Hamilton 86 Demerara Regular Rum
Hamilton 86 Demerara is a 750ml Guyanese rum at 86 proof (43% ABV) — the "86" is right there in the name. Distilled and aged at Demerara Distillers Ltd.'s Diamond Distillery on the banks of the Demerara River, it blends pot-still and column-still rums aged up to five years, then ships in bulk to be bottled in the USA by Ed Hamilton of the Ministry of Rum.
Demerara rum is a world unto itself: DDL operates the last wooden pot stills and wooden column stills on earth — including the Port Mourant double wooden pot still from 1732 — and those ancient stills give the rum its signature smoky, leathery depth. Hamilton bottles it with no added sugar and no coloring, so this is Demerara unmasked — richer and drier than the big commercial brands from the same distillery. Tiki legend Beachbum Berry named it one of the six rums a tiki enthusiast will ever need.
Tasting notes: Deep amber; dark molasses, burnt sugar, and toasted oak on the nose, with dark chocolate and a wisp of smoke; a rich, full-bodied palate of brown sugar, caramel, treacle, and baking spice; a long, slightly dry finish of toffee, cocoa, and tobacco.
How to serve: Neat or with a cube for the full Demerara experience; in a Mai Tai, Zombie, or Queen's Park Swizzle it is revelatory.
Frequently asked questions:
What is Demerara rum? Rum from Guyana's Demerara region, distilled at the historic Diamond Distillery. Its signature smoky-earthy character comes from centuries-old wooden stills found nowhere else.
Why is it called "86"? For its bottling proof — 86 proof (43% ABV) — the strength Ed Hamilton chose as the ideal balance for sipping and mixing.
Is Hamilton 86 the same as El Dorado? They share a distillery — both come from Demerara Distillers Ltd. — but Hamilton is bottled without the added sugar and caramel of El Dorado, giving a drier, more honest pour.
