'Tis The E8 Season...
 Strange how sometimes it feels like a whole string of articles seems to be about just one brand. Just recently there was the Elements 8 Rum: Reinvent a classic cocktail competition and hot on its heels is the launch of the new Elements 8 Barrel Infused Spiced Rum. TheFloatingRumShack.com was invited along to the launch party and of course we’ve never been known to say ‘no’... [*]
[*] actually – we’ve said ‘no’ many times. But the guy’s at E8 are tip-top rum buddies! It would be rude not to...
Surprisingly, TheFloatingRumShack.com has never possessed a bottle of either the Platinum or the Gold rum and yet we have high opinion of them. Both have been around for a while and I’ve definitely tasted (and enjoyed them) them both. I don’t think I recall a negative comment ever being passed in their direction... We’ve been part of the last two reinvent a classic cocktail competitions and Andreas in particular has been generous with his time, so much so - it’s like we’ve known the guy’s for ages!
 The Elements 8 brand is one of high quality in both image and product so when many months ago now, I got the first sniff of a rumour about there being a spiced rum in the offing – I was really intrigued. Spiced rum is very much of the moment – more brands are bringing their versions to market and I had my fingers crossed that E8’s would continue their good work.
The launch party was held at Hush – a ‘trendy’ bar, restaurant type place right in the centre of fancy London Village W1. Heading up several floors to the Zanzibar room, we joined the buzzing party – pleased to see a few friends and ready for the first taste.
Now this article is in danger of becoming the ‘review’ piece as well as an account of an event. It’s a tough one to separate – so I won’t. Simples eh?
We are quickly in possession of a cocktail and straight away we know that this is something different – not your average spiced rum. My first taste of the Spiced in its neat form came before Andreas had started his welcome note.
Well... our first taste was...
Complex! And I was caught for words initially...
There is a serious amount of different flavours in this rum – it’s amazingly complex! As part of his welcome note, Andreas tells us that once they started the development process, it was difficult to know just when to stop. This rum is the result of 18 months of development; Elements 8 Barrel Infused Spiced Rum is a blend of fruits and spices, which are 100% natural and indigenous to St Lucia, where the Elements 8 Rums are distilled. The fruits and spices, which comprise: cinnamon, ginger, clove, star anise, vanilla, honey, nutmeg, orange, lemon and coconut, are infused within the barrel before being finally blended with the other single rums. The introduction time of each flavour has even been considered – the rate with which a particular spice infuses the liquid it is suspended in, has to be factored in. The result is amazing and nothing like any of the spiced rums we’ve come into contact with before.
 Generally – spiced rums are fairly simple – one or two dominant flavours. This (however) is a multidimensional drink that starts with one flavour and takes you through several others before leaving you with something else entirely. Another good thing is that this is not artificially sweetened unlike some of the old style spiced rums.
This does of course present an interesting problem. If it’s so very full of flavour – just how do you drink it? Drinkable neat for sure, but it’s not really a sipping rum – not in the ‘end of a long day, sit back and enjoy and sip a fine aged rum’ sense. Perhaps as a digestive? It’s kind of (sort of) in the Jägermeister ballpark in terms of ‘out there-ness’ – but I really don’t want to leave the reader with the impression that they are one and the same.
Conversation at the launch tended to infer that this rum is almost Christmas in a glass. The team behind E8 will feel happy that once the oh-too-short summer period comes to an end and the nights close in, that warming, hot serve drinks containing this fine spirit will almost certainly become compulsory. It really does speak of Christmas and begs to be mixed with apple juice.
Interlude: take 1 oz E8 Spice – 1oz Calvados and 4 oz apple juice – mix and ping for a minute in the microwave – guaranteed to warm the cockles of anyone’s heart and I’m not even a mixologist – easy eh? BTW – I know the UK works in metric measures and that imperial units are for the most part the work of the devil, but when it comes to booze – fluid ounces equals a larger quantity. I’m still advocating responsible drinking, but just saying you tend to get a little more of the good stuff...
 Trouble with Christmas is that this is a single season event – no brand wants to be just a seasonal drink! Take Pimm’s for example – there’s a seasonal drink if one ever existed. So just how will E8 get past this? Well the complimentary cocktails being made during the launch will help. The spiced Old Fashioned and the Dark & Spicy being served on the tonight work very well. There’s talk of it being served with ginger beer – I’ve found this just a little too overpowering – ginger ale works just fine for me – softening and complimenting and creating a long drink with relative ease.
This is not an old formula Sailor Jerry replacement. The Wetherspoons masses will not be drinking this with coke anytime soon. The thought of old formula Sailor Jerry and coke sets my teeth on edge with its über-sweetness. But just to ensure I’m not missing a trick, I have mixed myself a small glass of E8 Spiced and coke and found it to be truly revolting... not everything goes with coke!
 Hopefully my ramblings have inspired a desire to try for yourself this extremely interesting and complex spirit – if so, just where would you get yourself a bottle? Well if you were in Selfridges or Harvey Nichol’s then you could pick up a bottle for about £37. Should you happen to look on The Whiskey Exchange, then you’ll see that it’s listed for a respectable £27.49, as are the other two expressions of E8 love.
So as I close out – what else is there to say? Well Elements 8 continue to raise their profile with gold medals at the recent International Spirits Challenge and I’m told that a path was beaten to their door at the Imbibe show (a show that I couldn’t attend unfortunately) – so I hope that this indicates that the E8 future will be bright!
Oh – and they have a brand spanking new website, so get your virtual self over there and take a look.
Worth taking a look at the rather fantastic, Bitter's & Twisted review of E8 Spiced, by clicking here as Dan has been thinking hard about how to use E8 Spiced in a few drinks.
Our sincere thanks go to Sally Bishop at Relish PR for the bottle of Elements 8 Spiced rum for review.
http://www.e8rum.com
http://www.hush.co.uk/
http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/P-12129.aspx E8 Spiced
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The Booze Cabinet 
