What a Trip! 🇬🇾

Guyana | El Dorado Rum | Demerara

I was honored to be invited as a judge for the global finals of the El Dorado Rum cocktail competition. A special thanks goes to Jodi Curtis for inviting me, as well as the entire USA team, and the amazing, welcoming local team in Guyana for making this happen. It was an incredible experience, I got to catch up with some old friends and made a bunch of new ones. What a crew.

Beyond the competition, we dove headfirst into the full Guyanese experience. That meant plenty of rum, obviously, but also incredible local food like pepperpot and spicy curries.

The Soul of the Spirit: DDL & El Dorado

Before the finals, we spent a day in the sugarcane fields. The quality of the cane here is legendary; it grows in the rich, silty soil along the Demerara River, which is packed with minerals. This "Demerara Sugar" is what gives the rum its unique, heavy, and flavorful profile that you can't find anywhere else.

We spent a lot of time at Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL). DDL is the backbone of Guyana’s rum history. While El Dorado was officially launched as a brand in 1992, its soul comes from heritage stills that are centuries old. DDL is the only distillery left in the country, but it acts as a guardian for all the historic stills rescued from old sugar estates.

The distillery tour was something special. Just seeing those stills in person was a dream:

• Port Mourant & Versailles: The famous wooden pot stills that produce that deep, earthy "Demerara" funk.

• Enmore: The last wooden continuous Coffey still (EHP) in the world.

• Diamond & Savalle: The metal stills that bring balance and precision to the blends.

Walking through the aging warehouses afterward was pure magic.

I definitely could have slept there!

The Adventure & The Result

On the last day, we took a boat trip down the Demerara River into the heart of the jungle. We kayaked through small waterways and hiked back through the bush to the pickup point.

The Competition:

The level of preparation from the competitors was very high! It was not an easy decision. After a tough Heritage Round and a Market Challenge round, Daniel Pappa, representing Norway, won first prize! Both of his presentations were sharp and entertaining, and the drinks were delicious. All the competitors came up with something extraordinary, each very different from the other.

Justin (Canada) - @ldxjv

Veronica (New York) - @valva.4

Leo (UK) - @leo.coquand

Daniel (Norway) - dani.pappa

Manfrid (Netherlands) - @mannykazbar

Andrew (Barbados) - @agent_aim_and_hit

Mahendra (Guyana) - @mahi_wrld

Jonathan (California) - @jonyayala

A Special Souvenir

I’m leaving with some very rare rums for the collection, but I also have something even more special for me. I’m carrying the final sample of Voyage “Explora” Demerara Rum. Bringing this home from the source feels like the perfect end to the journey.

Thank you for the great time!