right out of the bottle was vinegar and paper mache. But once I started sniffing it, I get giant toffee, caramel and treacle. Amazing complex flavors. Horehound candy and chicory. This is outrageous.

Super fedt at smage de tre op mod hinanden icbu, pm og ehp.

This "Single Barrel" series is an attempt by El Dorado to edge into the limited release market. But even with all their vast stores of fine rum, deep pockets, and impressive distribution, what they came up falls rather short.

Pros:
- This is a unique opportunity to explore juice from 3 of DDL's most famous (and historic) stills. Those wanting to "dissect" the blends that go into El Dorado's other offerings would be eager to check these out. History buffs, too, may have some interest in tasting rum made by centuries-old stills.
- It seems that no sugar has been added to these bottlings, unlike most others from ED. (This is great!)
- This particular rum—the ICBU—is approachable and rather tasty. The nose is reminiscent of ED12, but (fortunately) doesn't assault with a boatload of sugar. This rum is dry for ED, but still not especially dry, with familiar caramel and vanilla notes. Some sips leave me with a bit of an herbal aftertaste, which is quite nice.

Cons:
- The label is deceptive. These are *not* "single-barrel" rums. These are single-STILL rums, that almost certainly have been blended from many barrels for consistency. I really don't know why they chose to use this verbiage, when "single-still" would have been clearer, more truthful, and arguably more unique in the market.
- 40%. This rum has been dreadfully over-diluted. Thankfully, it still has some life and character in it. At 50–55% this rum is probably amazing. Even 45 would be a big improvement. So yes, as others have mentioned, it's fine, but probably a little "too" approachable.
- It's like $80 in the US. For a NAS, 80-proof bottle with misleading marketing, that's simply baffling, not to mention irritating. (I found mine on sale for around $30, which is a fair price.)
- The most unique aspect of this rum's flavor is the slightly bitter aftertaste. It's not terrible, but not exactly delicious, either. It does add some interest, but I could do without.

Deployment:
- Cocktails? Sure, if you got a good deal on it or are looking for ways to finish it. Sub it in for a standard-proof Demerara in, say, a Three Dots and a Dash—it's quite tasty! This would probably also work in an Old Fashioned.
- Sipping: I do occasionally, so I can remember the flavors. But here's a tip: mix it with some good ol' Wray & Nephew Overproof (say, 2:1 or 3:1 ratio). Boom! Instant navy-style blend, and the 63% full-funk W&N does a lot to compensate for the ED's shortcomings.

So there you have it. It's fine, but there's obvious room for improvement, inside the bottle and out.

At $30 and 80-proof, it's a 7+. At $80, skip it, and get Hamilton 86 instead for a third.

I've smuggled all 3 of the single barrel line back to the states, and highly recommend them. Being able to taste the difference in the stills between the 3 (ICBU, EHP, PM - savalle, wooden coffey, wooden pot respectively) is very cool, especially considering some of these stills are the last of their kind. I tend to like the ICBU and EHP best as they tend to be a little smoother.

Tasted at Havana 1920, San Diego May 18 2024.
Appearance: medium amber, gold lights
Aroma: sugar cured ham - brown sugar and pineapple, candied.
Flavor: finishes with dust and bandaid and sweetness. Sweet and lovely.
Tasting notes: let's talk about this complex and amazing rum. It's got smoke, sweetness, cedar, maybe chocolate if I squint - layers and layers. Totally recommend ❤️

Tasted back to back with the ehp, this one is slightly more of a punch but with a rancid bitter finish, barely any nose buttery on the tongue

I got such a small amount in the bottle I traded for. Love it though

If I was a professor I’d give this a B or maybe...just maybe, a B+. It is smooth and can be sipped on the rocks or as I like, with a spicy ginger ale. At around $82 I think it’s slightly overpriced: more like a $65-$70 rum. Not as good as the Kirk and Sweeney 23 which can be had for around $53. Wouldn’t buy again but glad I bought one bottle.