1 of 4
Massimo Righi
Mr. Massimo Righi, owner of Whisky Antique, located in Modena, Italy and his brands are Silver Seal and Sestante Collection.
2 of 4
Whisky Antique Logo
3 of 4
Rum Bottle from the Collection of Massimo Righi
4 of 4
Chocolates from Massimo Righi
I am extremely happy to share with you this exclusive interview, as this is the first time I interview the same person about two of my passions: rums and chocolates! I could not have thought of a better time for this interview than this month, a month when we celebrate Valentine’s Day, when a box of chocolates brings a smile to a loved one’s face and when couples toast one another, celebrating their shared love.
Luis and I had the honor and pleasure of meeting Mr. Massimo Righi at the “Show Rum Italian Rum Festival ” in Rome, Italy last year in October. Mr. Righi is the owner of Whisky Antique, located in Modena, Italy and his brands are Silver Seal and Sestante Collection.
In this interview Mr. Righi shares with us information about his rum insights, as well as, some of the chocolates from the Antica Dolcer ia Bonajuto collection that he likes to pair with his rums.
If you ever have the opportunity to try Mr. Righi ’s rums and pair them with the delicious chocolates, you will not be disappointed.
I wish Mr. Righi much success and I look forward to meeting up with him again in the very near future.
Margaret Ayala, Publisher
Q: How did you get started in the rum business?
It is a long history, I initially started in the whisky business, many years ago, when I was in Scotland attending school. My first surprise was to find so many different kinds of whisky, with each one having its own unique taste.
My idea was to select the best whisky and bottle in single casks and at cask strength, so that people could try the real difference from one product to another.
Later I was introduced to rums and I was really surprised and impressed by some rums, the different characteristics and such wonderful taste, so I started selecting rums in much the same way as I did my whiskys.
Q: How many different rums do you currently sell?
We have a long list of rums, including the following:
• Demerara 1975- a 37 year old port morant, 2 different casks and strengths
• Trinidad 1991- a 20 year old rum
• Caroni 1997- available in different casks
• Demerara 1988- a 25 year old rum, also avaialbe in other cask strengths
• Jamaica 1993- a 20 year old rum
• Panama 12 year old
• Demerara 1977- 32 year old, also available in different cask strengths
• Demerara 18 year old
And many others that are still aging and waiting for their perfect time for bottling.
Q: I know you like to hand-select barrels. What is your criteria?
It’s quite simple actually, I like a good rum and I look for different flavors, so my criteria is basically the same as when I am selecting a whisky cask: I buy what I like and I hope that my costumers will like it too.
I prefer bottling in single cask so as not to lose the characteristic of each rum. I want to share with you an example: 2 casks are distilled on the same day with the same sugarcane, same water and same pot still. They are then positioned in the warehouse close to each other to sit and age. One would think, at this point, that they are very similar, but that is not the truth. First, the wood is different and therefore will impart a change to the taste of the rum and the kind of maturation. Second, the position where the barrel is placed from the very start in the warehouse will not have much change, but after 10 or even 20 years there are a lot of changes, such as, the influence of sea, climate and the many flavors in the air. Take for example, you and I go to the beach one day and I use my body to protect you from the wind. One day is not going to make much of a difference, but what if we stayed in that same position for 10 or 20 years? Where our bodies are touching, they are protecting each other just like the barrels in the warehouse are protecting each other and are absorbing many flavors from each other.
Another difference is also if the vintage is made in the country of origin or in Europe. I don’t know 100% which is better, but we can try two different styles and we will have to sample each to check for differences.
Q: You have an amazing selection of single barrel rums, is there one you are most proud of (and why)?
No, or yes. Much depends on what I want in the taste and that may change on a daily basis, as well as, it depends on what kind of food I am eating. For me, the right combination is very important because with food your mouth is full of flavors so you have to find the perfect combination. However, having said all of this, some of my favorite casks are Demerara 37 year old 1975, 2 casks numbers 2042 and 2050. Two very different rums (see what I said before about maturation).
Q: Would you say there is a difference in consumer palates from Italy versus the rest of Europe? If so, what is it and why do you think such a difference exists?
In Italy we have great food and wine traditions, so the Italian people like to explore the many flavors and find the right combination, but all the people in the world can try and experiment with different rums to choose the one they like.
Q: Do you have any plans to expand your rum portfolio?
Yes, but only if I find very good casks. I don’t want to enlarge my business only by increasing the quantity. I look to expand based on quality.
Q: I noticed at your booth in Italy, all of your rum bottles are the same size and shape. Is this because you like this style for your rums or is it more for practical reasons?
It is simply for practical reasons. We have a mold we created many years ago, which was an inspiration from bottles from the 19th century. Currently we have 70 cl and 150cl size bottles and in the near future we plan to also have 75 cl bottles available. So this is our style. In addition, we also spend a lot of time and money in designing and developing the packaging for our rums.
Q: In addition to rums, you also have quite an extensive selection of chocolates. Can you tell us a little more about them, what makes them unique or special?
Actually, I do not own the chocolates, they belong to my good friend Cioccolater ia Bonaiuto in Sicily. I think their chocolates are very good when paired with spirits because they do not have any cacao butter making them a complete fusion.
Q: Can you take us through the process you use to pair your chocolates with your rums?
Too long, you have to try ….. and find the right combination in respect of the characteristic of both!
Q: This is February, a month when Valentine’s Day is celebrated in many parts of the world. Is there a pairing you would recommend for this occasion?
Actually, I would like to offer three different kinds of pairings:
• Demerara 1975 with 80% chocolate
• Caroni 1997 with salt chocolate
• Demerara 18 year old with orange chocolate.
Q: How can people contact you?
They can visit my websites:
www.whiskyantique.com
www.silversealwhisky.com
and they can contact me via email at Max@whiskyantique.com.
Q: Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?
Thank you very much and remember to drink responsibly and enjoy a good drink.
Margaret: Once again Massimo, thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview with me. Luis and I wish you much success.
Massimo: Thank you very, very much to you as well!