April 2018- Rum in the News

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April 2018- Rum in the News

KOLOA RUM

Hawaii’s award-winning Koloa Rum Company has reported 2017 annual revenues and profits well above those earned in 2016. The company will award all of its employees with $1,000 bonuses and five percent salary increases. The financial growth is attributed to Koloa Rum Company’s steady climb to becoming the largest Hawaii-based premium rum brand, as well as the recently enacted Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act, which provides short-term reduction on alcohol Federal Excise Tax (FET) for the first time since the Civil War.

“2017 was a remarkable year for Koloa Rum Company,” said Koloa Rum Company President and CEO Bob Gunter. “We are grateful that Congress recognized the burden that the FET placed on small distilleries like ours. The reduced FET and corporate income tax rates allowed us to reinvest savings back into our business and, most importantly, reward our hardworking team members.” Koloa Rum Company’s financial success will also allow the company to increase its match to the employees’ 401k plan from four percent to seven and a half percent in 2018; add a new bottling line to increase its production capacity and operating efficiency; accelerate plans for a new distillery; and bolster its distribution, sales and marketing programs. The company employs 31 individuals in Hawaii as well as one staff member in California and another in Florida. Established in 2009, Koloa Rum Company produces artisanal, single-batch Hawaiian rum and ready-to-drink cocktails at its distillery in Kalaheo, Kauai and operates the island’s first and only distilled spirits Tasting Room and Company Store. The company’s award winning rums are distilled in a vintage copper-pot still and uses only the finest local ingredients, including Hawaiian cane sugar, pure mountain rainwater and aloha. Koloa Rum Company’s portfolio includes its premium Kauai White, Gold, Dark, Spice, Coconut and Coffee rums. In January 2018, Koloa Rum released its first-ever Kauai Reserve Three-Year Aged Hawaiian Rum. Products are available for purchase online, at select retailers nationwide, as well as in Canada, France and Japan. At the recent American Distilling Institute Judging of Craft Spirits, Koloa won five Bronze Medals for their rums.

AMERICAN DISTILLING INSTITUTE 2018 CRAFT RUM AWARDS

Best of Category (BOC) Winners at the recent American Distilling Institute’s annual judging of craft spirits included the following: Atom Brands Ableforth’s Rumbullion! Navy-Strength won BOC for International Spiced Rum; Iron Fish Distillery’s Cask Aged Distiller’s Cut Dark Rum won BOC for Aged Column Still Rum; Manulele Distillers’ KOHana KOHO Hawaiian Agricole Rum won BOC for Aged Hybrid Still Rum and their KOHana KEA Hawaiian Agricole Rum won BOC for Unaged Hybrid Rum; Still 630’s Expedition Rum won BOC for Aged Pot Still Rum; Trail Distilling’s First City Rum won BOC for Unaged Column Still Rum; Blackwater Distilling’s Picaroon Dark Rum won BOC for Aged Pot Still Rum; Hidden Still’s Spiced Rum won BOC for Spiced Rum; Waterpocket Distillery’s Blanco Rum won BOC for Unaged Pot Still Rum; and Cutwater Spirits’ Bali Hai Tiki Gold Rum won BOC for Flavored Rum.

ATLANTICO

Last year I wrote about the rebranding of Atlantico with heavy bottles from France, wood and cork closures from Portugal and attractive new labels from California. The labels include tasting notes, raw material information, barrel types used, individual bottle numbers and the signatures of the two founders. Labels for each of the three key bottlings in the Atlantico line now have their own distinct color.

Platino, with its white label, is made from fresh Dominican cane juice and is aged for over 1 year in American White Oak then finished in barrels that previously held Spanish Tempranillo.

Reserva has a classy burgundy label and is a Solera style rum uses different aged rums that were carefully selected and blended together by their third generation Master Blender.

Gran Reserva, with it royal blue label is the ultimate expression of Atlantico and it is a blend of small batched rums aged up to 25 years.

Recent posts on Instagram show a limited green label bottling that is a 15 year old Solera Rum aged for an additional year in Spanish Tempranillo Barrels resulting in a rose color and semi-sweet taste. Another post showed another limited release with a purple label that contained 25 year Solera Rums aged in Cognac Casks.

REAL McCOY RUMS

The latest release from Bailey’s Pryor’s iconic brand, the 10 Year Old Limited Edition, is a blend of 12 year old rum aged in ex-bourbon casks and 10 year old spirits, aged in virgin oak barrels. Even though it’s labeled as a 10 year old rum, a large proportion of the rum is 12 years old. Pryor has done a great job of working with Foursquare Distillery’s Richard Seale to produce another great sipping rum. The 10 Year Old is bottled at 46% ABV.

FOURSQUARE RUM DISTILLERY

An interesting release coming from Foursquare is a blend of white rums from the Traditional Coffey Column of Foursquare in Barbados and the Double Retort Pot Still of Hampden in Jamaica. Of course, there will be no added color or sweeteners. It will be called Veritas (the truth) in Europe and Probitas (honestly) in the United States. Both versions will be bottled at 46%.

CAPTAIN MORGAN

The latest round-bottle from Captain Morgan is the limited edition Watermelon Blast. Like Cannon Blast, Loconut and Jack-O-Blast, Watermelon Blast is designed to be enjoyed as a shot. The latest rum bottle from the Captain is bursting with juicy watermelon flavor. So flavorful, even the packaging is scented! Simply enjoy as a chilled shot for instantly delicious fun or create a refreshing spritzer by mixing with club soda and a lemon garnish. Pick up some Watermelon Smash today to party like a Captain all summer long.

RUM & CACHACA MASTERS 2018

Spirit Business Magazine’s annual Rum & Cachaça Masters event was held this year at The Rum Kitchen in London’s Not ting Hill. A panel of drink experts evaluated rums in twenty four categories and awarded Gold and Silver Medals to the highest scoring rums in each category. Thirteen Master Medals (MM ) were awarded to those rums which judges agreed on a score of 90% or higher. This year Master Medals winners included the following rums: Neptune Rum’s Gold Rum and Element Eight’s Republica Rum both won MM in the Super-Premium Gold Rum category; Worthy Park’s Single Estate Reserve won a MM in the Ultra-Premium Gold Rum category; Lost Spirits’ new Jamaica Rum won MM for Super-Premium Dark Rum; Bacardi’s 8 Años won MM in 8–12 Year Dark Rum category; Trois Rivieres’ Cuvee I’Ocean won MM in the White Agricole category; Maison la Mauny Signature de Maitre de Chais and VSOP 40° and Trois Rivieres 12 Ans all won MM in the Aged Rhum Agricole category; Negrita Spiced won MM in the Spiced Rum Category; Rum-Bar white Overproof won MM in the Overproof White Rum category; and finally, Pusser’s Gunpowder Proof British Navy Rum and Plantation’s OFTD won MM in the Overproof Dark Rum category.

SAINT LUCIA DISTILLERIES

You know you are a true rum geek when you start perusing the TTB website, looking for label applications for upcoming rums. (https: //www.ttbonline.gov/colasonline/publicSearchColasAdvanced.do) A recent search showed two new releases from Saint Lucia Distillers. Both labels reflect the classy new packaging that SLC introduced last year. The first is the newest version of their Chairman’s Reserve 1931 bottling. In the past, the 1931 was a blend of pot still rums and column still rums made traditionally from molasses, as well as a small portion of agricole rum made from fresh cane juice. These rums were aged in both Bourbon barrels and Port casks. Another limited edition will be called Chairman’s Reserve Single Batch Master’s Selection, the first in a series of Master Selections. The back label reads: “Released in limited quantities, the Chairman’s Reserve Master’s Selection Series are unique rums deconstructed from the award winning “original” blend Chairman’s Reserve is known for. This is a traditional Saint Lucian single batch distilled rum from the small John Dore Pot Still installed at Saint Lucian Distillers in 1998. The rum has aged six years in a single charred Bourbon cask and has been bottled at cask strength.” It is rumored that the Master behind this first selection in the series is none other than Smuggler’s Cove Martin Cate, a noted rum and tiki drink expert.

BACARDI

Bacardi will also be offering some new expressions, expanding their aged portfolio. BACARDÍ AÑEJO CUATRO is barrel aged for a minimum of four years. Bacardi 8 will get new packaging, emphasizing the famous bat in bright red on the center of the bottle. It will become BACARDÍ RESERVA OCHO and is still aged for a minimum of eight years. BACARDÍ GRAN RESERVA DIEZ features similar packaging, but with a gold bat on the bottle. It is aged a minimum of ten years. A limited release, appropriately called Limitada, features a black bottle with gold lettering and contains rums that are aged for an average of twelve years.

-Article written by Mike Kunetka- 

These are the most recent and noteworthy headlines in the rum industry. If you want us to share your news with our readers, please send an email to Mike@gotrum.com. Mike Kunetka is a land-locked rum enthusiast, he is based in Colorado, US A.