February 2020 - Rum In the News

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                                SALCOMBE DISTILLING

English gin producer Salcombe Distilling has released its first rum, a cask-aged spirit called Wolf Rock, named after an iconic nautical landmark at the entrance to Salcombe’s estuary in Southeast England. Wolf Rock marks the beginning and end of the 19th century voyages of the Salcombe Fruiters. Famous for carrying fresh fruits and spices back from exotic lands, the locally built 19th century Salcombe Fruiters often ventured to the West Indies to acquire a much sweeter and more potent payload; sugar, molasses and rum.  In the tropical Caribbean heat, puncheons or hogsheads of this rich spirit were carefully stowed on board these ships and surrounded by coconuts to protect the precious cargo during their perilous journey back across the Atlantic. Wolf Rock Rum has been lovingly crafted with gently fermented first-rate molasses, unrefined sugar, a blend of yeasts and distilled on traditional 60 liter hand beaten copper pot stills. Salcombe’s rum has no sugar added after distillation, nor is it darkened by the addition of extra coloring. This result is an exceptional rum with a light golden color and a natural sweetness. Salcombe Distilling Co’s co-founder Howard Davies told Baar Magazine “We’re extremely excited to launch this small batch limited edition rum. The release draws inspiration from the Salcombe Fruit Schooners and is the culmination of a passion for fine spirits and a long-held desire of mine and of our master distiller Jason Nickels to ferment and distill an exceptional rum right here in Salcombe. We’re thrilled with Wolf Rock and can’t wait to give others the opportunity to try this very limited-edition release of ours.” https://www.salcombegin.com/

                                           APPLETON

The Jamaica Gleaner announced the limited release of a rum dubbed Journey, a blend of Appleton rums aged between 23 and 35 years. The blend will only be available in Jamaica at Appleton’s Nassau Valley location, in St Elizabeth. Master Blender, Joy Spence, told the Gleaner “We have rationed the purchase of the bottles, and persons who need to buy it will have to come to the estate to get it. It is not available in Kingston. We decided that we wanted to make small batches of rum, limited edition rums that would only be available at the Joy Spence Appleton Estate Rum Experience. So, for you to purchase a bottle you have to take the journey to the Appleton Estate. It is made from very rare, old rums that Appleton has in stock. The youngest rum in that blend had to sit in the barrel for a minimum of 23 years; the oldest rum in it is 35 years. The blend opens up with the Appleton Estate trademark delicate orange peel top note (aroma) complemented with beautiful spice, wrapped in caramelized pear. The finish, which is the taste, is warm vanilla, hazelnut, coffee and lingering layers on almond and warm oak. This rum is perfect just for having it neat or probably with a few pieces of ice. So, it is not to be mixed with anything; it is a sipping rum. Put it neat, just like you would have fine whisky. We called it Journey to pay homage to all the visitors who have made this long journey to come to the Appleton Estate Rum Experience to learn about the history of Appleton Estate and the history of Appleton Estate Jamaica rum.” Spence said there will be more rums in the Journey series, which will be released each year, the next of them in 2021. http://www.appletonestate.com/

                                        PUSSERS RUM

For more than three centuries of Royal Navy tradition, sailors aboard their ships were issued a daily ration or “tot” of rum from the ship’s “Purser,” known affectionately by its sailors as the “Pusser.”  Hence, it was the “Pusser’s Rum.”  To this day, Pusser’s Rum, one of the world’s most historic and traditional rums, is still bottled and blended to specifications last used by the Royal Navy when the issue was discontinued on July 31, 1970, now known as Black Tot Day.

In recognition of the 50th Anniversary of Black Tot Day, Pusser’s Rum is releasing its Limited Edition 50th Anniversary Rum, a special combination of aged Trinidad and Guyana rums blended at 54.5% ABV (109 Proof) and to the exact specification used by the Admiralty when it discontinued the issue.  The rum is a product of five stills, three in Guyana and two in Trinidad. The award-winning taste of this blend is heavily influenced by distillate from the vintage Greenheart double wooden pot still originally constructed at the Port Mourant Estate which was first placed in service in 1732.  http://pussersrum.com/

                                          EL DORADO

The Demerara Distillers distillery uses a number of unique historical stills, all of which originate from various sugar plantations in Guyana. With these historical stills, Demerara Distillers is one of the few producers of rum that has the distinctive capacity to create unique rums and to provide them with different rum marques (types). The traditional way of blending at Demerara Distillers is “blending after aging, where the rum first ripens in the barrel, before being mixed into a beautiful rum by the Master Blender. In contrast to this traditional way, El Dorado’s “Blended in the Barrel” range offers a unique opportunity to experience a non-traditional way of blending. The individual marques are in fact mixed immediately after distillation and then aged as a blend. All four different expressions are aged in ex-Bourbon barrels under tropical conditions in the Demerara warehouses in Guyana. Bottling for barrel strength is also done in Guyana. This unique series is non-chill filtered to preserve all unique and individual flavor profiles as much as possible. The four different expressions in the “Blended in the Barrel” series, all based on individual rum marques from the different historical stills, are:

  • El Dorado Port Mourant/Uitvlugt 2010 LIMITED EDITION.
  • El Dorado Uitvlugt/Enmore 2008 LIMITED EDITION.
  • El Dorado Diamond/Port Mourant 2010 LIMITED EDITION.
  • El Dorado Port Mourant/Uitvlugt/Diamond 2010 LIMITED EDITION

https://theeldoradorum.com/

                                         KOLOA RUM

Koloa has released it latest Reserve rum. Koloa Kaua’I Reserve 12-Barrel Select is artfully crafted in single batches, distilled from the finest Hawaiian sugarcane, then carefully aged for at least 4 years in select charred American white oak barrels at their distillery in Kalaheo, Kaua’i. The 12-barrel batch yields approximately 3500 bottles, each of which is carefully inspected and numbered to ensure the Kaua’i Reserve Aged Rum is of the highest quality, distinctly different, and uniquely Hawaiian. https://koloarum.com/

                CUBA LIBRE RESTAURANT & RUM BAR

Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar will be doing its part to come to the aid of Puerto Ricans struggling in the wake of another natural disaster, a 6.4 magnitude earthquake and several aftershocks that hit the island last month.  The Philadelphia-based restaurant group will provide patrons with the opportunity to support earthquake relief efforts by “rounding up” their purchases to the nearest dollar (or more) when using a credit or debit card. The restaurant will include an extra line at the bottom of their guests’ lunch, brunch and dinner checks where patrons can donate to Hispanic Federation (HF), the nation’s premier Latino nonprofit organization that works to promote the well-being of the Latino community. And on Sundays during the campaign, Cuba Libre will match guests’ donations to the charity. https://hispanicfederation.org https://www.CubaLibreRestaurant.com

                                     BUNDABERG RUM

Bundaberg Rum has donated AU $500,000 to the Australian Red Cross to support communities affected by the horrific wildfires raging across the country. The money will go to the Red Cross Disaster Relief and Recovery Fund, which supports evacuation centers in affected areas, provides emergency assistance, offers psychological first aid to reduce trauma, and supports volunteers working on behalf of the charity. The Bundaberg Distillery, in Queensland, Australia, is acutely aware that the road to recovery is long”, as it has suffered through two fires at the distillery. Bundaberg, in a Facebook post, said “The last few months have been tough for our beautiful country and for so many in its rural and regional communities. We’re donating $500,000 to the Australian Red Cross Disaster Relief and Recovery Fund to support its efforts in aiding these resilient communities impacted by the bushfires who need it today, tomorrow and in the months ahead on their road to recovery. Every Australian is heartbroken over what we’ve lost in these fires, but at the same time, the Australian culture of mateship has shown hope in the face of the harshest adversity.” https://www.bundabergrum.com.au/

                             DESTILERIA SERRALLÉS

Destilería Serrallés was hit with a number of earthquakes and subsequent tremors that hit the south of the island of Puerto Rico last month. After a thorough investigation, it was determined that the distillery suffered no damage. “With no significant issues detected, we reactivated our rum production and shipments to our local clients, as well as to those in the US and other export markets,” the company’s Senior VP of manufacturing, Silvia Santiago, told Just Drinks. “We will continue to inspect our facilities to ensure the safety of our employees and operations. Our barrels and stored rums were spared from any damage.” Serrallés’ CEO, Philippe Brechot, added: “We extend our solidarity to communities and families facing hardships at this time and appreciate the concern and support of our clients, distributors, employees and collaborators both locally and around the world. At Destilería Serrallés, we reaffirm our commitment with our local communities in Puerto Rico, a commitment that spans six generations over 150 years. Our emergency relief brigades, Somos Millones de Quijotes, have also been activated to provide direct relief aid with our team of employees and volunteers throughout communities in Ponce and neighboring municipalities.” The company has identified local non-profit organizations with which to collaborate, defining services to be provided and the specific communities to assist in Ponce and surrounding municipalities. The main priority is ensuring the funds provide direct aid to needy communities with utmost efficiency and transparency. https://donq.com/

                                         ANGOSTURA

The Trinidad Daily Express published an article stating that rum and bitters producer, Angostura Holdings Ltd, has a new CEO, South African Peter Sandström. The company’s website had announced that “Having received the required statutory approval on January 8, 2020, Mr. Peter Sandström has been appointed as chief executive officer of Angostura Holdings Ltd with effect from January 13, 2020.”  Sandstrom’s career in the alcoholic beverage industry spans over 18 years, including time at Maxxium UK Ltd and the Harviestoun Brewey. Sandström’s appointment comes nearly a year after the controversial departure of Angostura’s former CEO Genevieve Jodhan. The newspaper reports that Jodhan resigned effective April 4, 2019, after negotiating an agreed exit package from the company. Prior to her departure, she had been on leave for six months pending the outcome of an internal investigation into the award of contracts to three security firms and a construction company, without board approval. In November 2018, the matter became the subject of an audit when the head of the company’s audit department called in accounting firm, Price Waterhouse Coopers, to investigate contracts to four companies, three of which were engaged in security and the fourth in construction. The contracts were authorized by Jodhan while she was out of office completing a six-week, company-paid course at Harvard University. http://www.angostura.com/

                                       SANTA TERESA

Reuters broke the news that rum distiller Ron Santa Teresa has launched Venezuela’s first public share offering in 11 years, citing rare optimism that the socialist-ruled nation may see an economic transition similar to China and the Soviet Union. One of Venezuela’s best-known brands, Santa Teresa, which exports via an alliance with Bermuda-based Bacardi Ltd., sold an initial 1 million shares on Friday. It was the firm’s first in a series of offers of bolivar-denominated shares hoped to raise the equivalent of a modest $3 million this year. Company president Alberto Vollmer compared the sale, the first public share offering since 2008 on the diminished Caracas bourse, to the re-opening of the Shanghai Stock Exchange 30 years ago that helped revive China’s economy. Another Venezuelan company, real estate developer Fondo de Valores Inmobiliarios (FIV), also plans a share issue this year, according to its president, Horacio Velutini. The two men belong to an informal group known as “Optimists Anonymous” made up of 39 corporate leaders, bankers and investors who think businesses will become profitable again as President Nicolas Maduro will not be able to reverse his opening of the ailing economy. Last year, the government unexpectedly relaxed 15 years of stringent economic regulations, abandoning enforcement of price controls and allowing dollar transactions in the face of runaway inflation and U.S. sanctions. The Santa Teresa and FIV bosses’ views contrast with the rest of the business establishment, the political opposition, and U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration, all of whom maintain the economy cannot fully recover with Maduro in power. “When we sit down with authorities, or businesses, or trade unions, we tell them that Venezuela’s economic recovery will involve (share offerings),” Vollmer told Reuters. “We’re taking the first step, let’s see who follows.” Vollmer led a ceremony at a Caracas roof bar on Friday, where attendants toasted with glasses of rum, to celebrate the sale of shares that will finance the expansion of warehouses and the acquisition of new barrels to age their spirits. Investors included Venezuelans living in country and abroad. https://www.santateresarum.com/