Aroma visualization from community tastings
Distilia Diamond The Golden Age of Piracy Captain Benjamin Hornigold 1996
Here's the surprise: 26 years old and cask strength, yet the recurring complaint is that it drinks thin and a touch watery. Expect caramel, vanilla, milk chocolate and dried fruit with a whiff of glue and coffee. Several tasters see the classic Diamond DNA, just in a softer, more delicate form. Pleasant and sweet, but less complex than the age suggests.
The community says- Caramel and chocolate
- Recognizable Diamond DNA
- Drinks thin
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The look inside the bottle
How does Distilia Diamond The Golden Age of Piracy Captain Benjamin Hornigold 1996 taste?
Aggregated from 30 community reviews.
Sweet, elegant Diamond that drinks thinner than expected Most find it tasty and elegant with caramel, chocolate and dried fruit, but many wish it hit harder — for a 26-year cask-strength Diamond it reads thin and a bit watered-down.
Fans of sweet, softer continental Guyana rums
Those wanting bold, full-bodied Diamond power
How the community classifies this rum. Each category takes you to similar rums.
16 of 30 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
How is Distilia Diamond The Golden Age of Piracy Captain Benjamin Hornigold 1996 rated?
RumX’s 0–10 scale is strict: 8.2 sits in the “Very good” band. 93% of tasters rate it Good or better; only 0% rate it below average. See the full rating guide →
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Current bids for this rum at Europe's leading auction houses.
Community voices
What does the community say?
33% rate it between 6 and 8. 9 selected write-ups from 30 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
Review by Skyfly
Leckere und komplexe Guyana-Abfüllung, mit viel Karamell, Schokolade und Früchten. In der Nase zudem Vanille, Klebstoff, Gewürze und Holz-/Fassaromen. Im Gaumen wird aus der dunklen Schokolade eher Milchschokolade, was sehr interessant schmeckt. Zu den in der Nase wahrgenommenen Aromen kommen Kaffee und Piment. Im Abgang schmeckt man Kekse. Leider wirkt der Rum trotz seines grandiosen Geschmacks etwas verwässert. Ein höherer ABV hätte deutlich besser gewirkt 2. Verkostung: finde ihn jetzt besser; wirkt nicht mehr verwässert. Der Alkohol ist einfach super eingebunden! +1 Pkt
Review by Jakob
Great nose with lots of caramel, vanilla sweetness, oak wood, some coffee, dried fruit...the rum is extremely helped by a slightly longer time in the glass, a very pleasant aroma spectrum opens up on the palate with increasing oxidation. Caramel and vanilla provide a pleasant sweetness, along with woody notes, a pleasant spiciness and dried fruit again. Slightly fresher and spicier than the other Diamond releases of the vintage, compared to the tropically aged releases with less opulent aromas from the oak barrel. The DNA of the '96 Diamonds is recognizable, with a more delicate character than many of its sister releases from the recent past. I needed some time to get to grips with the rum, but in direct comparison with other recent 1996 Diamond releases in particular, I recognize some exciting and, in a positive sense, independent notes in this bottling.
Review by DomM
Little random 96 Diamond cross tasting. For the uncolored (presumably continental) contenders: Precious Liquors White Cat vs. Distillia Hornigold. On the nose the Distillia is ahead by quite some margin. Both are similar in character, yet the Distillia delivers way more column sweetness/coconut with tropical fruits and glue while the PL is more closed up on the nose and more dominated by wood as well as some alcohol. Similar profiles on the palate. Toffee, coconut, dried fruits as well as some sweetness. Again, I prefer the Distillia release which is more balanced with individual aromas presented nicely. Yet it is als more delicate / thinner and a bit more sweet. The PL adds more woody and spices notes to the mix, but lacks complexity and balance for me in comparison.
Review by Johannes
You can somehow recognize the Diamond DNA, but in a very toned-down, softened form. I would have expected more complexity.
Review by ilRummista
Very pleasant rum, elegant and of great quality. Given the long aging, however, I would have expected more complexity. In any case this is a great quality rum to absolutely try.
Review by Basti
Blind wäre ich allein von der 👃 vermutlich bei Foursquare gelandet. Getr. Früchte, Kokosnuss, Vanille, Karamell und Gewürze und alles ordentlich süß. Am Gaumen dann sehr unspektakulär. Vanille, Karamell, Gewürze, aber alles ziemlich lasch. Haut mich nicht vom Hocker...
Review by Andi
Pleasant nose with a nice caramel sweetness, dried fruits and some wood. On the palate, the beautiful caramel sweetness is found again, some wood, dried fruits and spicy notes come to the fore.
Review by Pavel Spacek
Sweet weak diamond
Review by crazyforgoodbooze
I don't know why, but it reminds me of slightly charred Christmas cookies that have been baked too long. Certainly continental ripening for the color. Not quite my cup of tea! 🫠 Guyana simply needs tropical ripening...
Expert reviews
Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum..
Expert review by The Dunder Hut
Details about Distilia Diamond The Golden Age of Piracy Captain Benjamin Hornigold 1996
A rum from Guyana, bottled by Distilia, at 50,2%.
Community purchases
22 bottles logged by 11 collectors.
A drinker & collector.
18% opened, 2 emptied and repurchased.
What does Distilia Diamond The Golden Age of Piracy Captain Benjamin Hornigold 1996 cost?
Community paid 141–243 €.
Current best price: 250.00 € – above the typical community range.
What members actually paid for their bottles. A typical range, not the current shop price. Full price & collection history in RX+ →
22 purchased · 30 tasted · 9 wishlist · as of
About the Diamond distillery
The Diamond distillery is located in Guyana. Rums from Diamond have been reviewed 5,310 times with an average of 8.3/10.
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