In celebration of its 10-year partnership with the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), the Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) on Monday evening launched its El Dorado Master Blender CPL T20 Rum.
The newest blend was launched at the Pegasus Suites and Corporate Centre in the presence of a number of CPL executives and players as well as members of the diplomatic corps, who were among those to get a first taste.
The rum is a blend of specially selected marques from the historical Port Mourant Double Wooden Pot Still, the French Savalle Still and the Diamond Coffey Still that were laid down to age in American Oak ex-bourbon casks 10 years ago.
DDL has been the official spirit of the CPL over the past decade and its Chairman Komal Samaroo described the 10-year partnership as successful and announced that it has been renewed for another five years.
According to Samaroo, El Dorado Rum and the wider category of Demerara Rum is one of the high value products created from the sugar industry. “And we are pleased to been able to take the byproduct and create a brand that is now so globally, in over 75 countries around the world and still going,” he said.
Samaroo said he recently realised that like El Dorado, cricket in Guyana also has a deep connection with the sugar industry.
Like cricket, Samaroo said rum has evolved over the years. “With El Dorado and its evolution and CPL and its evolution, I see a lot of similarities,” he said.
“So this union, this collaboration between CPL and El Dorado, I think was a partnership born in heaven. It was created over time and I believe that is why it has been so successful,” Samaroo added.
Meanwhile, CPL Commercial Director Jamie Stewart said both CPL and DDL share a common goal of bringing people together. “…We are about celebrating success, celebrating friendship and I think that’s been an enduring part of the reason this partnership has been so successful,” Stewart said.
“Most of all we are about celebration. Celebrating life, celebrating sport, celebrating achievement,” he added.
Another reason why the partnership is such a great one, he said, is because El Dorado and CPL are Caribbean products that have “taken on the world.” “El Dorado consistently winning awards for being the world’s best rum all around world. CPL by being the world’s second most popular T20 game,” Stewart said.
