Cloven Hoof, spiced rum

Every now and again we come across something that we ‘have’ to write about and this is one of those times. Before we get to the review, we have to tell you that we love rum, in fact the entire office loves rum!

Knowing our love of rum (did we say that already?) there should be no surprise that we went to the Bristol Rum Festival at the weekend (23rd September). The festival had a  great vibe but it was all about paying and then only tasting a small sample of each rum.

As soon as we walked into the hall, something caught our eye. There was a table where someone had full bottles of rum on display and they were handing out free samples. Of course we went over and immediately realised that this was something else, something new and something very exciting. It was the name that was had us dangling on the line – Cloven Hoof!

What was the excitement?

Apart from the free rum… As we got closer to the front of the queue we could smell it. This stuff was begging to be tasted, with a headline of “Imported rum from Guyana and Trinidad” it was already saying it came from good stock (around the Caribbean, for those that need Google maps). But it was the next bit that had us, it said it was blended with a “Secret concoction of natural spices.”

When we first managed to get our hands of this stuff, we gave it a good sniff, in went the nose and out came the smile. The smell was amazing, we were transported back to the Caribbean, into the spice markets, it had it all.

Next came the swig. The rum hit the tongue and the sweet taste of the rum quickly gave way to a warm, tasty and unique twang. It took us about half a second for the smile to start to grow larger. The spices came through and quite literally exploded the taste buds. Just like any ride, after we experienced it we wanted to do it again so we joined the back of the queue once more. We were not alone, others had done the same, this stuff was dynamite. It had a proper, very different and a fantastic flavour. There was no vanilla (like most other rum concoctions). This was the stuff that someone brings to a party and group form around them with everyone clawing at the bottle.

Now the taste is amazing and we have been searching for the right words to describe it, however from the website this is how they pitch it and we have to admit they got it spot on –

A curious blend of rum from Guyana’s Diamond Distillery (wooden-pot and column pot) and a lighter rum from Trinidad Distillers Limited where they use locally produced caramel to give this deep rum it’s cough candy smell and taste. We blended it further with cloves, natural spices and determination to bring you an intriguing and unique libation….

We took a bottle back to office and loved it neat on the rocks, but when we wanted to try a longer drink, it was just as amazing with Coke. Now we are unsure whether this was deliberate but we ordered an Indian takeaway and carried on drinking throughout. We have never thought about pairing rum with food before but on this occasion the flavours of the takeaway were stronger and better than we have ever tasted (we are sure however this stuff will go with more food and we cannot wait to try another bottle.)

Who is behind it?

This rum does not have a big name or large company behind it. This rum is so different that a large company would fear to put it on the market. No, this stuff was made by a couple of mates, experimenting in a pub. Now based in Oxfordshire they continue to make it in batches.

After years of them trying they hit the sweet spot, they hit a home run (for our American readers). They enjoyed the taste so much, they started to bottle the stuff and are allowing us mere mortals to try it.

These guys really are on their customers level. The branding is fun and although it is a serious drink, the message is simple and to the point and all without the sales gloop that goes with a new drink (good work guys).

These guys are passionate about their rum and they are not going to put anything in the way of getting their message across, apart from using humour. We loved the sales pitch and the design. Now this is not the bottle to take to a Christening, but perfect for the upcoming autumn festivities such the ‘Cave’ team Halloween party! This is the sort of drink that people search for, to take around friends houses shouting “YOU NEED TO TRY THIS”. It is a very different take on anything that has been seen or tried before at Cave HQ.

The devil and the name work well with the contents, the warm glow – heating of your soul, makes you understand the entire branding idea.

Where can I get some?

If you want to impress friends, want to try something that will blow their mind, you should be asking where is this stuff sold?

The guys behind the rum have their own shop on their website, we always suggest to buy direct from the maker. Firstly they see more profit and looking at the shopping carts, they seem to have the best offers as well –

Cloven Hoof Rum Large Bottle (70cl)

If however you want to see how good this stuff is, you might want to check out some of the stockists. 31Dover.com has it in stock, check out the rum and order it here and of course Amazon has a stock, check Amazon reviews and order the rum here this stuff is going to be huge.

Our last words

This rum will disappear faster than a wig in a hurricane. Once we opened it at Cave HQ, we had to check the thermostat as it was evaporating out of the bottle. Well that’s what Ugg suggested happened, but then someone had to carry him home… Perhaps we need to check the CCTV cameras?

This stuff is something else, everyone at the rum festival could not stop talking about it. Everyone had an opinion. It went down well at Cave HQ and we loved the stuff too. We are hoping we can grab another bottle soon.

If you are stuck, trying to think of a gift or want to take something different to a party, grab a bottle of this stuff. Everyone will thank you and will be talking about it for hours, long after this stuff has been drained out of the bottle. Raise the hoof – cheers!

*Not endorsed by British Transport Police – but it made passers by and the cops smile once they saw the bottle!