Aroma visualization from community tastings
XM Special 12 Years
Tell me when it gets cheaper
Tell me when it's back in stock
Price alert in the RumX app
Open in the app
Got the app? Open this bottle
Opens this rum in the RumX app
One taster nailed it: it wins more on its silky texture than the flavor itself. This Guyanese column-still rum leans sweet, with molasses, caramel, young oak and a little dark chocolate in the background. Several people call it a good first Demerara-style pour — easy and lightly spiced. A few wish it had more punch at 40%.
The community says- Silky texture
- Molasses and caramel
- Keep in mind: Could be stronger
Offers & prices
View price history
Returns & cancellation Secure payment Sold by delicando
- Secure payment. You pay via RumX with PayPal, Klarna or card. Your payment data is encrypted and we never store your full card details.
- Clear seller. Sold and shipped directly by the partner shop. And you're never on your own: RumX handles support and communication with the shop, so you always get excellent service, whichever shop you order from.
- Honest shop ratings. The stars show your service experience with the shop, not the rum score. They come from RumX users, and critical ones stay visible.
- Returns & cancellation. Your purchase contract is with the shop, so returns and cancellations run through them under their own policy and your statutory rights. If anything goes wrong, RumX helps you sort it out.
10 more payment methodsLive auctions
Compare all 2 offers
Total prices incl. shipping to Germany
Sorted by total price · How we rank
Prices and availability as of
We show the offers that deliver to your country, the cheapest including shipping first. The “Top Shop” label does not change the order, and no shop can buy a better place.
Offers & prices
No shop currently delivers to Germany.
The look inside the bottle
How does XM Special 12 Years taste?
From community reviews · summarized with AI
Sweet, silky Guyana entry sipper Most see it as an easy, sweet Demerara introduction — molasses, caramel and dark chocolate with a silky feel. The common gripe: it could be bolder and stronger.
Aroma profilePeople easing into sweet Guyanese/Demerara rum
Anyone wanting bold, dry, high-proof rum
Style & occasion: Mature & oakySweet & dessertSipping neat
Full aroma profile Aroma families · nose & palate · top aromas
Relative to this rum's strongest aroma family
13 of 36 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
Which glass for which rum? The community guide ›
Buying advice
Is it right for you?
Yes, if you're after mature, oaky rums for sipping neat.
Similar in style and available now.
Woodier
Foursquare Doorly's XO Fine Old Barbados Rum7.5/10 (313)37.23 €
Sweeter
Ron Zacapa Sistema Solera 237.5/10 (1,164)45.85 €
Rated better
Arehucas Añejo Reserva Especial7.8/10 (73)46.75 €
More intense
Abuelo XII Two Oaks8.0/10 (188)49.66 €
What does the community say?
36 community reviews
Rating scale & review checks
On RumX, 7 means “Good” and 8 means “Very good”.
See the full rating guideHow ratings are made and how we check them ›The website shows a selection of written reviews. The distribution also includes ratings without text. All published reviews are available in the RumX app.
11 selected written reviews
The distribution above includes all 36 ratings, including those without text.
Review by Rumbaron
Most helpful positive review
Aroma expresses sweet molasses notes, followed by tropical fruits and stimulating dark chocolate.
Review by DomM
Most helpful mixed review
Very sweet. Comparable to the El Dorado standard range, however, somewhat lighter and more sweet.
Review by Christian Rudt
Could be a bit stronger, but still offers a nice complexity. Greetings to Demerara. Was a blind sample, thanks Adrian! Blind tasting in the RumX Advent calendar should be interesting. 😅
Review by Alexander Rasch
My RumRatings review from 4 years ago: First of all, many thanks to Adrian for this free sample for a blind tasting. Since I had a long night with an El Dorado 15 years a few days earlier, it was relatively easy to guess the origin. But it was nice to be so precise once. The XO Special 12 years is a rum from Guyana. It definitely comes from an El Dorado cask from the Demerara distillery. The rum, made in column style, was bottled at 40% alcohol. I think it contains sugar and coloring. I couldn't find more information. The nose is very typical El Dorado. Lots of caramel, wood and drinkable caramelized fruit. On the palate, everything is rather thin and sweet. Again caramel. Roasted aromas and a good portion of wood. The finish is short and watery. About the level of the El Dorado 12. A typical rum for damp evenings. It's about sociable drinking, not hours of tasting.
Review by Christoph
Wood and sugar alternate on the nose with very sweet pineapple. The taste convinces more through its silky consistency than the taste itself. Especially dark chocolate.
Review by F.L.O.
Good beginner rum Guyana
Review by Thunderbird
A straight rum , which is harmonious, slightly sweet and spicy! With a touch of wood! All around successful!
Review by Pavel Ungr, RumRock
12 years aging. With 7.8 out of 10, it's a good rum, though not exceptional.
Review by High Ester Maitai
Guyanese rum is closes description I can think of. In nose molasses, caramel and wood. In taste molasses, wood, caramel, dried date and taste of dry fruits mush without fruits (I cannot describe this better), and some dark chocolate in background. It is sweet rum, but not overly sweet. Not bad for introduction of Guyanese rum, but there are better
Review by Marko Köpke
Can be a good first entry into the world of rum.
Review by Peter Gacek
Great overall impression. A tasty rum.
This selection contains no written reviews in this rating range.
XM Special 12 Years at live auctions
A bid is not a final price: the house sets the buyer's premium, shipping and any customs duty.
All live auctions ›Community shelf
38 bottles logged by 36 collectors.
A drinker's rum.
39% opened, 9 emptied.
What does XM Special 12 Years cost?
Avg. community purchase price 38 €.
What members paid for this bottle, self-reported. Not a market value — the purchases are over three years old at the median and unverified.
Current best price: 33.56 €.
38 purchased · 37 tasted · 54 wishlist · as of
Details about XM Special 12 Years
A Column Still Rum from Guyana, bottled by XM, at 40%.
What do the letters on a Demerara label mean? The RumX guide ›
Read on in the RumX Guide
You may also enjoy
Rum enthusiasts who like this rum have also given the following rums high ratings:
Foursquare Wagemut PX-Cask
Foursquare Doorly's 12 Years
English Harbour 5 Years
Dos Maderas 5 Years + 5 Years PX
La Hechicera Fine Aged Rum
DDL El Dorado 12
Set a target price in the app, and we'll let you know as soon as the rum becomes available at that price from one of our partner stores. This works for any rum on your wish list.
Oliver · FounderBy rum lovers, for rum lovers
I'm Oliver, and RumX began in 2018 as a small passion project in Stuttgart, back then under the name Rum Tasting Notes.
Oliver, Stuttgart
About RumX ›YouTube channel (German, English subtitles)
