Hamilton 86 Demerara

Overly burnt caramel nose and taste, burns way too much for being 43%, needs more time in the barrel

The quintessential Demerara mixing rum is also a pretty good sipper. Side-by-side with El Dorado 8 (purportedly without dosage now in 2023 and sometime prior) and Hamilton 86 is an easy winner. All of the typical Demerara notes are there, burnt sugar, dark chocolate, a bit of smokiness, leather, caramel, a sort of peppery spicy bite to it. If you are looking for a budget Demerara rum for cocktails, especially tiki drinks, this is the one to have for sure.

Overall: 7.8 - great mixer, also very sippable, has a complexity to it that some of its contemporaries lack.

Nice sipper with a lot of attitude. Several strong flavors such as smokiness, light sweetness, and some fruitiness. Nice caramel coloring with a smooth finish. Very surprised and very glad I got to try this.

Bottle purchased in Wichita. Pours auburn color. Delightful aroma of caramel and hazelnut. Flavor is a bit disappointing- woody, spicy and vet bitter. I must admit that it makes a great Pearl Diver though.

This rum is one of my favorites. It is my go-to for a rum and coke, the burnt toffee/caramel really work in that capacity for my palate. This isn't really a rum that I would relish sipping but making cocktails? Good lord, give me strength. I would give this rum a 10 if Plantation OFTD and Hamilton 151 didn't exist as this rum has lost it's priority in my liquor cabinet as my floater of choice. Major flavor bomb, my favorite budget demerara rum on the market(that I've tried mind).
My tasting notes: Nose is burnt toffee, palate is burnt toffee/caramel, molasses, hint of vanilla, finish is short.

Cork Review: 6.5/10 could be a lot more sonically satisfying, BUT! It does this thing where it kind of *clicks* into place right when you're done putting the cork back in. Reminds me of a Lustau sherry bottle for those familiar.

Aroma - artificial molasses and brown sugar

Taste - molasses followed by a burnt sugar finish.

The taste on this rum starts off descent but the finish is so bad that I wouldn't even try to use it in a cocktail. Don't recommend

Smoky molasses flavor up front and great for mixing.

Real rum here folks. Tons of body. Beautiful in its purity. Nose of molasses and licorice. Entrance of molasses and dark fruit with banana notes. Almost a Demerara funk. Wood, smoke and plenty of body. Can’t wait to try this in a Tiki drink. Short finish. Small bite. Decent sipper. Very respectable and has earned a permanent place in my liquor cabinet.

This was a nice surprise. I am a huge fan of Guyanese rum and this didn’t disappoint!

This has the caramel notes that you'd expect to find in a demerara. I still have a preference for another demerara rums, but you can't go wrong with this one for all mixing and tiki needs.