Companero Elixir Orange

Companero Elixir Orange is an orange flavoured release from the Danish house 1423 World Class Spirits, and it sits well apart from that company's purist single cask work. This is a flavoured rum, not a classic sipper, built on column still rum from Trinidad and then sweetened and infused with orange.

In the glass it is exactly what the name promises: bright orange and orange peel on the nose, then sweet candied orange and coconut across a syrupy, liqueur like palate, with the orange carrying through a warm finish. There is little of the dry, fragrant Trinidadian character underneath; the sugar and flavouring do the talking. Honest framing matters here, because this drinks more like a rum based orange liqueur than a neat rum. It is at its best in small pours, in cocktails or over dessert rather than as a serious rum to explore, and it stays soft and approachable at 40%.