"Got Rum?" Magazine
Rum in the News
The most recent and noteworthy headlines in the rum industry, written by Mike Kunetka and published monthly in the "Got Rum?" magazine. To share your news with our readers, please send an email to Mike@gotrum.com
BACARDI
Bacardi has released a ready-made version of the Coquito, the famed Puerto Rican holiday libation. This limited edition offering includes signature Bacardi Superior white rum with toasted spices, coconut cream, vanilla, and cinnamon. Bacardi president Ned Duggan told FOX Business’ Stuart Varney that Bacardi wanted to pay tribute to its island roots. “Here in the U.S., we have eggnog; in the Caribbean islands, they have Coquito,” Duggan said. “Generations of people will pass down Coquito recipes from generation to generation. They’re very proud of it.” In other news, Bacardi recently partnered with Duty Free Americas to launch a maturation-focused pop-up at Miami International Airport. The goal of the travel boutique was to educate consumers about the brand’s aging processes, and give travelers the chance to sample Bacardi-based cocktails, taste spirits in the brand’s range and personalize gifts. The campaign’s core message ‘Aged under the Caribbean sun’ was brought to life with a multi-sensory campaign located in the center of the terminal, attracting travelers to explore the integrity behind Bacardí’s premium rum portfolio. The portfolio spans a range of aged variants including Bacardí Cuatro (4yo), Bacardí Ocho (8yo), Bacardí Diez (10yo) and the travel retail exclusive Bacardí Gran Reserva Especial (16yo). https://www.bacardi.com/
FAIRMOUNT ORIGIN OF SPIRITS TOUR
Fairmont’s new series of destination packages allow unprecedented access to the origins of the world’s most popular spirits. Hosted in partnership with AirSprint Private Aviation, the “Origin of Spirits” travel collection leverages the convenience of private aviation to take guests into hard-to-reach locations, from island hopping in the Caribbean and Atlantic, to the agave fields of Mexico, to discover a whole new world of cocktail culture. Guests will sip, savor and sleep in the ultimate luxury and comfort at iconic Fairmont properties around the world, while embarking on exclusive experiences only Fairmont and AirSprint can deliver. The Ultimate Rum Run allows you and seven of your closest friends to a one-of-a-kind Caribbean adventure exploring the rum cultures of Barbados and Bermuda. It is a celebration of the vital role both islands have played as creators, innovators and pioneers in the rum trade. Curated especially and exclusively for you, your package can include such unforgettable moments and experiences as: Private jet travel on-board one of AirSprint’s Legacy 450s, the only way to fly directly between Barbados and Bermuda; Premium Beachfront Suite at Fairmont Royal Pavilion in Barbados, including butler service, daily buffet breakfast and Platinum Airport Arrival Fast Track; Suite, Penthouse or Duplex in Fairmont Gold, Fairmont’s most exclusive luxury offering, at Fairmont Southampton in Bermuda; Exclusive tour exploring the 350-year history and provenance of St. Nicholas Abbey Rum, including an in-depth look at how one of the finest rums in the world is produced and private tour of one of only three Jacobean mansions left in the western hemisphere; Chef’s tasting dinner at the 330-year-old Waterlot Inn, hand-paired by the master distillers at Goslings with Goslings Papa Seal, the heritage producer’s very limited edition (only 12 barrels!), hand bottled, hand labeled prestige expression; Private Rum Blending Session, in which master mixologists share with you their time-honored techniques of blending rums, herbs and flavors to create your very own rum; an exploration of the fragrance of rum, a perfumery pairing experience and lunch with Lili Bermuda Perfumery; Fairmont Royal Pavilion’s Jet Lag Rum Massage, which will soothe away the stresses of your long flight away using rum-infused herbs in Barbados, while the 2 hour Royal Poinciana Sensation at Fairmont; and Private chartered catamaran cruise with on-board chef and rum tastings. One of three destination packages in “The Origin of Spirits” travel collection, “The Ultimate Rum Run” can be personalized for eight travelers at a rate starting at $185,000. https://www.fairmont.com/americas/origin-of-spirits
ST. LUCIA DISTILLERS
SPIRIBAM Fine Rum Specialists has launched the pre-sale in the United States of bottles harvested from one of the rare Chairman’s Reserve Master Selection barrels. From this unique barrel selected by SPIRIBAM, 168 bottles were released on SPIRIBAM’s online store. This rum was distilled from molasses on the John Dore 1 pot still in 2000 and has been tropically aged for 19 years in an ex-Bourbon cask. The proof is 53.1% and there are no additives. This extremely rare cask is one of the only ones of its kind in the world and roughly mimics the flavor profile of the original Mai Tai rum, Wray and Nephew 17 Year, the Holy Grail of the rum world. St. Lucia Distillers was formed in 1972 when the last two rum distilleries merged to preserve the rum-making heritage of the island. Laurie Barnard assumed responsibilities of St. Lucia Distillers and began installing components of his vision for St. Lucia rum, which included new fermentations, varieties of stills, and several unique barrels to blend a myriad of distillates and maturates. It wasn’t until 1999 when Laurie Barnard introduced Chairman’s Reserve Rum, that Saint Lucia finally had its ambassador to the global premium rum market and re-established Saint Lucia’s rum heritage. http://www.saintluciarums.com/
USA TODAY’S BEST CARIBBEAN DISTILLERIES
In their annual USA TODAY 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards, readers were asked to vote for the Best Caribbean Rum Distilleries. The winners might surprise you; remember, these are travel awards. In First Place, Voters chose Topper’s Rhum from Sint Maarten. Topper’s is a family affair for Topper and Melanie Daboul and famous for their unusual flavors like Banana Vanilla Cinnamon, White Chocolate Raspberry, Strawberry Jalapeno and Peanut Butter Banana. Second Place was Brugal Rum from the Dominican Republic. Brugal has been distilling since 1888 in Puerto Plata, where the warehouses that are positioned north to south making the most of the Dominican sun. Third Place went to Casa Bacardi in Puerto Rico. Cruzan in St. Croix came in fourth. Next came the Cadushy Distillery in Bonaire, known for their spiced rum and Island Liqueurs. In sixth place was Clarke’s Court from Grenada and in seventh place was John Waitling’s Distillery from the Bahamas. In eighth place was River Antoine from Grenada, famous for being the Caribbean’s oldest functioning water-powered distillery. Next came St. Nicolas Abbey from Barbados and finally Mount Gay Rum, also from Barbados. https://www.10best.com/awards/travel/
LA HECHICERA
La Hechicera has released Serie Experimental No. 1, a blend of rums aged 12 to 21 years in American white oak barrels and finished in Muscat wine casks. But there is more to the story. The tale begins when Miguel Riascos Senior filled 16 rum barrels with his favorite wine, Muscat. The barrels were forgotten about until his son, Miguel Riascos Junior, found them 12 years later. As a result of maturing in the hot climate of Barranquilla, the liquid in the barrels had notes of walnut, prunes and leather. Riascos Junior then emptied the barrels and filled them with rum aged between 12 and 21 years, which were left to age for several more months. “This type of innovation is part of an ongoing effort by our master blender Giraldo Mituoka Kagana to create the best possible liquids and to highlight La Hechicera’s versatility and scope. Behind every successful blend there are many blends that never see the light of day and, even though they are amazing in their own right, they are not replicable. What we have set out to do is very openly share those ‘experiments’ and those stories with our customers and consumers, said Riascos Junior, managing director and co-founder of La Hechicera. http://www.lahechicera.co/
DISCARDED BANANA PEEL RUM
William Grant & Sons has introduced a new rum infused with banana peels. Discarded Banana Peel Rum uses Caribbean rum that has been used to prepare empty whisky casks for final maturation, which is typically sold off or even disposed of, and infuses banana peels sourced from a flavor house that usually disposes them. The peels are recovered to dry out and ferment, before being steeped in alcohol for two weeks. Finally, the rum and banana peel extract are joined together for another two days to complete the blending process. Tom Stannard, Global Marketing Manager of Innovation at William Grant & Sons, said: “It’s exciting to see how consumers and bartenders have engaged with Discarded so far. When developing the rum, we wanted to maintain the magic of reuse whilst credibly expanding into a new category. The best way to describe the flavor is liquid banana bread, distinctive yet comforting. It’s perfect in a Rum Old Fashioned or a Daiquiri.” This is the second item in their sustainability portfolio, following the success of its Discarded Sweet Cascara Vermouth, a vermouth using the discarded fruit of the coffee berry. https://www.discardedspirits.com/
RON MATUSALEM
Ron Matusalem has launched a new Solera aged rum called Ron Matusalem Insolito Wine Cask. “We used a base of our selected rums, then aged for three years in single use Tempranillo single barrels,” said Cynthia Vargas, master blender of Ron Matusalem. The liquid was then married with Matusalem Gran Reserva 15. Insolito comes in an elegant bottle and is salmon pink in color. This single cask rum will be positioned at a price point between the flagship Matusalem Gran Reserva 15 Solera and the Matusalem Gran Reserva 23. https://www.matusalem.com/
CARIBBEAN JOURNAL BEST RUMS OF 2019
Last month I told you about the winners in the Caribbean Rum Awards, a rum festival held in Saint Barth. In addition to co-sponsoring that event, the Caribbean Journal also runs its own Best Rums of 2019 event. The 2019 judging was conducted at Empire Social in Miami, with a team of rum experts tasting an enviable group of world-class rums, whittled down from several hundred sampled by the Rum Journal team over the course of the year across the Caribbean. The Rum of the Year 2019 was Goslings Papa Seal Bermuda Rum, a mix of pot and column-still rums brought to the Atlantic region and aged in Bermuda for more than 15 years in ex-bourbon barrels. The Rhum Agricole of the Year 2019 was Rhum Neisson Vintage 2003 Cuvee Sacha. Master distiller Gregory Vernant’s newest cuvee, the Sacha, named after his son, is a masterwork, a 2003 vintage that’s a full-proof, single-cask stunner. Best New Rum of 2019 was Admiral Rodney Royal Oak, a blend of twin-column Coffey-still rums from seven to 12 years aged in ex-bourbon barrels. Best New Rhum Agricole of 2019 was La Favorite Privilege pour Lulu, named after Lucienne Dormoy, the mother of the owners of the distillery. It is a spectacular blend of rums aged between 10 and 20 years in oak barrels. Best White Rhum Agricole of 2019 went to Rhum Bologne La Coulisse, a refined white rum made from black cane grown on one of the oldest areas of the Bologne plantation. Best Spiced Rum of 2019 was Clifton Estate Rum, a handmade, small-batch rum that gets its flavors exclusively from natural ingredients added to a two-year-old aged rum. Best Overproof Rum of 2019 was Rum Fire, Jamaica, a high-ester, overproof rum bottled at 63 degrees. Rhum A1710 won Rum Company of the Year. Yves Assier began with a small plantation and a dream, but in just a few short years Martinique’s Rhum A1710 has become one of the most beloved small-production rums. https://www.caribjournal.com/
HERCULES MULLIGAN RUM AND RYE
Flaviar, a subscription club for spirits enthusiasts, has teamed up with spirits industry veteran, Steve Luttmann, to create Hercules Mulligan, a unique blend of Caribbean rum and American rye inspired by the unsung Revolutionary War hero Hercules Mulligan. “Hercules Mulligan’s story deserves to be told. Operating in the shadows, he was a hero of the American Revolution, brave enough to take a stand against the injustices he saw in the world and risk his life more than once to save our founding fathers,” said Luttmann. “Deploying all the tools at his disposal, including his Irish wit, off-the-cuff style, and secret stash of liquor, Mulligan seamlessly elicited secrets from the British military. He is the unsung hero of the time and this liquid pays homage to his independent spirit.” Hercules Mulligan Rum + Rye is based on a historic recipe from the revolutionary era and is a 50:50 blend of three Caribbean aged rums from Jamaica and Guyana and three rye whiskeys. Fresh, organic, ginger root is macerated in the rum and rye blend, and a splash of bitters is added, ensuring this liberating libation can be enjoyed on the rocks as a ready-made Old Fashioned, perfect for the holiday season. “The rum and rye blend in Hercules Mulligan is a slight departure from Flaviar’s current offerings and is the first time we’re introducing the idea of a ready-made Old-Fashioned,” said Grisa Soba, co-founder of Flaviar and master blender of Hercules Mulligan. “Today’s consumer is looking for convenience without sacrificing taste and quality. When unexpected guests arrive, Hercules Mulligan saves the day, by providing a premium, quality and elevated drinking experience. This unique, complex blend, that once loosened lips, has been tailored to appeal to the taste buds of today’s generation, which has embraced the convergence of spirits categories and blurred lines of convention.” https://www.herculesmulligancompany.com/
