edmund dantes 25-year-old rum

[AsetOne]

» This post is sort of taken out of the one i did for my review of the SLR DC

» re potential. i thought that perhaps some members interested in rum may not

» catch it and thought it worth noting.

» This is a legendary rum, some say the best ever, which was released a few

» years back. i believe that there were only a few hundred bottles (they

» have recently done a 15-year-0ld with 3,000 botles).

» I finally managed to get a bottle on the last trip to Cuba.

» Lovely old gold colour, reasonably pale. Aroma of beeswax and honey. If I

» had been served this blind, I would have been much more inclined to think

» of a really good aged cognac. Certainly, still had a kick and a reasonably

» spirity finish on both nose and palate, more than I would have expected.

» The aromas morphed into vanilla and spice. The texture was like cashmere

» and the flavours followed on to the palate, with perhaps a smidge of

» chocolate tossed in. Sweetness levels very low (way under say the Zacapa

» 23-year-old) or so it seemed. A really stunning rum, though I think that

» the special 20-year-old release (the first one, not the re-issue) by

» Santiago a few years ago was better. That said, this right up with the

» best I've ever tried, very different to but similar quality to the

» Appleton 21-year-old. It reminded me a little of some of the plantation

» rums which sit at the low end of the sweetness spectrum, though at the

» pointy end of the quality scale.

»

May i ask how this was aged? it has a lovely colour, though i would have thought a rum with that much age would be much darker.

[Ken Gargett]

»

» May i ask how this was aged? it has a lovely colour, though i would have

» thought a rum with that much age would be much darker.

not sure if you are aware but after distillation, all rum is crystal clear. the colour comes from additives or barrel ageing. the 25 years would refer to time in barrel. it does become darker with time though not hugely so and my understanding is that it depends a little on he charring that akes place when the cooper makes the barrels, or subsequently if they are being re-used. older barrels, far less aggressive, would be prefered for the better rums and so contribute less colour. assuming that the cubans stuck to the internationally understood terms, and they seem to be quite strict with their rums, the 25 year old tag refers to the youngest rum. it could be all just 25 years but most blenders believe that their best rums come from a blend of different ages. it is very hard to find out anything about this rum as for most of my search, it was all whispers. i was allowed to smell an opened bottle (long and weird story but suffice to say, i was not supposed to) but that was the only real evidence i had that it even existed.

i'd be surprised if they had added caramel or any other colouring agent. i'd assume a long time in old barrels.

[CIGARHead]

Great find Ken. I find the rums that are aged for so long do in fact take on a cognac flavor...especially and obviously when they are aged in cognac barrels. Was this more of a smokey rum? It is funny how the nose of the rum can trick you into thinking it will taste as it smells. I love rum. Its 8:14am right now and may just go get a pour:lookaround:

How did you acquire this?..friends in low places?

Oh Ken, that looks like the desk of a madman genius. Don't feel bad, mine is worse!

[Ken Gargett]

» Great find Ken. I find the rums that are aged for so long do in fact take

» on a cognac flavor...especially and obviously when they are aged in cognac

» barrels. Was this more of a smokey rum? It is funny how the nose of the

» rum can trick you into thinking it will taste as it smells. I love rum.

» Its 8:14am right now and may just go get a pour:lookaround:

»

» How did you acquire this?..friends in low places?

»

» Oh Ken, that looks like the desk of a madman genius. Don't feel bad, mine

» is worse!

didn't really get much of a smoky note in it but it was a wonderfully comlex rum. friend of a friend tracked it down. i didn't ask too much, especially as he got it for well less than half what i understand is the going rae, even if you can find it.

desk? that is the kitchen bench. i'm still looking for m desk.

[Bernard]

Thats a great find. I would like to know more about it, as aging something for 25 years in the Cuban climate would be a challenge. Any idea about the alcohol content when it went in to the barrels & where it was stored?

I was chatting with a mate yesterday & we were thinking about experimenting with ageing Rum in barrels in three different climatic areas in SA.

[56Tweed]

I've seen pictures, but that is the first review I have read. Sounds special! :-P

[havanaclub7]

Hi Ken,

Just curious how available this rum is and what the price would be for a bottle.

[bassman]

A UK vendor has this listed at 106 pounds plus shipping. A little expensive for me!

[havanaclub7]

» A UK vendor has this listed at 106 pounds plus shipping. A little expensive

» for me!

I doubt that's the standard sticker price for the rum. The UK has such terrible taxes and the like -- just compare the price of cigars there to Czar.

I don't doubt that there is a premium charge for the rum, but I doubt it's quite that much. Hopefully Ken will be able to tell us!

[Ken Gargett]

» » A UK vendor has this listed at 106 pounds plus shipping. A little

» expensive

» » for me!

»

» I doubt that's the standard sticker price for the rum. The UK has such

» terrible taxes and the like -- just compare the price of cigars there to

» Czar.

»

» I don't doubt that there is a premium charge for the rum, but I doubt it's

» quite that much. Hopefully Ken will be able to tell us!

i'd be interested if you have the website for the uk retailer to see what they say.

as for ageing in that climate, i believe that the rule of thumb is that evaporation will provide the angels with three times as much as if it were in a cold climate such as scotland. hence, a few barrels must have been set aside for topping up.

my understanding is that it really wasn't ever commercially available, but i suspect that means it was on shelves in cuba for a short time. i had not heard that any was exported. there is now a recent release of 15 year old edmund dantes which is available in europe. 3,000 bottles and apparently very good (prez has a bottle that may soon provide tasting notes with any luck).

the bottle i smelt about four years ago was in a private locker in havana. the bloke with the 'key' brought it out and showed me the ceramic bottle and even opened it to allow me a smell but that was as far as he'd go. fair enough.

i'm told that on the rare occasions it does emerge, it is around the $400 to $500 mark in cuba. i'll make some enquiries but if i find another, can't not promise to grab it.

[El Presidente]

Ken I knocked off half a botle of the 15 year old Dantes on Friday. I had no intention of doing so. I caught a cab home. It was very....very good ;-)

[Ken Gargett]

» A UK vendor has this listed at 106 pounds plus shipping. A little expensive

» for me!

have checked out the site - what they have at the moment is the 15 year old rum at 99 pounds. would seem strange for them to have been selling the 23 year old at only a few pounds more but could make sense if it was from a shipment a few years back and prices have now risen.

i had not realised that these edmund dantes rums were made by santiago, though should not be surprised as they really do make some of the world's great rums. i'm surprised because my understanding (and i don't follow the details but i believe it has something to do right back to the fight with bacardi) was that there was an understanding that santiago is not to be exported (which i consider one of the great injustices on this planet). something about them taking over the premises etc of bacrdi way back in the early 60s.

however, it would make some sense that they would have access to old stocks of aged barrels of rum to make these releases if they did have that access. suspect we'll never know.

[Ken Gargett]

This post is sort of taken out of the one i did for my review of the SLR DC re potential. i thought that perhaps some members interested in rum may not catch it and thought it worth noting.

This is a legendary rum, some say the best ever, which was released a few years back. i believe that there were only a few hundred bottles (they have recently done a 15-year-0ld with 3,000 botles).

I finally managed to get a bottle on the last trip to Cuba.

Lovely old gold colour, reasonably pale. Aroma of beeswax and honey. If I had been served this blind, I would have been much more inclined to think of a really good aged cognac. Certainly, still had a kick and a reasonably spirity finish on both nose and palate, more than I would have expected. The aromas morphed into vanilla and spice. The texture was like cashmere and the flavours followed on to the palate, with perhaps a smidge of chocolate tossed in. Sweetness levels very low (way under say the Zacapa 23-year-old) or so it seemed. A really stunning rum, though I think that the special 20-year-old release (the first one, not the re-issue) by Santiago a few years ago was better. That said, this right up with the best I've ever tried, very different to but similar quality to the Appleton 21-year-old. It reminded me a little of some of the plantation rums which sit at the low end of the sweetness spectrum, though at the pointy end of the quality scale.