Elements Eight Fine Aged Platinum rum hails from the island of St Lucia.  Elements Eight is the brainchild of Carl Stephenson (whose past employers include Wray and Nephew).  Their rums have won numerous awards since they were launched back in 2006.

Platinum is a premium white rum.  Unlike many white rums it is actually an aged rum.  Aged up to 4 years in ex-Buffalo Trace Bourbon barrels.  It is then gently filtered to remove any colour. Leaving a very clean, crisp spirit behind.  Unlike many rums bottled by UK companies this has been entirely tropically aged.

The presentation of the Elements Eight range has been re-vamped to celebrate the brands 10th anniversary.  They have left behind the long angular bottle for a more traditional “dumpy” style bottle.  Unlike many “premium” rums Elements Eight state clearly why they believe their rum is premium.  They do this using things such as age statements and facts rather than fairy stories.

One thing Elements Eight are very clear on is that their rums are unadulterated and produced in a traditional yet innovative manner at St Lucia Distillers.  The rum is a blend of eight different rums.  It has the Eight Elements which befit the name of the brand involved in its production – namely –

Terroir, Cane, Water, Fermentation, Distillation, Tropical Ageing, Blending and Filtration.

Elements Eight has always been quite popular in high end bars. Its previous presentation was very much in keeping with a lot of premium vodka.

The new presentation keeps the synthetic cork stopper but the dumpy bottle is much more “rummy” to me.  A bottle still retails at around the £30 mark. Unlike a couple of “Premium” White Rums that have popped up on the market recently it is bottled at 40% ABV.

I’ve kept back this review as I have been trying a good few white rums lately – including Agricole ones.  In terms of judging this rum I won’t be comparing it much to the white agricoles.  Just like Jamaican White Overproofs and the Clairin’s from Haiti they are very much in their own niche.  As a result they should only really be judged and evaluated against their direct competition. So this leaves Elements Eight Platinum slugging it out in the very over crowded white rum from molasses category. (More reviews to follow soon)

Elements Eight have already set the bar high with their other releases.  This is another rum St Lucia Distillers.  As most of you should know I’m a great fan of the rum from St Lucia so hopes are high for this.

So lets move onto the fun part.

In the glass the rum has been filtered and is clear and is the colour most will expect of a “white” rum.

The nose smells like an old fashioned sweet shop.  It’s full of candied fruity flavours.  All competing and vying for pole position.  Sweet candy rock scents, nestle alongside Coconut Ice and Pear Drops.  You get a lovely welcome aroma of desicated coconut and just enough of the oak to be re-assured that this is an aged rather than altered white rum.

In terms of its fruity profile it reminds me very much of Appleton White Rum.  Which can never be a bad thing.

When sipped the rum shows more of its rummyness.  Nice notes of vanilla, rest alongside lemon zest and some nice spicy notes from the Bourbon barrels.  I’d be quite keen to try this rum before its filtered.  The candied sweetness from the nose is transferred across but it is not as intense as the nose suggests.

A lot of white rums can disappear when mixed with cola or other heavier flavours.  Elements Eight Platinum stands up to coke and delivers a very interesting, slightly coconut forward rum and coke.  It retains sufficient rum character and delivers a very balanced fruity zesty drink.

Element Eight Platinum also works very well when it is paired with lighter mixers. Such as lemonade or soda water.  It can also be enjoyed in classic cocktails such as Daiquiris and Mojitos.

It’s sometimes easy to get carried away when you first try a drink.  A lot of rums I have really enjoyed first time out.  However, on the second, third or even fourth sitting – not so much.  I’ve hung back on reviewing this as I wanted to try a number of other white rums before finally committing a score.

As this is aged rum it is quite complex.  The filtration to remove the colour, which can often lead to rum losing a lot of its character has still left behind a very fruity and complex spirit.

I wouldn’t say this is the best white rum ever but it is definitely one of the best I have tried so far.  In time we might well adjust the score – lets see what other “Premium” efforts come along.