El Dorado: The rum industry could be “redefine” by cask strength

The master distiller of El Dorado, based in Guyana, feels that cask-strength rums have the “potential to redefine the category” as premiumization takes root in the rum industry.

The premium rum trend offers a “significant opportunity for El Dorado to strengthen its market position and continue to grow its brand as a key player in the global rum industry,” according to Shaun Caleb, master distiller at Demerara Distillers, the company that makes the premium rum brand. He made this statement in an interview with The Spirits Business.

“El Dorado will have the opportunity to continue expanding its global footprint as premium rums gain popularity worldwide,” he said.

In order to create El Dorado, Caleb uses three original wooden “heritage” stills from historic Guyanese distilleries (Port Mourant, Versailles, and Enmore), in addition to copper coffey and Savalle stills. The tropical climate and high humidity of the nation combine to create a “distinct” rum that he believes speaks to the current trend toward rare and exclusive goods.

Although the brand’s primary offering consists of 12-, 15-, and 21-year-old rums, Caleb is also focusing on releases with stronger flavors from casks.

The company’s first high-ester rum, which retailed at £120 (US$158), sold out when it was released in the UK earlier this year. With its success, Caleb and the team are finding out how to get more to market, and another batch is currently on its way.

The expression, which was the first of nine products in a series and released at cask strength, was reportedly developed in response to growing consumer demand for a variety of rums.

The rum is a blend of the brand’s Diamond High Ester, where fermentation took place over several months, and its honeyed, medium-bodied rum made in the style of the La Bonne Intention (LBI) Estate. El Dorado’s Diamond Distillery is the only distillery in Guyana.

Since the 1950s, the distillery has been making high-ester rum, but to boost the ester concentration, it is usually blended with other distillates. According to Caleb, this release was made “deliberately” to highlight strong and nuanced flavor qualities. Its flavor profile is “rich and fruity,” devoid of the “funky tail” that characterizes high-ester rums.

To meet the changing tastes of premium rum consumers, he continued, “premiumization will also force us to experiment with new blends, different barrel finishes, and limited edition releases.”

Cask strength emerging

Caleb believes that cask-strength expressions are ones to watch even if the industry is still relatively small because they offer a “opportunity to differentiate and capture the attention of consumers looking for something unique and exclusive.”

“There’s an increasing demand for bold and intense flavors as consumers’ palates become more sophisticated,” he claims. Rums with cask strength could revolutionize the rum market and draw in more rum lovers who are looking for that kind of experience.

El Dorado has to cap its Cask Strength Enmore production at about 1,000 cases worldwide due to stock availability. Additionally, the UK cannot get it. Caleb says that without the restriction, it’s “difficult to really gauge what the true demand could be.”

But he does insist, saying this: “From the time we did our first release until now, we’ve seen interest in these sorts of offerings rise substantially over the last few years.” In fact, following our initial launch—or rather, relaunch—people begged for our single still rums, asking, “Why not release this at cask strength?”

If the Enmore was released straight from the barrels, it would be far more entertaining to see. We carried out that action. Thus, I would suggest that while interest has increased, it’s possible that supply hasn’t kept up with prospective demand.

El Dorado Cask Strength Enmore has much richer flavor intensity and is bottled at 54.3% ABV. “A well-aged rum has definitely developed the body and presents those flavors in a very balanced, grounded way, without any sort of burn or bite,” Caleb comments of the appeal. It follows that you may then savor the flavors much more fully without adding any kind of burn or other unpleasantness.

At a higher concentration, the rum then goes farther and discovers even more flavors. That is what the customer desires.

Furthermore, Caleb notes that cask-strength rums complement the trend toward craft and artisanal spirits due to their traditional ageing and production processes.

The complete range of the rum’s richer, deeper, more nuanced, and powerful flavor profile is achieved by these rums’ unadulterated retention of all the flavors that are created during aging. Consequently, the concentrated flavor profiles satisfy this exacting need and provide a fresh perspective on the rum-tasting experience.

Market targets

Caleb says El Dorado aims to balance each area and sets “very aggressive goals” in terms of the brand’s worldwide ambitions.

“We consider the UK to be a very important market. These six key growth pillars are positioned alongside the US, Canada, the rest of Europe, the Caribbean, and the Chinese market. The goal is to become a worldwide brand, even as we look for ways to go into regions where El Dorado is not as prevalent, primarily in Asia and Africa as well as some portions of South and Central America.

“To achieve those goals, we have started building new warehouses. Consequently, we must pursue each market with vigor.”

He concludes by summarizing the situation of the premium market as follows: “Premium rums have really never declined, even though rum and even vodkas have seen difficult times, especially in Europe and the UK with inflation, the war in Ukraine, shipping and logistics, and in fact, production prices.

“That particular segment still has interest, and since we keep coming up with new ideas, it’s clear that the interest is well-maintained and fed.”

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The article image is courtesy of Elena Photo on Canva