August 2016 - Rum In The News

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August 2016 - Rum In The News

CRIS DEHLAVI – A REAL DAME!

Congratulations to Got Rum?’s Muse of Mixology, Cris Dehlavi, for being inducted into the “Dame Hall of Fame” at this year’s Tales of the Cocktail. Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails (LUPEC) and the Tales of the Cocktail started The Dame Hall of Fame® to recognize exceptional women in the spirits industry whose hard work and dedication to the craft is changing the way we drink. For the sixth year, Tales and LUPEC saluted another deserving class of women for their contributions to the cocktail arts. These exceptional women were honored at a special ceremony on Friday, July 22 at Ruth’s Chris Steak House as part of the 14th Annual Tales of the Cocktail. Other inductees this year included Audrey Saunders of the Pegu Club, Laura Cullen of Pacific Wine and Spirits, Lauren Mote of the Bittered Sling and Angie Salame of Drink Company.

Cris runs the bar program at “M” for the Cameron Mitchel Restaurant Group, is the current President of the Columbus Chapter of the United States Bartender Guild, does consulting work with bars around the country and works as a mentor to new bar tenders through the Tales of the Cocktail Apprentice Program. WHEW !  We at Got Rum? are thrilled that she somehow finds time to write her Muse of Mixology column for the magazine. Her recent article on the “Versatility of Rum” gave me a recipe for an amazing Rum Manhattan that helped me convince a stubborn old Manhattan-drinking friend of the possibilities of rum. For those of you who live in Columbus, Ohio, check out her classes at the Joseph Hotel. The first class will be August 4th and will take a hands-on approach to learning about the history, creation and, of course tasting of four classic cocktails: the Margarita, the classic Manhattan, the Gimlet and the Rum Punch. Those of you who are lucky enough to at tend, please congratulate Cris on being one Classy Dame.

PLANTATION RUMS AT TALES OF THE COCKTAIL

I have written about Stiggins’ Fancy Plantation Pineapple rum before. It was created by Alexandre Gabriel’s, the owner of Maison Ferrand and producer of Plantation rum and spirits and cocktail historian David Wondrich. It is an amazing combination of Queen Victoria pineapples, two Plantation rums and a whole lot of love and magic. It was just named “Best New Spirit “ at the 2016 Spirited Awards at this year’s Tales of the Cocktail. This award recognizes the item that has made the most significant impact on the cocktail and bar industry in the past year. Up for consideration were cocktail ingredients (spirit, liqueur, tonic, bitters, syrup or garnish) that bartenders might use at home or at their bar for improved cocktail service. Gabriel describes the Stiggins’ saga this way: “The pineapple rum experiment turned out delicious and we thought we would enjoy it, share it with our friends at Tales of the Cocktail and in New Orleans (in 2014) and then we would move on to other exciting experiments. We didn’t expect the overwhelming amount of praise from bartenders and aficionados who began to harass us to produce more. So we decided to make another batch and share it with even more friends and the rest is history.”

This year, Gabriel and Wondrich teamed up with Jeff “Beachbum” Berry, author and owner of Latitude 29 in New Orleans, Martin Cate, author and owner of Smuggler’s Cove in San Francisco, Paul McFadyen, of Trailer Happiness in London, Paul McGee, of Lost Lake in Chicago and Scotty Schuder, proprietor of Dirty Dick in Paris in the development of Plantation’s newest mainstream blended rum: O.F.T.D. Old Fashioned Traditional Dark. It is a blend of rums from Jamaica, Guyana and Barbados and is bottled at 69% ABV. O.F.T.D. will be replacing Plantation’s Original dark, which was a blend of rums from Trinidad.

CARIBBEAN JOURNAL’S LIST OF THE BEST AMERICAN RUMS

The Caribbean Journal is an electronic newsletter of all things Caribbean. Every year, in an interesting turn about, they publish their list of the Best American Rums. (Note: this list always covers only the 50 US States, not the US’ Caribbean territories like Puerto Rico and St. Croix). Here is their list and comments:

• Siesta Key Rum - Troy Roberts’ Sarasota based distillery is, simply, the best in America right now.

• Papa’s Pilar - A world-class rum that includes rums from Central America, the Caribbean and the mainland United States.

• Richland Rum - A superb expression, using not molasses but pure cane syrup.

• Bayou Rum - Distilled from Louisiana sugarcane, using a combination of both cane sugar and molasses.

• Fwaygo – They are creative and interesting, and in an increasingly competitive American rum market.

• Miami Club Rum - Silky-smooth white rum built from the ground up that’s made Miami rum making a real thing.

• Dancing Pines - Rum from Colorado? You bet. Self-styled “mountain rum” out of molasses with an artisan pot still.

• St. George California Agricole – Real Agricole, using California-grown sugarcane juice, both white and aged.

• Koloa Rum - Produces a range of rums from a classic white rum to its lovely, chocolatey dark rum.

• Wicked Dolphin Rum- makes an increasingly wide variety of rums from Florida sugarcane, from classic silver to spiced.

GOSLINGS RUM

Goslings Rums of Bermuda has formed a regional partnership with the Monarq Group. Monarq will represent the Goslings portfolio in Latin America and the Caribbean. Gosling has recently begun a major international expansion of the brand’s portfolio, which includes its flagship Bermuda Black Seal Rum, Gold Bermuda Rum, Goslings Family Reserve Old Rum and Gold Seal Rum. The company also produces a ginger beer and a cocktail in a can called Dark ’n Stormy.

Monarq Group CEO Robert de Monchy said: “Both Goslings Rums and Goslings Stormy Ginger Beer are a great addition to our portfolio of leading premium independent beverage brands. This unique multiple award-winning authentic rum and ginger beer coincides perfectly well with our core competence of building premium spirits brands in Latin America and the Caribbean. We have known the Gosling’s brand for many years and are very much looking forward to working together with the Goslings team and to over-achieve on our mutual expectations, taking the brand to the next level”.

ELEMENTS EIGHT RUM

Elements Eight, the single distillery rum from St Lucia, is celebrating its 10th anniversary since its inception at the London Bar Show in July 2006. The brand is relaunching with revamped packaging and a focused portfolio. With unchanged rum liquid, the new range pays tribute to the rum’s artisanal approach and places greater emphasis on its small batch production. The contemporary feel, a key part of the brand’s identity has been evolved, whereby the bottles are shorter and the foiled label design reflects the hand-crafted ethos of the rum. The look is designed to take Elements Eight into the next decade of its journey. The rums now comprise three variants:

• Elements Eight Vendôme is a deluxe aged rum, aged for up to six years in Kentucky Bourbon barrels. Vendôme makes reference to one of the stills used in the triple distillation process, a cross between a column and a pot still which provides the master distiller with new avenues to develop flavor some rum profiles.

• Elements Eight Exotic Spices aims to be the most complex spiced rum in the world, infused with 10 fruits and spices (clove; cinnamon, vanilla, ginger, nutmeg, star anise, coconut, orange, lemon and honey) married with fine aged rum.

• Elements Eight Platinum was one of their pioneering rum brands. It is aged for up to four years in Kentucky Bourbon barrels and lightly charcoal filtered to remove color.

DEAD HEAD RUM

Deadhead Rum recently won a Gold Medal for its Amber Rum and a Platinum Medal for its bottle design at the 2015 Sip Awards, the international spirits competition held in Newport, California. It will move distilleries this month to keep up with growing demand, as its sales have nearly doubled in the past three years to almost 20,000 cases. The new distillery, named Destilados Bonampak, is headed by third-generation family member Eduardo Pineda García Lourdes and his father. Deadhead Rum’s sugarcane is grown in Tapachula, Chiapas which is blanketed with a tropical climate, coastal breezes and ocean salinity. Destilados Bonampak transforms this sugarcane into a Cuban style rum (their master blender worked for several years with a large Cuban rum brand) and is packaged in a bottle based off at santsa, the shrunken head of an enemy kept as a trophy. “The rum has natural flavors of Mayan sugarcane,” explains Kim Brandi, founder and CEO of Iconic Brand. “The aging in French oak barrels adds depth. It begins with these sweet oak flavors and then moves into notes of smooth vanilla cream and dried fruits—ending in an opulent, silky, mellow finish.” No stranger to high marks, Deadhead Rum has garnered a 95-point rating from The Tasting Panel Magazine, and its Deadhead Dark Chocolate Rum expression also gained a 91-point rating.

ZACAPA RUMS AND ZUMA RESTAURANTS

Ron Zacapa and the elegant Zuma restaurants recently announced an exclusive partnership which will see the world’s  first ‘evolving cocktail system’, the ‘Zuma Zacapa Live Solera’, installed across nine Zuma restaurants worldwide. The ‘Zuma Zacapa Live Solera’ is a custom-designed cocktail installation, replicating Zacapa’s famed ‘Sistema Solera’ slow-aging process, where Zacapa rum ages in a series of handselected, pre-used American Oak barrels. In these installations, the Zacapa Rum will slowly filter from barrel to barrel, maturing and infusing with meticulously selected flavors which have been used to season the casks. Initially featuring in nine of Zuma’s international restaurants, each installation will deliver a cocktail designed to appeal to local palates and to perfectly complement Zuma’s contemporary Japanese cuisine.

Iconic flavors inspired by the restaurants’ locations, such as rhubarb in London and sesame oil in Hong Kong, have been chosen to flavor the barrels. The rum ages for at least six weeks inside the inverted cask system infusing with these local flavors to produce a unique cocktail. Matteo Fantacchiotti, Global Commercial Vice President Diageo Reserve said, “We’re truly excited to bring the authentic Guatemalan art of ‘Sistema Solera’ to these nine vibrant cities, working with Zuma restaurants. It is a special opportunity to showcase the distinctive taste and qualities of Zacapa rum to cocktail connoisseurs and food lovers”. Zuma Group Bar Manager, James Shearer explained, “At Zuma, we are always exploring new ways to interact with our guests, and the ‘Zuma Zacapa Live Solera’ enables them to engage with the bartender, not just from a visual or emotional point of view, but to be part of the process.” The ‘Zuma Zacapa Live Solera’ system will officially launch in Zuma Miami on September 26th and then in Zuma London, Hong Kong, Dubai and New York restaurants on October 3rd and Zuma Bangkok, Rome, Istanbul and Abu Dhabi restaurants October 17th.

J. WRAY AND NEPHEW RUMS

The oldest continuously operating rum producer in Jamaica, J. Wray & Nephew Ltd., is giving two of its classic rums a Jamaican inspired makeover and a new name with the introduction of J.Wray Jamaica Rum Gold and Silver. Replacing Appleton Special Jamaica Rum and Appleton White, these new expressions deliver a distinctive new look. The name change more accurately reflects the rum producer’s 250-year historic roots. “J. Wray & Nephew Ltd. has a special place in spirits lore with a legacy of more than two centuries crafting high-quality rums,” said Christine Moll, Category Director- Rum, at Campari America. “J.Wray’s new Jamaica Rums offer enticing and authentic spirits to enjoy in flavorful cocktails. The lively packaging firmly ties the rums to the brand’s storied history and ensures they visually stand out on the shelf.” J.Wray Jamaica Rum Gold is a medium-bodied golden rum, the perfect blend of fuller flavored and lighter rums and was a Gold Medal recipient at the 2016 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. J.Wray Jamaica Rum Silver is a white rum that’s aged and filtered slowly through special charcoal filters and was recently awarded 91 points in the 2016 Ultimate Spirits Challenge.

GRENADA DISTILLERS

The management and staff of Grenada Distillers Limited recently held a public launch of Clarke’s Court #37, a 12 year aged rum, a product that is now widely available on the market. A limited edition #37, double matured 8 year aged rum was first unveiled in 2010 in commemoration of the 300th anniversary of the founding of the Town of St. George. “As the city of St. George’s grew, so too has the #37 blend that has now today resulted in a 12-year-old product,’’ said Oswald “Pele’’ Darbeau, GDL’s Marketing & Promotions Manager. Grenada Distillers Limited, located at Woodlands in St George, has been in operation for almost eighty years and produces a line of twenty alcoholic beverages. Two of these, Black Gold and Special Dark were awarded gold medals at a 2016 international tasting competition, and almost all the others have been so awarded at some time or the other. It is hoped that the new #37 will join Black Gold, Old Grog, and the others as an international award winner. They call #37 a “premium rum with a rich aroma, aged to perfection in char red bourbon oak barrels,double matured and mellowed with time’’. “ It has been an exercise in excellence and patience,’’ said Darbeau, in describing the new release, which also is referred to as having “exceptional smoothness and exotic fruity flavor ’’.