Rum in the News
BRISTOL SPIRITS
Bristol Spirits Ltd, the home of Bristol Classic Rum, is delighted to announce a brand-new partnership with US Distributor, Spaghetti Western Imports LLC. Bristol Spirits is a long-established, eminent suppliers and promoters of fine Rum from around the world. Founder, John Barrett is renowned and recognized as a highly-experienced taster and supporter of Rum in its most natural state, specializing often in those matured and bottled in UK warehousing which offers unique benefits. John states, ‘We started in the mid-nineties with premium Rum due to its high quality; it took about ten years for the interest to develop in the consumer but now we have BCR Rum fanatics all over the Globe.’ Bristol’s mission is to discover and develop interesting Rum for enjoyment. Developed with careful production and long maturation the true quality and style can be enjoyed from the diverse and magnificent Rum that BCR select and bottle for the pleasure of Rum drinkers. Sales Director, Simon Askey explains ‘We have a basic principle to bottle small batches of Rum, usually just two or three casks at most, so releases are continually changing. John has offered bottles to the US market in years gone by, however the demand for Rum outside of the Rum heavyweights has grown exponentially, so BCR needs to be back Stateside.’ Spaghetti Western Imports are a boutique import business with a meticulous focus on Independent Bottlers of long heritage. Founder Chris Bittner represents a company of trailblazers that doesn’t necessarily fit the mold. There is more to Rum than the mainstream big hitters would have you believe. Spaghetti Western and Bristol Classic Rum are coming to prove this to The United States of America! The initial Bristol Classic Rum shipment to the United States included:
• Mauritius Cane Juice - A light, bright style Rhum Agricole, perfect for mixers.
• Caribbean Collection - Blend of 3YO rums from Trinidad. Perfect intro into the world of Rum•
Venezuela 12YO - Column Still from their most famous distiller. 100% maturation at source.
•Mauritius 2010 - this is the balance of Cane Juice having been matured in the UK since 2011. Finished in Cognac
• Jamaica 2009 DOK - An amazing Hampden. 50% Jamaica, 50% UK maturation.
• Haiti 2004 - Not too much of this about now due to the various issues the island has endured in the last 15yrs.
• Nicaragua 2004 - 18yrs maturation in American Oak.
• Jamaica 1997 - From the Clarendon Estate... Over 2 decades in wood in the UK.
• Port Mourant 1990 - John’s favorite still. 34YO with the final years in Port. Incredible, a classic ‘PM’.
https://www.bristolclassicrum.com/, www.spaghettiwesternimports.com
BEENLEIGH
Celebrate the Year of the Snake with Beenleigh! Their Master Distiller hand blended a selection of outstanding aged rum parcels up to 8 years in barrel, to express the fiery passion and diligence of the Year of the Snake. Only 3 barrels worth of rum were bottled with a taste profile that is unmistakably Beenleigh. This fearless spirit is underpinned by the generous warmth of Australian sugarcane molasses. Oak maturation in ex-brandy vats and ex-bourbon barrels. Rich buttery and spiced wood notes fill out a palate that is complex and rounded, but never tame. https://www.beenleighrum.com.au/
BACARDI
Bacardi Limited celebrated a significant leap on Forbes’ list of World’s Top Companies for Women 2024. Ranking for a third year in a row on the prestigious list, the 2024 placement puts Bacardi at #132 and nearly 200 points above last year, reflecting an ambition of continued progress. It also features Bacardi as the only pure spirits player on the list this year. Women in Leadership is among the key pillars of the company’s Belonging program, which strives to create a space where everyone is treated fairly and provided equal opportunities. Belonging at Bacardi is a global movement focused on creating programming, development opportunities and more in support of underrepresented groups, including women, in the spirits world. Leila Stansfield, Global Belonging Lead and Head of Global Travel Retail for Bacardi said: “The work we do to maintain a positive workplace at Bacardi matters and makes a difference to our people. At Bacardi, we seek to keep raising the bar and are continuously pushing to be better and do better as we build a pipeline of talent and a roadmap for future generations of leaders.” Scott Northcutt, SVP Human Resources, Bacardi Limited added “Bacardi maintains gender equity in recruitment, turnover, pay, engagement and sense of belonging and 43% of leadership positions are held by women. The company is intentional about having balanced representation at core development programs which help propel talent to the next level of their Bacardi careers. It is a member of associations that develop programming and resources for women in the industry and supports community programming that creates opportunities for women in the workplace, both within and outside the spirits world. This recognition by Forbes reflects our collective efforts to create an environment where top talent can thrive. As a leader in the spirits industry, we have a responsibility to set the tone and create the opportunities for everyone to succeed.” Produced in partnership with market research firm Statista, the Forbes ranking is based largely on survey responses from approximately 100,000 women working for multinational corporations across 37 countries. The Forbes list research rated companies across a series of gender-related topics, willingness to recommend the company, workplace satisfaction, and more. It also considers public opinion through a women-only survey and looks at the makeup of leadership. Bacardi was recently named by Forbes among 2024 World’s Best Employers, where it took the #2 spot in its category, and ranked #18 in the 2024 World’s Best Workplaces™ presented by Great Place To Work®.
https://www.bacardilimited.com/
EL DORADO
In a recent Facebook post, El Dorado announced a 20-year-Old Double Matured Rum, a blend of pot and column distilled rums that were first aged in American Oak ex-bourbon casks for 15 years then furthered matured for an additional five years in French Oak casks that were previously seasoned with Sauternes. Unfortunately, it mentioned that it was only available in Guyana. https://theeldoradorum.com/
PLANTERAY
As part of their 2024 Single Cask releases, Planteray exchanged some of their finest rum casks with friends at Adriatico and have taken hold of some of theirs. As a result, they have released Planteray Barbados 2017 Rum finished in an Amaretto cask. Over the years, Planteray’s passion for exceptional spirits has led them to visit numerous distilleries worldwide. Through these encounters, Maison Ferrand has forged friendships with incredible producers, with whom they share mutual knowledge, expertise, and hunger for fine spirits. Naturally, this led to cask exchanges, giving birth to the “Barrel Swap” editions. Adriatico is a 100% natural Amaretto produced from Puglian almonds and enhanced with a touch of Adriatic Sea salt. For the Planteray team, choosing a Barbados rum from Stade’s West Indies Rum Distillery was an obvious choice. This nuanced, fruity rum with delicious notes of coconut and vanilla proved to be the ideal candidate for an Amaretto cask finish. The ageing process took around seven months imparting notes of almond and cherry pits, into the Barbados 2017 Rum, a blend of traditional pot and column stills twice matured (three years in tropical bourbon casks, then three years and five months in cognac casks in our Charente cellars). “Finishing our Rum in an Amaretto cask is a world first! It provides a beautiful smoothness and emphasizes the delicious aromas of our Planteray Barbados 2017” said Jonas Indesteege, Global Rum Prestige Collection Brand Manager. This story started when the Adriatico team first visited us in Charentes and tasted many of our rums to identify the ideal Planteray cask for maturing their delicate almond liqueur. Fiji quickly became the unanimous choice for the terroir. Since Adriatico was already a sipping amaretto, the goal was to reach a new level by offering reinforcement and new complexity, as well as some “kick”. “Planteray Fiji Islands brings a powerful side to our Adriatico Amaretto, with leather and spicy notes. It strengthens the liqueur and gives it lots of nose and body, for a fabulous finish and a rather different length on the palate compared to the classic product” said Thomas Benoît, Adriatico co-founder. This unprecedented alliance between rum and amaretto has proved particularly fruitful and we just know it is going to inspire new creations in the future. https://planterayrum.com/
BOTRAN
This year at Bar Convent Berlin (BCB), Botran announced their latest release, Infinito. It is a blend of rums from eight different casks: ex-American Whiskey, toasted ex-American Whisky, ex-Sherry, ex-Port, ex-Amarone, ex-Sauternes, ex-Ribera Del Duero and ex-Marsala. Maria Ines de Leon, Senior Brand Manager at Guatemalan Spirits, told Spirits Business “This year at BCB we are launching our first ever edition of a blend that is so epic, no other rum has attempted to blend eight casks in the same epic blend, and so we are very convinced it is going to bring ultra-good news to the brand, lots of interest to it, and our very own space in the collector items.” https://botranrum.com/
RUM and SARGASSUM
Seaweed is showing up on Caribbean beaches and cleaning up costs are in millions of dollars. But this waste can be turned into precious fuels. Rum and Sargassum, a startup in Barbados, is turning rum waste from distilleries and seaweed washed off onto the shores to produce bio-compressed natural gas to fuel cars. Rum and Sargassum was founded by Mechanical Engineer Legena Henry and her data scientist husband to help the country continue to attract tourists while also meeting its net zero goals. Barbados has set an ambitious goal to become fossil-fuel-free by the end of this decade. However, Henry, a researcher and lecturer at the University of West Indies (UWI), believes this will have a massive economic impact since electric vehicles (EVs) are too expensive for the country’s common man, but existing internal combustion engine vehicles can be retrofitted with a kit in about four hours and run on gas. The cost of the kit is a fraction of that of an EV. Sargassum, or seaweed, has been invading Caribbean beaches for over a decade. The warming oceans and increased marine pollution have propelled the weed growth in the Sargasso Sea, which gets washed up on the pristine beaches in the Caribbean. Once it reaches land, seaweed begins to rot. While mounds of seaweed and rotting smells are unpleasant for tourists, they are also a health risk for marine animals. Resorts spend millions of dollars every year to remove seaweed from the beaches, but Henry’s startup could turn this adversity into a win-win situation, Wastewater from the rum industry is optimal for producing BIO-METHANE via anaerobic digestion. Rum distillery wastewater is the most practical option for large scale anaerobic digestion in a water-scarce Caribbean Island like Barbados. On Tuesday September 17, 2024, they unveiled a prototype of their renewable natural gas (RNG), produced from Sargassum seaweed, Blackbelly sheep manure, and rum distillery wastewater. At “Test Drive Zero”, held at Guinea Plantation, St. John, RNG manufactured using their proprietary formula, powered a generator, which in turn charged an electric vehicle. The event highlighted RNG’s potential for sustainable transportation and electricity generation. A gasoline car, upgraded to run on RNG, was also on display. https://rumandsargassum.com/
DESERT DIAMOND DISTILLERY
Desert Diamond Distillery presents an extraordinary corporate gifting option: a 225-liter barrel of their award-winning rum, offering both prestige and a memorable shared experience for organizations. The barrel program, which yields approximately 300 750ml bottles, provides companies with a unique opportunity to create lasting impressions at corporate events, holiday celebrations, or as premium client appreciation gifts. Each barrel comes with a personalized plaque and certificate of authenticity, making it a conversation piece that tells a story of craftsmanship and exclusivity. Desert Diamond Distillery’s rum has garnered multiple international awards for its exceptional quality and complex flavor profile. The spirit is crafted using traditional Caribbean methods combined with modern distillation techniques, resulting in a smooth, sophisticated product that appeals to both connoisseurs and casual enthusiasts. Interesting historical context adds to the appeal of rum as a corporate gift. During the 18th century, the British Royal Navy issued daily rum rations to sailors, a practice that continued until 1970. During this era, sailors would “prove” the strength of their rum by mixing it with gunpowder - if it ignited, it was considered the “proof” of proper strength. The barrel program includes guided tastings and educational sessions for corporate events, where participants learn about rum’s rich history and proper tasting techniques. Companies can also arrange exclusive distillery tours, offering team-building opportunities while learning about the craft distillation process. For organizations seeking to make a lasting impression, Desert Diamond Distillery’s barrel program represents an innovative approach to corporate gifting that combines luxury, education, and shared experience in one memorable package.
https://www.desertdiamonddistillery.com/
RON DEL BARRILITO
Last month Ron del Barrilito released the second edition of its coveted Pedro Fernández Selection rum. Since he began crafting rum in 1889, Pedro Fernandez had a talent for identifying truly special rums and setting their casks apart in special area of the aging warehouse. This was a technique he learned as a young man in France where he studied engineering and the art of making fine Cognacs. This practice was followed by the Fernandez family for generations. This release pays homage to its founder with a 27-year rum, matured in oloroso sherry casks. The origins of this batch date back to October 3, 1997, when the liquor was placed in a 500-liter barrel simply dubbed “1598” at the Hacienda Santa Ana. That single cask yielded a total of 229 bottles.
https://rondelbarrilito.com/
OXBOW RUM DISTILLERY
Oxbow Rum Distillery, known for its award-winning small batch estate rums, has expanded beyond its traditional retail footprint with the launch of e-commerce. Customers in over 30 states can now order the premium, additive-free Oxbow Estate Rum and False River Rums online through the brand’s shop page, powered by Flaviar.com. “Our new e-commerce platform allows us to share our passion for Oxbow Rum beyond Louisiana,” said Olivia Stewart, Owner and Operator of Oxbow Rum Distillery. “We’re excited to bring the unique flavor of Louisiana’s sugarcane harvest to rum aficionados and enthusiasts across the country.” Oxbow Rum Distillery’s premium rums are made from their own cane fields and sugar mill 20 miles from the distillery. Using either 100% high-grade sugarcane molasses or raw cane juice for their raw ingredients, each expression embodies the essence of Louisiana sugarcane. The company offers two product lines: Oxbow Estate Rum (additive-free super premium sipping rum) and False River (handcrafted spiced and dark rums). This announcement comes on the heels of Oxbow Rum Distillery’s recent award wins, bringing home two Double Gold Medals at the 2024 San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC) for its Small Batch White Rum and Rhum Louisiane Cane Juice Agricole. And ultimately, the White Rum was awarded the highest possible accolade, Best of Class for all white rums entered from around the world. The SFWSC is the oldest and largest international spirits competition. Each year, thousands of spirits are entered and less than 10% receive Gold or Double Gold honors. Best of Class finalists were voted on by a panel of 70 judges to be one of up to five Best Expressions in its category. “We’re honored to receive such prestigious awards, recognizing the hard work and dedication our team pours into every bottle of Oxbow Rum,” continues Stewart. “Expanded distribution means we are able to share our passionately crafted, Cane to Glass™ rums with even more people, giving them the opportunity to taste one of the best American rums on the market right now.”
www.OxbowRumDistillery.com
KHUKRI
Khukri Rum, one of Nepal’s most iconic brands, is now launching a new Cask Series premium product to sell in Nepal and abroad. The Cask Series Smoked Finish Khukri Rum is a limited edition with only about 7,000 bottles, most of it for export and rest to be sold to rum connoisseurs in Nepal itself. Each bottle is numbered and will mention the cask from which it is derived. “We are working on taking a classic Nepali rum to a new luxury premium brand category, the Cask Series will only be produced this year with new product ranges in future,” explains Subash Lamichhane, Managing Director. Nepal Distilleries first started making Khukri Rum in 1959 in Balaju and has never stopped. Fermented from molasses in Bara district in the Tarai after the annual sugarcane harvest, the rum is matured for at least eight months after distillation. The distillery bottles the classic Khukri XXX, Coronation Khukri XXX, Khukri White Rum and Khukri Spiced Rum. The packaging for the Cask Series is as special as the process. A sturdy patterned box that opens up to a black glass bottle with gold lettering, and an indication of which cask the rum is from. Khukri is famous for is Coronation Rum which comes in the shape of a ceremonial knife. https://www.khukrirum.com/
NUSA CAÑA
Nusa Caña, the Bali rum brand founded by Australian entrepreneur and founder Marc Rodrigues in 2016, has officially entered the Australian market after having successfully launched into more than 20 markets globally. Inspired by Bali’s rich rum-making heritage, Nusa Caña is a spiced rum made using traditional Indonesian spices of nutmeg, clove and ginger alongside chocolate, pineapple and coffee. “Batavia Arrack, or Indonesian rum, was the most popular, exotic and sought-after sugarcane spirit from the 17th to the 19th century,” said Marc Rodrigues. “Indonesian rum has been produced on the island of Java since the 17th century. It is made from molasses derived from Javan sugarcane and fermented with red rice, before being distilled in Chinese-style copper pot stills and aged in Indonesian teak barrels.”Since launching in 2016, Nusa Caña has grown to become the number-one cocktail rum in Indonesia, along with being the top selling spirit at Bali airport, where over 200 bottles are sold to visitors daily. The brand has also become one of the top performing rums in Greece and has subsequently continued to expand its footprint across Europe and the US. According to Rodrigues, Nusa Caña is starting to develop momentum more quickly now that it is an established brand in its country of origin. “Time builds credibility and respect in Indonesia,” he said.” The longer I’ve adhered to the values of humility and collaboration, the more respect I’ve earned, which has been essential in getting things done.”
https://nusacana.com/
