Rum in the News
TWO DRIFTERS RUM
Two Drifters Rum is now available for pre-purchase on all short and long-haul British Airways flights via the airline’s High Life Shop. Starting in March, the rum distillery will also make the miniatures of its Two Drifters Signature Rum available to purchase onboard in the Speedbird Café for passengers to enjoy during flights. Gemma Wakeham, Two Drifters CMO, told Spirit Business, “We’re thrilled to be working with a major British airline. It’s really exciting to have our premium, British-made rum onboard the planes of such an important airline, showing that great rum doesn’t have to cost the Earth.” In order to ensure that it maintains its goal for remaining carbon negative, the Devon-based Two Drifters Distillery has placed a carbon tax on its products through a partnership with Climeworks, which specializes in carbon removal through carbon-capturing technologies. All of the energy supply at the distillery is on a renewable-only tariff through the grid; specifically, there are no emissions associated with energy production, not even bio-fuels are used. The energy make up is a mixture of wind, tidal, solar and nuclear energy. This reduces the carbon footprint of the distillery by around a third compared to most other distilleries. Two Drifters Rum is made from molasses, yeast, water and nutrients, that are fermented for seven days with a portion of dunder from the last fermentation. The rums go through two distillations on a pot still and the Pure White Rum includes rum distilled a third time in a column still. Current products include: Signature Rum, Pure White Rum, Lightly Spiced Rum and Overproof Spiced Pineapple Rum. https://twodriftersrum.com/
HAVANA CLUB
The traditional knowledge held by Cuba’s light rum Masters has been added to UNESCO’s list of intangible heritage, a prestigious designation that recognizes a tradition dating back eight generations on the island. The candidacy came to the Committee with an unfavorable recommendation from the evaluation group, based on technical aspects of the file, which suggested returning it to the country, but members of the body made up of 24 Unesco States, led by Brazil- promoted an independent solution in the form of an amendment, supported by the clarification of doubts by the Cuban delegation. “It is a recognition of the generations of Cuban rum masters and of the tradition of Cuban rum,” said Rum Master Asbel Morales. The island’s first Master Rum Makers honed their skills near Santiago de Cuba in the eastern part of the island around 1862. Today, they are scattered throughout the Caribbean nation in local rum distilleries. Generation upon generation of light rum makers have transmitted the secrets of the distillation process to their successors. In their submission to the United Nations’ culture body UNESCO, the Cuban distillers said “master knowledge is more than just a group of abilities,” and even incorporates moral strictures about public and private conduct. Master Rum Makers also know “its history and its good practices, going beyond brand names and marketing.” Today there are 14 Master Rum Makers in Cuba: three “First Masters,” seven “Masters” and four Apprentices. For a long time an exclusively male domain, the craft has gradually become more inclusive, today with two female “Masters” and three female Apprentices. Almost all the members of this guild have studied chemistry, but they also must have rigorous taste and smell training, and long years of experience. In total, a decade of training and practice is required to become a Master Rum Maker. “Rum is not only a spirit, but also an important part of our cultural expression. It represents an important part of our culture,” said Morales, who has been a Master since 1993. Master Rum Makers know “the content and history of every cask, cask rotations or repairs, and (know) which mixes produce certain aroma, color and body,” the UNESCO submission said. https://havana-club.com/
FIGHT AGAINST A TAX INCREASE ON GLASS
BOTTLES IN THE CARIBBEAN
Barbados Loop Caribbean News reported that CARICOM rum producers are fighting an orchestrated initiative to increase taxes on imported glass bottles. They maintain that these changes could make importing glass bottles more expensive for them and a number of other players in the manufacturing sector, including small entrepreneurs, and therefore reduce the competitiveness of manufacturers across the entire region. Rum producers belonging to the West Indies Rum and Spirits Producers Association (WIRSPA), recently met to discuss this and other topical issues affecting the industry.
Spearheaded by the Caribbean Private Sector Organization (CPSO), the initiatives were presented to Caricom Trade Ministers as a way of promoting regional production of glass bottles. “We’re concerned that the move to increase taxes will facilitate the formation of a monopoly situation where the supply of bottles to the market will be controlled by the sole regional supplier of glass bottles. There is a real danger that for export products, this could cause a relocation of value-added bottling operations overseas and the loss of regional jobs,” says Komal Samaroo, Chairman of WIRSPA and head of the Guyanese conglomerate, Demerara Distillers. “The irony of this proposal is that we as an industry are already buying all the glass packaging the Trinidad-based regional supplier is able to supply, and several producers have had to resort to importing glass because that supplier cannot meet demand, or because of quality problems. Additionally, as an export-oriented industry operating at the premium and super-premium end of the market, we require bespoke and unique designs for our bottles in order to remain competitive,” added Samaroo. The rum producers have confirmed that they already do significant business with the Ansa McAl owned glass supplier but have been forced to import standard glass bottles due to an inability of the regional supplier to meet orders in a timely fashion. The position of the rum industry is also supported by the other large users of glass in the region, including the beer and soft drink industries, which all together employ thousands of workers across their operations. https://caricom.org/,https://www.wirspa.com/
RUMS OF PUERTO RICO WIN LOCAL EMMY AWARD
Rums of Puerto Rico, a program run by the Department of Economic Development and Commerce (DDEC, in Spanish), won a Regional Suncoast Emmy Award in the “Documentary Topical” category for its “Sounds of the Rum Capital” documentary. “When two of Puerto Rico’s greatest strengths, music and rum production, merge, these wonderful things happen,” said Maité Jordán, Director of the Rums of Puerto Rico Program. “At the Department of Economic Development and Commerce, we set out to achieve great things for Puerto Rico, and this documentary is proof of that. We thank everyone who was part of this project including our Puerto Rican artists and distillery owners.”
“Sounds of the Rum Capital” was shot entirely in film format, with local talent and under the direction of Producer Paco López and his company, No Limit Entertainment. More than 150 people were part of the development of this project including producers, logistics coordinators, technical crew, assembly, and artists among others. The 35-minute documentary presents a tour of the process of making a world-class rum, through images of the 10 distilleries on the island, as well as emblematic and historically important places, accompanied by the music of important figures of Puerto Rican music. El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, with its song “Sin salsa no hay paraíso,” added flavor to the tour of Casa Bacardí in Cataño. Singer-songwriter Pedro Capó, with his song “Day by Day,” framed the tour of the Hacienda Santa Ana in Bayamón, the place where Ron Del Barrilito is created. While singer Kany García performed “Mi dueña” from the emblematic Castillo Serrallés in Ponce, reggaetón artist Wisin rounded out the lineup with “Que viva la vida,” from the Cuartel de Ballajá Old San Juan. https://rumcapital.pr.gov/, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23USXZPl0RU
CASA BACARDI PUERTO RICO
Casa BACARDÍ Puerto Rico, the brand home of the world’s most awarded rum and one of the most popular tourist destinations on the island, welcomes Gabriel “Gabe” Solano as General Manager, responsible for the complete visitor experience. The visitor center, located just outside San Juan, Puerto Rico, showcases mixology, stories about the rich history of the Bacardi family and brand, and an insider’s view of the unique production process for the world’s most awarded rum. Gabriel is a hospitality professional, with more than 15 years of management experience in food and beverage, leading teams at some of the finest hotels and institutions in the industry including the Edition in Times Square, the Mandarin Oriental in New York City, and the W in Washington, D.C. Solano graduated from the University of Delaware, where he began his journey in hospitality as a barman, igniting his passion for crafting cocktails and bringing people together with unique drinks experiences. “The call to helm Casa BACARDÍ is an aspiration actualized. I’m thrilled to reconnect with my Puerto Rican roots and contribute to the success of Casa BACARDÍ and its impact in the surrounding community” says Gabriel. “I look forward to applying my experience in luxury food and beverage to ensure this iconic brand home continues to share its rich history in exciting, new ways and remains a world-class destination for years to come.” “For us at Bacardi, it’s a privilege to create memorable moments for our guests while sharing unique stories over delicious cocktails at our beautiful campus,” says Thibault Ruffat. “Under Gabe’s leadership, Casa BACARDÍ will continue to focus on outstanding spirits tourism experiences and sharing the legacy of the iconic BACARDÍ rum with visitors from across the globe.” www.casabacardi.com
WEST INDIES RUM DISTILLERY
The West Indies Rum Distillery (WIRD) team received three awards at the recent inaugural Export Barbados Awards 2022 ceremony, the most awarded company that night. Their honors included the Prime Minister’s Award, the Certificate of Excellence, and the Bio-Economy Award. Hosted under the theme ‘Rewarding Resilience, Igniting Innovation,’ by Master of Ceremonies Gaynelle Marshall, and attended by several Ministers, the awards celebrated the sterling work of exporters and encouraged them to keep striving for excellence both in their businesses and for Barbados. Export Barbados recognized WIRD for the highest level of certified exports, as well as for producing more than 80 percent of the island’s rum. Andrew Hassell, WIRD Managing Director said, “Above all, we are incredibly proud of our team. Being recognized as the biggest rum exporter on the island, especially now, as WIRD is about to celebrate its 130th birthday makes us proud. For over a century, we have been distilling the best rum as possible in Barbados with our expert and passionate team, to receive this recognition now means a lot to a family business like ours.”
Hassell further shared the importance of exports for increasing Barbados’ visibility worldwide. “With Plantation and Stade’s Rum, we are bringing Barbados rum to more than 100 countries, on bars from New York to Paris to Shanghai! This is a source of pride for the team and for Barbados as every dollar we make is reinvested in our operations here on island.” This pride is what has motivated the WIRD team for generations. Don Benn, Master Distiller at WIRD, cited a team member who has been with WIRD for 40 years, following his father before him who worked with WIRD for almost 50 years. “In just their family alone, they have nearly 90 years of rum expertise. Receiving these honors from Export Barbados is testament to their dedication, and the dedication that will fuel us going forward.” https://www.instagram.com/westindiesrumdistillery/
BONAIRE RUM WEEK
If you’ve been to a rum festival, you’re familiar with the routine, a large indoor conference hall, crowded booths, typically thousands of miles from the Caribbean. But if you love rum, there is another option: Bonaire Rum Week.The Caribbean’s coolest new rum festival is back again for 2023, with a week of fantastic rum and culinary events on one of the region’s most exciting islands, with a focus on premium rum. This year’s Bonaire Rum Week, presented by Caribbean Journal, will run from June 12-16, 2023 with a full slate of rum tastings, beach parties, bartending seminars, rum-pairing dinners and cigar pairings. The event concludes June 16 with a new addition for 2023, when the island’s popular Taste of Bonaire culinary street fair joins forces with Bonaire Rum Week for a culinary fete with a sugarcane twist, set in the heart of Kralendijk. “The inaugural edition of Bonaire Rum Week was a tremendous success, and 2023 will be bigger and better,” said Alexander Britell, Editor and Publisher of Caribbean Journal, which organizes Bonaire Rum Week in collaboration with Tourism Corporation Bonaire. “After a successful first edition, we are happy to organize the second edition of the Bonaire Rum Week together with Caribbean Journal,” says Miles Mercera, CEO of Tourism Corporation Bonaire. “During this edition we hope to have more partners join, so that it can be an exciting week, where our locals and visitors can mingle while experiencing Bonaire’s culinary scene. The event shines a spotlight both on Bonaire’s burgeoning rum and cocktail culture and on its sizzling culinary scene, one with an enviable collection of restaurants. https://www.bonairerumweek.com/
NOVO FOGO
Novo Fogo, a rainforest preservation steward and producer of award-winning Brazilian sugarcane spirits and ready-to-drink cocktails, welcomes the Grammy-nominated dance music superstars SOFI TUKKER as equity partners in the company. Energetic music and colorful drinks shared among friends are key ingredients of life celebrations. SOFI TUKKER’s eponymous duo Sophie Hawley-Weld and Tucker Halpern will share the joy of Novo Fogo with SOFI TUKKER music-lovers known around the world as “The Freak Fam” and beyond. As Novo Fogo’s Chief Alegria Officers, (ChAOs) their areas of focus will include brand growth and strategy, product development and innovation, content creation and rainforest conservation initiatives. The duo was drawn to Novo Fogo by the brand’s reputation for environmental sustainability and lifestyle wellness, historical outliers in the spirits industry. Novo Fogo is a carbon-negative company and the only independent craft cachaça brand to wholly own its distillery and sugarcane fields. With a distillery located in the heart of Brazil’s coastal rainforest, conservation is a core principle of Novo Fogo’s mission. SOFI TUKKER’s partnership with Novo Fogo will allow the duo to directly participate in conservation initiatives like The Un-Endangered Forest™, the company’s reforestation project in Brazil to save 36 species of trees from extinction. SOFI TUKKER will join the Novo Fogo Tree-Keepers™, a network of celebrity minority owners who seek to build awareness of the project, including soccer legends Stefan Frei, Kasey Keller, and Marcus Hahnemann. SOFI TUKKER’s joyful sound is influenced by Brazilian music, initially shaped by Sophie’s time spent living in Rio de Janeiro, where she fell in love with Brazil’s people, culture, and music. Many of the band’s hit songs feature Portuguese lyrics and take direct references from Brazilian poetry. The duo says of the partnership: “We have a lot in common with Novo Fogo. We share a core love of Brazil, fun, and environmentalism. Cachaça is Tuck’s favorite drink and Soph doesn’t drink alcohol, but she’s still at the same party, both having the best time. This partnership works because Novo Fogo is so much more than cachaça and spirits; they are a powerful rainforest preservation steward, and we’re enthusiastic participants in the reforestation project The Un-Endangered Forest.” https://www.novofogo.com/, https://www.sofitukker.com/
CARRINGTON’S RUM CREAM
Tyrique Wilson, a 20-year-old University of the West Indies law student is the founder and owner of Carringtons Rum Cream, a Barbadian cream liqueur. It is based on a recipe by his grandfather, Hurlstone “Harold” Wilson, who passed away in 2016. Tyrique started the brand in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic at the age of 18. Wilson told Barbados Loop News “I played around with different types of entrepreneurial efforts. However, when the pandemic hit I realized that those types of businesses weren’t immune to such occurrences in the way that other areas could be. When I sat down and I started to think about what could I do, I realized the answer was right in front of me and that was the recipe my grandfather had always been making. So, in 2020, I took a couple months, I thought about and I developed the brand. I decided to take it up not only as a way to earn a living but equally as a way to honor him even though he is no longer with us,” Tyrique continued. Originally named Sunbury, the liqueur was rebranded on November 22, 2022 to Carringtons, where Tyrique grew up, Carrington’s Village, St Michael. In the span of two years, the demand for Carringtons has grown exponentially. This is quite the feat as he launched during the height of the pandemic. Tyrique shared that it wasn’t all smooth sailing. He was forced to stagger production in 2020 and 2021 because of the global shipping blockage, it was difficult to source bottles. But now their greatest challenge is fulfilling the growing demand - Carringtons original and coconut cream are a hit. https://drinkcarringtons.company.site/
DUPPY SHARE
Food & Drink International has reported that Duppy Share, the London-based Caribbean rum brand, has just completed a fundraising round of £2 million, recruiting a new set of investors. George Frost, the son of broadcasting legend Sir David Frost, founded Duppy Share Rum seven years ago and this year they will sell over 500,000 bottles or “just shy of 1,500,000 shots” as he puts it. Duppy Share is now the top selling premium rum in the UK. “If I think back to the beginning, when I had to persuade the 3 Fs (Friends, Family and Fools) that the rum revolution was coming, I was met with quite the reaction, from ‘surely you mean Gin’ to ‘but you don’t even run!’ If you had told me then that we would be where we are now – well, even my totally blind, naive and crazed optimism would not have equipped me to take you seriously,” says George Frost. https://www.theduppyshare.com/
