El Dorado 15

In the 18th century prospered 300 distilleries in the area which today is called Guyana. However, the operating conditions worsened over the years: the abolition of slavery (sic!), the expansion of European beet sugar, the consolidations of the British Booker Group, the turmoil after the declaration of independence, nationalization. Finally, the getting out from socialist embrace and establishing in the early 1990s - with the last eight remaining distilleries - the cooperative named Demerara Distillers Limited with the flagship El Dorado Demerara Rum.

DDL invests heavily in development including human capital and applies ecological solutions.  DDL has an unquestionable qualitative competitive advantage in the form of historical and still used, unique on a global scale, wooden stills. DDL can produce up to 20 million pure alcohol annually, both for personal use and under contract.  This result puts them at the forefront in the Caribbean. It's impressive that in Guyana - a poorer country in South America - there is a public company reasonably and responsibly managed gaining international and well-deserved success.

There are new opportunities opening up. Significant oil reserves have been discovered which means petrodollars. A lot of petrodollars. Meanwhile, colonialism returns to Guyana like a boomerang. Half of the oil's profits will be collected by ExxonMobil, while in the majority of such contracts states retain 3/4 of the proceeds.

Guyana is covered to 80% in virgin rainforest. No wonder the country's name translates into 'land of many waters'. The proximity to the equator makes it hotter here than in the core of the Caribbean. Only local Demerara sugarcane is harvested. Molasses are for fermented 26 hours. The blend consists of 20 rums distilled from Wooden Coffey Still (EHP), Two-Columns Metal Coffey Stills (SVW), Double Wooden Pot Still (PM) and Single Wooden Pot Still (VSG). Wooden pot stills you won't find anywhere else. The youngest component of the blend is 15 years old, the rest may be aged up to 10 years longer.  The rum matures in ex-bourbon oak barrels. Much as I sympathize with DDL project, it's hard for me to accept the test results indicating the sugar addition of up to 37 grams per liter.