Rum Review: Cruzan Estate Diamond Rum

Barbados: the defacto home of the original reference classic rum as we know it. God bless the Queen! And Mount Gay!
Post Reply

How do you rate Cruzan Estate Diamond Rum (5 is best)?

5
0
No votes
4
1
50%
3
0
No votes
2
1
50%
1
0
No votes
 
Total votes: 2

User avatar
Capn Jimbo
Rum Evangelisti and Compleat Idiot
Posts: 3550
Joined: Mon Dec 11, 2006 3:53 pm
Location: Paradise: Fort Lauderdale of course...
Contact:

Rum Review: Cruzan Estate Diamond Rum

Post by Capn Jimbo »

Cruzan Estate Diamond Rum: "Eggnog"

This light amber rum was both a surprise and a treat. There are more than a few who mention Cruzan ED and Single Barrel in the same breath, and a number of these, not least Ed Hamilton, prefer the Estate Diamond. With all the rums I own I was reluctant to buy yet another, but Diamond is not at all expensive. I wasn't expecting much when Sue Sea and I led off our tasting with this one. But first a bit of history.

Early St. Croix rums were relative to Jamaica, producing aromatic, heavier pot-stilled rums. Much later, and now the rums of St. Croix are more akin to Puerto Rico - lighter and less woody. Accordingly (and since Puerto Rican rums descend from Cuba, this entry appears here in the Cuban style section. The reviews:

Sue Sea:
The aroma of Estate Diamon immediately struck me as that of eggnog with some nutmeg. Similar to a banana nut bread just out of the oven with a bit of melted butter. Yummy! Later on I picked up some light caramel and butterscotch aromas. Like all good rums, this one has balance and is beautifully consistent. It has a medium light body and the lasting taste reflects the aroma beautifully, picks up a bit of caramel drizzle. The finish is smooth and warm, not peppery - a beautiful, there's that word again, smooth and short. I find a good finish makes you want yet another taste, another dram. Estate Diamond has it.
Me:

Estate Diamond was a complete surprise to me. I wasn't expecting anything even close to this. Most of the rums in its lower price class are better mixers or simply don't have nearly as much going on. Now most of you know how much I revere Mount Gay Extra Old, my beloved classic reference standard. I must say that when I considered I could buy two ED's for the price of one MGXO I had to think.

Nope.

MGXO remains my goto classic standard. But Estate Diamond could easily become a great alternative sipper. Let's consider Cruzan's Estate Diamond a kinda MGXO Lite. It is.

Rating (out of 10): 7.
Last edited by Capn Jimbo on Wed May 26, 2010 3:55 pm, edited 2 times in total.
User avatar
Capn Jimbo
Rum Evangelisti and Compleat Idiot
Posts: 3550
Joined: Mon Dec 11, 2006 3:53 pm
Location: Paradise: Fort Lauderdale of course...
Contact:

Bad news!

Post by Capn Jimbo »

Bad News:

Cruzan has been well known and respected for three great products - the 2 year, the 5 year Estate Diamond and the beautifully aged Single Barrel. The fine "2 Year " white rum was great for mixing and has been replaced by a less tasty 14 month version.

The absolutely heavenly Estate Diamond Five Year, reviewed above, is being d/c'd leaving only their top of the line Single Barrel. Gary Nelthorpp of Cruzan is alleged to have stated that this is being done "to get rid of age statements". That hardly makes sense. What does is that Cruzan is willing to sacrifice the upper end of their line to focus on mass sales of lower quality mixers. Think Barcardi.

The distillery is alleged to have stated the removal of ED is "temporary", but this too hardly makes sense.

Bottom Line:

If you love Estate Diamond, or trust the many great reviews of this excellent affordable rum, buy as many bottles as you can justify, for you may never see it again...
Post Reply