El Dorado High Ester Blend PM / DHE Rum 2014
51.7% ABV (103.4 proof) | 750mL | 10 years | Cask strength | Guyana — El Dorado High Ester Blend PM / DHE Rum 2014 is the second release in Demerara Distillers' High Ester Blend series: a decade-old marriage of two legendary pot-still marques — Port Mourant (PM) from the historic double wooden pot still and Diamond High Ester (DHE) from the one-of-a-kind John Dore double retort — aged 10 years in once-used bourbon barrels and bottled at cask strength. Available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.
The PM still was installed at the Port Mourant Estate in 1732 and is the oldest operating wooden still of its kind in the world (moved to the Diamond Distillery in 1999); its rich, robust rum was once the Royal Navy's daily ration. The DHE still, dating to 1950, ferments its wash for months with local fruits and distills at up to 70,000 ppm ethyl acetate — producing ester levels above 1,500 g/hL, the "funky fermentation" backbone of this blend. Among rums, high-ester Demerara is the connoisseur's frontier: intense fruit and floral character you won't find in column-still bottlings.
Tasting notes
Nose: cocoa powder, cherry, toasted almond, saltwater taffy, cheesecake, a subtle wisp of smoke. Palate: rich and layered — toffee, stewed red fruit, milk chocolate, coffee, with unmistakable Port Mourant leather and tobacco. Finish: infused tobacco spice, full and expressive. (Per Demerara Distillers' release notes.)
Why buy it from Del Mesa Liquor
- 51.7% ABV (103.4 proof) — 750mL, cask strength
- Distilled 2014, aged 10 years in once-used bourbon barrels
- PM marque: Port Mourant double wooden pot still (1732)
- DHE marque: Diamond High Ester John Dore double retort (1950), 1,500+ g/hL esters
- Second release in the El Dorado High Ester Blend series — limited edition
- Available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor
How to serve it
Neat in a tulip glass at cask strength first, then a few drops of water to open the fruit. A rum to study — and one that elevates any tiki build it touches.
Frequently asked questions
What does PM/DHE mean?
Port Mourant (the double wooden pot still marque) and Diamond High Ester (the John Dore double retort marque) — the two pot stills blended in this rum.
What proof is El Dorado High Ester Blend PM/DHE?
51.7% ABV (103.4 proof), bottled at cask strength.
What is a high-ester rum?
A rum with a high concentration of esters — aromatic compounds from long fermentation — giving intense fruity and floral character.
Is this the same as the first High Ester release?
No — the 2024 first release was LBI/DHE at 114 proof; this 2025 second release is PM/DHE at 103.4 proof, distilled in 2014.