Elements Eight Republica

Last week I published a little information on the upcoming release of Elements Eight Republica and you can refresh yourself with a little background on the Rum by clicking here. So essentially the Rum is a blend of two individual marques, each from a different distillery….one in Panama and one in Cuba. Each is a 100% multi-column distilled, non-chill filtered distillate, aged for a minimum of 5 years in the country of origin. The distilleries in question being  Varela Hermanos in Panama and Distilleria Cubay in Cuba. Now if you’re like the rest of us in the Rum world and have experienced the doctored offerings of Panama and the ‘historical processes’ of some Cuban offerings, you’ll instantly call out this blend as being doctored. Well Wes over at TheFatRumPirate has checked via his hydrometer and this blend comes up clean which is firstly reassuring for us as we may get an un-doctored Rum and secondly reassuring for Carl as he hasn’t fallen foul of the pre-doctored Rums of Panama as other independent brands have. Anyway….you’ve read the raison d’être behind the Rums introduction in the link above, so now its time to give my thoughts.

Elements Eight Republica – 40% abv

Tasting Notes

Glass: The Rum presents itself as a dark straw like gold. The nose is initially quite light and possesses an almost metallic aroma. Fortunately this dissipates quickly and is replaced by a faint sweetness and a light fruity quality. Mild honeyed vanilla and a little peppery spikiness back this up. There is a modest hint of smoke that is more akin to charred pineapple as it carries a touch of sweetness. The nose is pleasant without being groundbreaking. It is however refreshingly uncomplicated and straightforward. A little astringent alcohol rounds it out.

Mouth: This is where things become more interesting. Its more of a straight up Cuban on the palate. A light body with a mild sweetness gives way to a really firm peppery entry that soon displays the intensely dry mid-palate that some of my favourite Cubans display. A light nuttiness and the merest hint of dried pineapple follow before being pushed away by a dominating dryness and light whiff of smoke that plays out to a longer than expected finish. The finish is dry and just allows the smallest hint of tinned pears to appear. Repeated visits to the glass are a must.

As mentioned in the linked article, this Rum is said to excel in and Old Cuban and an El Presidente. So rather than just assume that it does, and because I don’t tend to have champagne at home, the El Presidente was my only choice…..

I’m very happy to report (not only because it’s a pretty booze laden concoction) that Republica plays really well in this drink. It’s also pretty good in a Rum and Coke providing you go heavy on the Rum.

As mentioned elsewhere, I seem to be moving away from the Rums of Panama and Cuba as my tastes crave something a little more in your face, but there is no arguing that at £25…and if it was able to find good availability…I would buy more in a heartbeat. It’s also not a ‘mood’ Rum. I’ve tried it at various times of the day….sometimes before lunch too and it always works. I think that it’d be killer in a Pina Colada and would also make a tasty Daiquiri. With all of this in mind, I’ve hovered over which score to give this Rum…..I’ve attached a 4 and a 3 to the end of this article and repeatedly switched them both around. There is a lot to love in this bottle and it stands up to repeated visits. I’ve mixed as much as I’ve has straight, and it really does stand up against a lot of the Rum on my shelf. If it were on a supermarket shelf with some of the similarly priced (and also more expensive) Cubans, it would outdo all of them. Priced fairly and the bottle contents aren’t half bad at all….Get yourself some….

 

© Steven James and Rum Diaries Blog 2017. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material, both written and photographic without the express and written permission from this blog/sites author and owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Steven James and Rum Diaries Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Elements Eight Rum launch Republica

Elements Eight Rum launch Republica

Elements Eight will be a familiar name to most of the readers of this site. Over the course of the past 10 years it has always been their ethos to source pure, unadulterated rums. Known and extensively used by bartender’s, Elements Eight is continually looking at new areas to express their passion to deliver unique rums with outstanding quality and product integrity.

Following on from their welcome 2016 re-launch into a new, shelf friendly smaller bottle with foiled label packaging; the brand announces an intriguing proposition with the launch of the next instalment of Elements Eight.

Elements Eight Republica

Elements Eight Republica Rum is released at 40% and is a break from the other releases in the Elements Eight portfolio as it is a blend of two individual marques, each from a different distillery….one in Panama and one in Cuba. Each is a 100% multi-column distilled, non-chill filtered distillate, aged and authenticated for a minimum of 5 years in the country of origin. By sourcing column distillates from the two distilleries, Varela Hermanos in Panama and Distilleria Cubay in Cuba, Republica is said to debunk the myth that ‘quality’ rum can only be made as a blend of pot and column distillates. The character of the blend attests to the harmonious balance of two individual rums from two historically important rum making Caribbean Republics.

Carl Stephenson, Founder of Elements Eight Rums and creator of Republica, comments “Elements Eight is a framework, a step by step process to apply a handcrafted, balanced approach to creating rums with artisans.  I hold product integrity dear and consult heavily on the liquid with distilleries, bartenders and rum writers.  Cuba has always fascinated me and this respects the spiritual home of rum for its rich, romantic and unorthodox roots”.

Signature Drinks include the Old Cuban and El Presidente and the Rum will be priced at £24.99.

Additional information can be found on the re-vamped Elements Eight website.

Fortunately I’ve been one of the lucky few to get an early sight of this release and have been trying an early release of it for over a month now and have been in contact with Carl offering feedback and input. You will be able to read my thoughts shortly when the article is published……Watch this space.

© Steven James and Rum Diaries Blog 2017. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material, both written and photographic without the express and written permission from this blog/sites author and owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Steven James and Rum Diaries Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

WeiRon – Super Premium Aged Caribbean Rum

Here we go then…..The claim is a big one…SUPER PREMIUM AGED CARIBBEAN RUM! A very brave claim and one that people will be wanting to disprove…..but they may have a hard job doing so…especially given the principles adopted by Peter and Tommy of Svenska Eldvatten (Swedish Firewaters). Svenska Eldvatten are independent bottlers from Sweden who specialise in Whisky, but also release Rum and Tequila. One of their most noteworthy Rum releases (among an excellent Jamaican and beautiful Demerara) has been the frankly phenomenal Barbados 2000 ‘Rockley Style’…..but that is for another article. The following is my assessment of Wei Ron…..their Caribbean Rum blend….one of many out there at the moment….but one that just could be blazing a trail and showing the others how it should be done.

Wei Ron – 50% abv

Presentation wise the overall appearance is pretty stark and devoid of any information apart from the name, producer, volume and abv. The bottle is what I have come to know as the ‘Velier’ bottle……..opaque black and unbelievably cool whilst giving no hint of the liquid within…..no box means that this bottle on your shelf shouldn’t see any problems with light affecting the contents. A cork closure completes the look. I was given early sight of this bottling a while back when a package arrived for me. Inside was a branded t-shirt, press release, an empty full-sized labelled bottle and a small 20 ml sample……that sample bottle has seen me pick up three full size bottles so far.

So, the whole premise behind this Rum was to create a Rum that ‘whisky geeks’ would like to drink…..and for Svenska Eldvatten to able to sell it at an affordable price. The key points on the notepad were as follows:

• It should be naturally coloured with no added caramel
• It should be released at a powerful yet approachable abv
• It should be non-chill filtered

Lastly and perhaps most admirable and important

• It should be free of ANY additions

Both Tommy and Peter sourced the suppliers of the Rums, performed admirably as Master Blenders for the Rum and sourced the bottles and corks etc. After numerous trial blends and trials at whisky fairs the final blend was agreed upon. I sent a quick message to Tommy Andersen to ascertain the composition of the blend and I have uncovered that the main constituent parts are a blend of heavy pot still and light column still Rums from Barbados and Jamaica although there is more in the blend that Tommy is not willing to share…..he was also reluctant to share specific distilleries too. What I do know is that all Rums in the blend were aged solely at the distilleries that produced them and have seen only Caribbean age. Bottle priced is around £45 and Master of Malt is the only place that you’ll find it in the UK. But does it live up to its bold claim I hear you cry…..

Tasting Notes

In the glass: It is a vibrant gold in the glass with lighter bright flashes and a swirl of the glass shows thick and reluctant legs….it looks like a very oily prospect. The Rum has a very obvious Jamaican nose, but not in an overbearing way. A lot of ripe banana is in there along with the light rubbery aromas that come with the Jamaican component. There is something resembling lightly spiced Portuguese custard tarts and warming syrupy porridge. There is also quite a grainy spirit attack from the Rum too. The pot still component is certainly doing all of the heavy lifting with the column spirit providing the little accents. Swirling the glass quite aggressively reveals a light oily citrus facet to the Rum along with light smoke like aromas.

In the mouth: Initially the sweetness is very apparent (no added sugar remember), and this carries with it salted caramel and oily savoury lemon rind…similar to preserved lemons (not sweet sugary rinds). This then dries very quickly and leaves you with a menthol or mint like chilly feeling in your mouth…kind of like the vapours have been sucked out of your mouth via other worldly means. Subsequent sips (and there have been many, my notes are 1.5 bottles old) reveal obvious banana and a real spine of pot still Rum. There is a real depth to the Rum that screams of the liquorice component that I’ve found in decent Demerara Rums. The mouthfeel is all-encompassing and big but not overly oily. No corner of your mouth remains unaffected by the Rum. The long (ish) finish starts with a peppery tingle as the Rum lingers and this develops drying oaken notes with a welcome return of those bananas and spiced custard tarts. As the Rum fades the liquorice starts to develop and brings with it the return of that salted caramel and a touch of musty oak.

If you’ve not deduced so from my gushing complimentary ramblings above, in plain English, you absolutely need to grab yourself a bottle of this Rum…..maybe several. It is as honest as the day is long, it is well thought out, it is well constructed, it is brimming with flavours and aromas, it is devoid of caramel, it is non-chill filtered, it is punchy, it is not flavoured by any other means and it makes an absolute killer Old Fashioned! It could probably make you attractive to others if you dab a bit behind your ears. The price point is right on the button (around £45) and this Rum genuinely is a new benchmark for a multi island blended Rum. Rum has once again been treated sensitively and with the greatest of respect by Svenska Eldvatten and long may it continue.

I wholeheartedly endorse this product.

© Steven James and Rum Diaries Blog 2016. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material, both written and photographic without the express and written permission from this blog/sites author and owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Steven James and Rum Diaries Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.