We love El Dorado 3, it remains our go to lightly aged rum for making drinks. We’ve also gushed about their 12 as well. In between these offerings are two very reasonably priced offerings, El Dorado 5 and El Dorado 8. Aged at least 5 years, this rum promises to offer darker sugar notes in addition to some of the tropical fruit we love. So is it worth it?
El Dorado 5
Sight: A pleasant caramelly deep copper.
Smell: Caramel and brown sugar mix with light wood and a touch of funk. Tropical fruit and caramelized banana joins in and a hint of ethanol burn pops in and out. A good mix of spice and pepper comes through.
Sip: The body is light but swims with ester soaked wood and caramel right out of the gate. That lightly funky wood note is joined by a green plantain and plenty of caramel and oak spices. There’s a slight dryness here that shows off some of the tropical fruit flavors in a bit of a spotlight, and the boozy notes give a bit of roughness.
Savor: The finish leans into the cask flavors, with more tannin, dried charred burnt brown sugar, and a bit of tropical fruitiness.
El Dorado 5 is fine as sipping goes, with a drier character than the nose would imply. The lightness of the body keeps it from becoming overbearing, but also harms it from establishing any sort of complexity or return value. At a price point in the low $20’s this isn’t unexpected, and shouldn’t be your target application for this rum.
In Cocktails
In a daiquiri the El Dorado 5 works a perfect foil against the lime, exploding with sweet caramelized tropical fruits and touches of honeyed notes. The brown sugar really explodes giving a balanced sweetness against the lime. While it still isn’t the most exciting daiquiri, it’s sweet and delicious.
In Review- El Dorado 5
El Dorado 5 is a simple and straightforward aged rum. At a price point in the low $20 range, it works great for workhorse duty in cocktails. While using it, it doesn’t really include a lot of complexity. For that reason, this isn’t a stand alone in your bar, but rather an addition. For that reason, consider pairing it with an Appleton Estate Reserve or Doorly X.O. to get the full effect of rum complexity.