Elements Eight rums are quite visible in the UK marketplace.  Several more upmarket department stores stock the brand and it can be found in many style and cocktail bars.

Presentation wise that’s not really surprising as the tall square, high shouldered bottles are very pleasing on the eye.  They are however less pleasing on the shelves. You will find they are a lot taller than most spirits bottles – which can make them a bit of a pain to store. So it’s probably just as well that they have recently re-launched their rums with new packaging.  They have also decided to drop this offering.

Founded 10 years ago Elements Eight use rum from St Lucia Distillers.  The range consisted of Gold and White “regular” rums and two Barrel Infused rums.  This one the Criollo Cacao and their Exotic Spices Rum.  They are continuing with all except for this bottle.  For more details see here.

A bottle of this rum (if you find it) will set you back around £30-35 for a 70cl bottle.  It is bottled at a very refreshing 40% ABV.

The Elements Eight name describes the 8 elements which make up the composition of their rums from Terroir to Filtration.  Due to the reddish hue particularly on the bottom of the bottle its quite difficult to determine just how dark this rum is. 

It would appear to be an infused version of their Gold Rum which I have reviewed (follow the hyperlink). No bad thing.

On the nose the rum is quite boozy with a lot of young alcohol coming through.  It’s quite difficult to pick out the Cacao.  You do eventually get some subtle of wafts of cocoa powder, hints of dark chocolate and a little ground coffee.

Taken neat you really begin to notice the Cacao Infusion.  Its a very strong tasting and very smooth spirit.  It is warm and chocolatey and very tasty.  It works great neat or even with a cube or two of ice.

In many ways it remind of the Whisky liqueur Drambuie, in terms of flavour.  However, it does not have the liqueur like texture of that drink nor is it as sickly sweet.  All in all it perhaps reminds me most of Tia Maria in terms of texture if not flavour.

The rum base doesn’t shine through with this rum. It is very much an infused rum designed to taste like what it has been infused with.  Not one which acts alongside the base spirit.

Much like a rum liqueur or even a more conventional Spiced Rum this offers a change from the normal rum profile (is there such a thing?).  In many ways offers a drink very much in its own little niche (or rather did).

We’ll get onto the dangerous bit of the review now……mixing.

I can’t say I ever really thought about having a rum and cola that tasted like a coffee/dark chocolate hybrid but this is what you get when you mix this with cola.  Like a Black Russian this goes down far, far too easily.  Making it very dangerous and definitely not one for a school night!

There is nothing really to fault with this infused rum, it tastes exactly as it should and displays no signs of any artificial flavouring or sweeteners.  It’s very authentic tasting with nothing synthetic about it.

As it stands this is the best “Crillo Cacao” Infused rum I have tried.

It is of course the only one I have tried………..