Rum in the News Image Title.
KULEANA RUM SHACK
The folks behind Kuleana Rum Works have joined forces with the culinary experts at Umeke’s restaurants to create the Kuleana Rum Shack in the Queens’ marketplace on the Big Island of Hawaii. Using the highest quality Big Island ingredients, the team has created a menu that offers real, local food that comes from the Big Island. When customers dine at the Kuleana Rum Shack they will savor food that people of this island have been eating in their own homes for generations while also enjoying outstanding and unique cocktails made with Kuleana Rum and other world-class spirits. The name Kuleana refers to a set of rights, based upon responsibility. When a person accepts their Kuleana, they do it with deliberate intent and personal accountability, and Kuleana Rum is intentionally drawing on Polynesian mastery of sugarcane cultivation as an identity for their brand. The idea for the distillery came as a result of a trip to Martinique that co- founder Steve Jefferson and his wife Jackie took in 2006. They noted the similarities that the Big Island shared with Martinique – volcanic island, same latitude, strong history of sugar cane cultivation. Then they ran into Noa Lincoln and his body of work on indigenous Hawaiian sugarcane varieties. Lincoln shared cuttings from 40 varieties of sugarcanes that he and his associates had collected from throughout the state and DNA tested. The species are uniquely Hawaiian heirloom canes, all of which are derived from canoe plants (plants that were brought to Hawaii by Polynesian settlers in their canoes). At Kuleana Rum Works, they hand cut and juice the different varieties of kō (heirloom Hawaiian sugarcane), each with its own color and flavor profile, which they grow on their farm in Kohala, Hawaii. The distillers then make it into Kuleana Hawaiian Rum Agricole, a deep, delicious rum at the distillery in Kawaihae. They then put some from each batch into Cognac barrels to age and eventually become their Hawaiian Aged Rum Agricole. Second, they blend rums from around the world which are carefully chosen for their purity and rich taste into delicious and flavorful rums that make cocktails and lips sing. Their Huihui Rum blends a delicious, light, molasses-based Papua New Guinea rum with their Kuleana Hawaiian Rum Agricole and an exceptional Agricole from Martinique to create a super drinkable rum that has more than a hint of exotic. Nanea is their aged blend and is made by blending three carefully selected, variously- aged rums from around the world to deliver superb depth, balance, and character. https:// kuleanarum.com
SPIRIT UNION DISTILLERY
Amsterdam’s new Spirit Union Distillery wanted to bring a ‘contemporary, real and honest approach to rum, tapping into the full flavor potential of rum’. Their first product, Union 55, was inspired by the ways in which top Michelin-star chefs, and world-class mixologists combine use mineral salt to enhance flavors. They infused smooth cask-aged Barbados rum with five delicate botanicals, and rounded it off with a touch of organic salt. Inspired by ways in which gin distillers make use of botanicals, they have added five of the finest botanicals from the land. Cardamom and cloves both with a high level of fragrance add complexity to citrus forward drinks. Peruvian cacao, vanilla and almonds add delicate honeyed nuttiness to the rum. Then they add a touch of organic Añana sea salt to the rum. Its great purity and natural mineral content ensure it perfectly complements the natural sweetness of the rum, creating a signature, fuller flavor. They have taken great care extracting all essential, delicate flavors from the botanicals. Through a five step slow maceration process, which takes fifty-five days to complete, they have managed to capture an array of flavor, resulting in a taste unparalleled in rum. Ruben Maduro, the man behind Spirit Union, says “the story behind each of our spirits starts with the colorful world of herbs and spices and how they can create vibrant tastes. Making a delicious drink is a bit like cooking a delicious meal; you need to combine textures and tastes to create a memorable experience. So we start with the flavor kick we’re trying to create then replicate it by exploring the vast world of botanicals and infusions. each ingredient needs to be infused or distilled for the right length of time. delicate aromatic flowers, leaves and seeds need less infusion time. Harder fruits, roots and barks need longer. It’s one of the reasons why each batch carries its own unique number.” www.union55rum.com
MOUNT GAY
On January 16th a fire erupted at the Mount Gay Distillery in St Lucy, Barbados. Loop News Barbados reported thirty-five firemen and five trucks from the Barbados Fire service responded to battle the blaze. “Arriving on the scene we discovered that it was an alcohol tank that was involved in the fire. The tank normally holds around 300,000 gallons of alcohol and we were informed that it was about half-full,” Henderson Patrick, Deputy Chief officer of the Barbados Fire service told local media in the wake of the incident. “The roof of the tank has been ruptured, allowing the flames to escape,” said Deputy Chief Fire Officer Henderson Patrick, who added that fire officers were applying alcohol resistant foam to the tank. Barbados Today reported the day after the fire that the company’s managing director, Raphaël Grisoni, heaped praises on the Barbados Fire service for its response to, and control of the fire at the plant on Wednesday, and to staff on site for their handling of the situation. The fire, which started in a tank containing approximately 150,000 liters (not gallons, as was originally reported) of non- aged rum, resulted in no damage to the rest of the distillery, which is up and running, said Grisoni.“The fire started in the early afternoon and the fire service responded quickly with four tenders, two special vehicles and 30-plus officers under the command of deputy Chief Fire Officer Henderson Patrick, who used water and foam to control and contain the conflagration,” said Grisoni. He did not give an estimate of the damage caused by the fire, which officials said started around 2 p.m. and was under control by 5 p.m. “We take this opportunity to publicly give kudos to and thank the personnel for the great job done and to our staff for their management of the situation, including proper evacuation and the monitoring and sharing of information,” he said, while adding that the company “is still carrying out investigations to determine what caused the fire”. The deputy fire chief had indicated that it would take some time to gather all the information to determine the cause of the fire. On Facebook, Mount Gay posted that ‘a fire occurred at our distillery home in St. Lucy, Barbados. We’re happy to announce that there were no injuries and the fire was extinguished. All’s well and the rum’s swell! ‘. www.mountgayrum.com
ZOMBIE VILLAGE
The Future Bars Group, the people behind such classic drinking establishments as Bourbon & Branch, Local Edition and Rickhouse, have opened the Zombie Village in the Tenderloin District of San Francisco, in the space formerly housing the American-themed Tradition. This is their second voyage into the world of Tiki. In 2016, the Future Bars Group opened Pagan Idol on Bush street. Zombie Village takes its name from an Oakland Tiki bar owned by Skipper Kent with the same name, which was located across the street from the original Trader Vic’s. “We wanted to bring awareness to one of the most underrated original Tiki bars,” Future Bars’ Daniel “Doc” Parks told Eater SF. “The name, decor, and classic drinks will be part of that. With Pagan Idol, we’re upholding that classic mid-century Tiki bar aesthetic of Trader Vic and Don the Beachcomber. So, for Zombie Village, we wanted to do another Tiki hero, [Skipper Kent].” Parks told Eater his version of Zombie Village will be an homage to Kent, a bay area legend whose dedication to Tiki led him to sail his boat to the Polynesian islands to collect Tiki objects for his bars. “We wanted to bring awareness to one of the most underrated original Tiki bars,” Parks told Eater. “The name, decor, and classic drinks will be part of that.” Tiki artists like Bamboo Ben and Ivan Mora are constructing large scale installations and carvings for the space. Zombie Village, which opened quietly in December and celebrated with a ribbon cutting in January, is indeed village-sized, and divided into three areas. There’s a main, thatched bar under simulated stars, a candlelit cave in the back, and an upstairs loft (ascend past fake banyan trees) with a second bar dubbed “Doc’s Voodoo Lounge.” Back downstairs, eight Tiki huts of various sizes can be reserved online for semi- private drinking. www.thezombievillage.com
PUSSERS
There is an old adage that says it is hard to improve on perfection, but Pusser’s has proven that wrong with the re-release of its iconic “Crown Jewel” 15-year-old spirit. The small-batch 15- year old, which Forbes magazine has dubbed “the single malt of rum,” has been reformulated, repacked and available in limited supply. “We decided to re-package the 15-year old blend for two reasons; first, the cost of the raw wooden pot still 15-year old component had increased significantly, and secondly, the column-stilled component of the blend previously supplied by Trinidad Distillers was no longer available to us when they made the strategic decision to stop exporting their aged rum stocks,” said Pussers’ CEO Gary Rogalski. “We replaced this component with a similar rum from Guyana, which was again significantly more expensive. This required an increase in the consumer price on what is arguably the best rum in the world; so we thought it deserved a bottle, label and display box more in sync with its ‘Crown Jewel’ stature.” Rogalski added that although the “chemistry” of the old and the new is exactly the same, the distillery’s sensory panelists, as well as most rum connoisseurs, have found the new version to be a tad less sweet than the old, and therefore better. The previous iteration of the 15-year old has won major, international awards including World Rum Awards. Given the rarity of the 15-year old wooden pot still stocks, we were only able to produce 3,000 cases of this product for worldwide distribution (1,000 U.S.,1,000 UK and 1,000 for the rest of Europe), so it is exceptionally rare,” added Rogalski. “We anticipate it will pick up where the previous 15- year old left off and take it to an even higher level.” It is imported domestically by Shaw Ross International Importers, LLC. Pusser’s Rum is produced in strict accordance with Admiralty blending specifications last used by the Royal Navy for issue to its fleet, a tradition which began in 1655 when it first served rum as its spirit of choice, with extra “tots” being offered before and after some of the most infamous battles in history. In massive wood pot stills, approaching 300 years old, Pusser’s continues to produce liquid history without the aid of flavoring agents and is 100 percent natural. Pusser’s Rum is highly decorated and has taken several gold medals in the highly acclaimed International Wine & Spirits Festival and the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Pusser’s Rum limited is a British Virgin Island Company with administrative offices in Charleston, South Carolina. http://pussersrum.com
SPEYSIDE- DICTADOR RUM
The Press and Journal newspaper in Northern Scotland reported the first spirit other than whisky to come out of Glenfarclas, one of Scotland’s oldest distilleries, has gone on sale at Harrods for £1,300 a bottle. Glenfarclas Distillery, at Ballindalloch on Speyside, imported the rum from South America under an innovative partnership with Colombian company Dictador. It was then stored in whisky casks to give it the Glenfarclas twist that Callum Fraser, the distillery’s production manager, was looking for. The first batch of a 347-bottle production run of Dictador Glenfarclas 1972 Rum sold out quickly, despite the hefty price tag. “It’s pretty special stuff,” said Mr. Fraser, who joined Glenfarclas owner J&G Grant in December 2012 having already clocked up more than 20 years in the whisky industry. J&G Grant had no plans to diversify from whisky until it was approached by Dictador, which makes rum in Cartagena on Columbia’s Caribbean coast, and also produces coffee and cigars. Dictador was looking for suitable partners for its pioneering 2 masters project, which is marrying the rum to premier brands of whisky, Cognac, Champagne, Armagnac and French wine to create unique expressions. It is the first time a spirit other than whisky has left the old Scottish distillery, which was founded in 1836. Since 1865, the operation has been owned and run by just one family – the Grants – who acquired it for about £512. The distillery is now in the hands of the fifth and sixth generations of the family. John Grant, who joined Glenfarclas in 1973, is the current chairman. His son, George, is director of sales. The distillery is producing about 480,000 gallons of single malt whisky a year on average, though it has made more. Most of the whisky is exported, with Germany, Taiwan and the US among its biggest markets amid steadily growing global demand. Glenfarclas is one of only a few distilleries in Scotland to remain family owned and managed. Mr. Fraser said it was also the only whisky maker relying 100% on direct fired stills. The time-honored production skills at Glenfarclas are a big draw for the 18,000-20,000 people who flock to its visitor center every year. www.dictador.com, www.glenfarclas.com
SOGGY DOLLAR RUM
Tucked away in White Bay on the British Virgin island of Jost Van Dyke, Soggy Dollar is the birthplace of the original painkiller rum drink. The bar is famous among Caribbean travelers for its unblemished casual vibe and pristine white sand dock-free beach. Patrons swim from their boats and spend a few Soggy Dollars enjoying this ideal concoction of flavors and atmosphere. The perfect escape from reality. now they have their own rums to make Painkillers. Their Old Dark Rum is aged to perfection and triple distilled with sugar molasses, vanilla, and caramel aged in oak cask for a smooth rich flavor and deep golden color. Their Island Spiced Rum is born from their smooth dark rum, infused with a secret blend of oak, vanilla, coconut, pineapple, orange, nutmeg and other native spices. https://www. soggydollarrum.comm
SEBAGO LAKE DISTILLERY
Sebago Lake Distillery has announced that its Spider Island Rum has won a coveted gold medal at the 2018 Artisan Spirits Awards. Artisan Awards is an annual competition that showcases spirits from around the world, made in the traditional way, by people who truly love what they do, craftsmen, creating rare, handmade, organic, single barrel products that keep consistency year after year. Artisan Awards employs experts in each category to judge through blind tastings of each product submitted. Dan Davis, head distiller at Sebago Lake, told Chilled magazine “We believe the passion that we have shared since our dream first took shape is evident in every drop of Sebago Lake Rums. We are honored that the Artisan Awards recognize this passion and dedication in our Spider Island Rum. Winning a gold medal is a testament to our commitment to consistently producing and delivering outstanding rums.” He describes Spider Island Spice Rum as their boldest offering yet. This rum is molasses forward and, like a very old whisk(e)y, finishes with a wee bit of heat on the fat part of your tongue. Great for sipping by a smoky campfire and tough enough to go a few rounds with your favorite mixer. In addition to Spider Island, Sebago Lake offers three other rums. Their Original Rum is crafted in small batches right there in Maine and they use only the finest natural ingredients that they can find. A blend of five carefully selected aromatics and a special caramel infusion give original rum its distinctive color and amazingly fragrant notes. Their Kopi Coffee Rum uses some of their finest rum as a base and then adds custom roasted Indonesian Sumatra for a subtle coffee flavor that is intended not to cover up the rum, but to simply enhance it. Sebago’s Portland Rum has all the oaky goodness of old Bourbon, some spiciness from the rye that formerly inhabited these barrels, and the full mouthfeel and caramel goodness you would expect from this 100% pot still rum. www.sebagolakedistillery.com
---Article written by Mike Kunetka---
