Santos Dumont XO Elixir is a rum-based liqueur produced by A.H. Riise Spirits in Denmark. It combines molasses-based rums from the West Indies and Central America with Brazilian cachaça made from fresh sugar cane juice. The blend undergoes additional maturation in oak casks that previously stored Pedro Ximenez sherry. It is bottled at 40% ABV and typically retails for around $30-35.
The taste is pretty much A.H Riise rum – that horrible foul synthetic taste. Like overly sugared rotting fruit and sweets that have turned a bit sour after being left out in the sun. It truly is an awful drink. I do think the makers of such rums have been left out in the sun a bit too long.
The rum enters the mouth with a little bite of heated alcohol and wood spice. There is also an overt maple sweetness which is initially quite tasty; but which soon seems out of step with the structure of the rum. I taste peppery oak spice, maple, honey and apricot jam with a touch of sour pineapple. As I sip the oak seems to become sort of woody.