Aroma visualization from community tastings
DDL El Dorado 21
People are genuinely split here. Fans call it silky, rounded and packed with chocolate, dried fruit and oak; skeptics say the sugar flattens it and it's not far off the 15. What most agree on: caramel, vanilla, raisins and a long woody finish at an easy 43%. Sweetness is the whole conversation — some love the roundness, others find it almost artificial.
The community says- Silky, rounded body
- Chocolate and dried fruit
- But: High sugar content
View price history
10 more payment methodsSecure payment Sold by ROW Spirits Returns & cancellation
- 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.
Buy DDL El Dorado 21:
Offer details
Prices & availability last updated on
The look inside the bottle
How does DDL El Dorado 21 taste?
Aggregated from 151 community reviews.
Sweet, rounded Demerara sipper with oak A rounded, sweet Demerara with chocolate, dried fruit and oak. Many enjoy it neat; others find the heavy sugar dulls the depth and see little gap from the 15.
People who like sweet, soft, rounded Demerara sippers
Anyone avoiding sugar or wanting a dry, high-proof rum
How the community classifies this rum. Each category takes you to similar rums.
Which glass for which rum? The community guide →
54 of 151 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
Recommendation
Your next rum
One difference each to this rum.
Rated better
DDL El Dorado 15 (2020 Release)
8.0/1044 €
More intense
Elixir Distillers of London Black Tot Rum Master Blender's Reserve 2021
8.5/10134 €
Similar rating, cheaper
DDL El Dorado 12
7.3/1032 €First choice: 19 of 30 tasters who tried both prefer it.
How is DDL El Dorado 21 rated?
RumX’s 0–10 scale is strict: 7.6 sits in the “Good” band. 75% of tasters rate it Good or better; only 0% rate it below average. See the full rating guide →
Community voices
What does the community say?
62% rate it between 6 and 8. 17 selected write-ups from 151 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
Review by Stefan Persson
Most helpful positive review
Completely different from the “12” & “15”, it’s much drier but still a little too sweet. The new 2020 release is even drier and therefore even better, but this old one is still a very good buy in its price range.
Review by Oliver
Most helpful critical review
Not much better than the 15somewhat riper/woodier
Review by cigares
A woody, vanilla nose, dried fruit and brown sugar, with a little too much alcohol. The first palate is a little acqueous, then the spices and dried fruit become more powerful. The finish is very short, with a slightly bitter woodiness. Quite a nice nose, but a disappointing palate and a finish that's far too short.
Review by Timo Groeger
Day trip Baltrum September 2024. Sturm-Eck pub. A rather sweet rum, vanilla, wood and caramel on the nose. Then chocolate, wood and spices on the palate. All in all a little sweet, but still really okay.
Review by Manuel
Very smooth Guyana rum. In my opinion, the alcohol could be better integrated. Otherwise, woody influences, vanilla and a sweet finish. However, this Guyana rum was not enough for a top rating.
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
The best of the 12 year old and 15 year old in one bottle 😊
Review by Jakob
Classic Demerara profile with a heavy sweetness and beautiful woody notes. Very good entry-level rum in the Guyana rum world, now also with a revised recipe and therefore less additive sweetness. Beautiful sipping rum.
Review by MarcT
I am a bit disappointed, DDL has so many stills at their disposal, and this is an opportunity missed. It is OK to sip, blind I might think of it as an old sweetened Solera. And sweet it is, to the point that it loses its character. Fruit, Caramel and at the end wood, accompanied by lots of sweetness. I heard, the newer releases have less to no sugar, and am actually interested if they are an improvement. This is clearly aimed at the mass market, and not at enthusiasts, sadly.
Review by BjörnNi 🥃
Very well done... simply good
Review by Gregor
Wow was ein schönes rundes Brett. Leider ein bisschen zu Süß. Aber trotzdem intensive Noten von Schokolade und Kokosnuss aber auch viel Holz und gewürze. Sollte man probieren wenn man gesüßtem rum offen gegenüber steht
Review by LukaŽiga
8,3:On the nose, sulphurous, coppery, roasted wood notes like caramel, leather, sweet, dried fruits like raisins, prunes, cherry, citrus fruits, spicy, bump into our nosetrils. On aeration, dried apricots and tropical fruits are out, coffee, the molasses is earthy with tobacco, dark with licorice. 7,9:On the palate, the attack is sweet with roasted wood notes like caramelized Demerara sugar, dark chocolate, leather, caramel, spicy with baking spices, fruity with dried apricots, prunes and raisins, citrus fruits and dried sour cherry, some fruits are candied, the molasses is thick, dark with licorice, sulphurous and coppery tones also appear. 7,8:The finish is medium long, sweet, dry and tannic, with notes from the palate lingering on..
Review by Johannes
Old version. Really good demerara. Very good level for a standard. Only discreet sweetness.
Review by Vincent D
Slightly more interesting than the 15 ans. More woody. Some leather and coffee notes. Too light, soft and sweet. Easy to drink.
Review by Tim
Despite the low 43%, this rum has enough power on the nose and palate. Nice harmonious notes that goes mainly in the direction of cream toffee, milk chocolate and coffee on the nose and peppery spiciness, spices and bitter flavors in the mouth. This version is still sweetened, though not immoderately like other brands. Perhaps a bit unbalanced by the bitterness, the sweetness can not quite smooth it out.
Review by ChristophFFM
Smell quite nice. Taste sharp and not quite balanced. But a nice, extremely (!) long finish with wood, fruit and raisin. The 15 was more substantial, milder, even balanced, but also sweeter (sugared).
Review by Gil Firth
No much difference from the 15 for me. Didn't try it for a long time but dont think its worth the extra $. טעימה לא רואה הרבה הבדל בינו לבין ה15. קצת יותר כהה ופירותי. הטעמים והמתיקות דומים ואין מורכבות גבוהה מספיק.
Review by heckto🥃
A very pleasant aroma of caramel and wood. It starts with a slight spiciness on the palate, but this then gives way to the taste of chocolate, tropical fruit and vanilla. Long woody finish.
No reviews match this filter.
Expert reviews
3 critics scored it, averaging 7.5/10. Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum..
Expert review by Single Cask Rum
Read full review →
Expert review by Rhummer
Read full review →
Expert review by The Fat Rum Pirate
Read full review →However it is different. It's different enough to consider a purchase. It may initially not seem that much better than the 15 year old for the money. Then again it just re-inforces what fantastic value the 15 Year Old is. If you like Demerara rums there would be few better...
Expert review by Rum Diaries Blog
Read full review →
Live auctions
Current bids for this rum at Europe's leading auction houses.
Market value
What this bottle last achieved at auction. A research indicator, not a forecast.
Auction results 59 € – 94 €
from 9 sales, latest 04/2025
Prices incl. buyer's premium — what a buyer pays, not what a sale nets you.
Avg. community purchase price 81 €
What members paid for this bottle, self-reported. Not a market value — the purchases are over three years old at the median and unverified.
Details about DDL El Dorado 21
A spirit drink on a rum base from Guyana, distilled by Demerara Distillers Ltd, at 43%.
Which of the wooden stills is behind this rum? The RumX guide →
Community purchases
196 bottles logged by 189 collectors.
A drinker's rum.
36% opened, 30 emptied and repurchased.
What does DDL El Dorado 21 cost?
Community paid 70–107 €.
Current best price: 85.00 € – within the typical community range.
What members actually paid for their bottles. A typical range, not the current shop price. Full price & collection history in RX+ →
196 purchased · 158 tasted · 78 wishlist · as of
Read on in the RumX Guide
You may also enjoy
Rum enthusiasts who like this rum have also given the following rums high ratings:
Chairman's Reserve The Forgotten Casks
Chairman's Reserve The Forgotten CasksWarm, easy oak-and-vanilla sipper, slightly thin
DDL El Dorado 15
DDL El Dorado 15Sweet, caramel-rich Demerara starter sipper
Cartavio XO
Cartavio XOSoft, sweet Spanish-style sipper with nutty depth
DDL El Dorado 21 (2020 Release)
DDL El Dorado 21 (2020 Release)Dry, woody Demerara sipper, less sweet now
Never miss a price drop.
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.
What began as my digital tasting diary is now the world's most comprehensive platform for rum fans, today carried by a small team with Jakob, Lukas and Katharina, with Robert supporting us as a freelancer. We combine the collective intelligence of our community with an integrated marketplace, so you can choose with confidence, without paperwork, detours, or expert jargon.
Oliver, Stuttgart
About RumX →YouTube channel (in German)
