Rum in the News
July 2018' Rum in the News
RON DEL BARRILITO FIVE STAR RUM
Edmundo B. Fernandez, Inc. announced the worldwide launch in the coming weeks of Ron del Barrilito Five Stars. This is the first collectible edition of rum presented by Ron del Barrilito in more than 138 years, establishing a new era of the supreme quality of Puerto Rican rums. Approximately 2,500 bottles will be produced of this first edition and consists of a blend of aged rums in “Oloroso” white oak casks for up to 35 years, handmade with the same craftsmanship and tradition that has prevailed in this Puerto Rican brand since 1880. The first 200 bottles of Ron del Barrilito Five Stars will be presented in a wooden chest, handcrafted by Puerto Rican artisan Gil Rodríguez. Inside the chest will be an elegant, numbered bottle, maintaining the elements of the original label that have distinguished Ron del Barrilito, the oldest rum in Puerto Rico. Behind this historic creation is the original recipe and vision of the Fernández Family and the experience of another great Master Blender, M. Luis Planas, an industry veteran with more than 35 years of experience in crafting rums. “Ron del Barrilito is much more than a fine aged rum; this product is recognized and praised by rum and cognac connoisseurs worldwide as a true Puerto Rican treasure,” says Planas. “Ron del Barrilito Five Stars was conceived for the rum connoisseur, who collects high-quality spirits and savors their careful craftsmanship,” adds Planas.
This limited edition of 2,500 bottles will be on sale beginning in August 2018. The bottles will be priced starting at $750 per bottle. For more information, please call Hacienda Santa Ana: 787-785-3490 from Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm EST or visit www.rondelbarrilito.com. Established in 1797 in Bayamón, Puerto Rico by the Fernández Family, Hacienda Santa Ana started as a sugarcane plantation, and as many family-owned sugarcane plantations, they produced their own rum for personal consumption. In 1880, Pedro Fernández began to market the family rum under the name of Ron del Barrilito, which today, more than 130 years later, still uses the same artisanal craft, family recipe and aging process that has made it one of the best rums in Puerto Rico and the world.
JAH45
Spirits specialist Mangrove Global has launched a new rum brand, JAH45, in the United Kingdom. The name comes from the Jamaican music scene: Jah is slang for Jamaica and 45 refers to the old 45 RPM vinyl records. For those of you that are unfamiliar with 45’s, they predated CD’s, cassettes and even 8 -track tapes. JAH45 will start with five rums that are of pure Jamaican heritage, blends of aged pot and column still rum from famous Jamaican distilleries. JAH45 18ct Gold and JAH45 are a blend of three-year-old pot still rum and unaged column still rums, bottled at 40% ABV. JAH45 Silver is an unaged pot and column still “medium bodied” white rum that is also bottled at 40% ABV. JAH45 Spiced is a three-year-old rum that has been macerated for 48 hours with vanilla, cinnamon, citrus and a dash of Pimento. JAH45 White Overproof is a blend of unaged pot and column still “medium bodied” white rums, cut at 63% ABV bottling strength. Nick Gillett, managing director of Mangrove Global comments: “I am delighted to welcome the JAH45 range into the Mangrove portfolio. With the unique ‘funk’ flavor, JAH45 are rums that go back to their Jamaican roots and of fer an exciting addition to standard rum selections. With the global distribution rights, we look forward to working with JAH45 to launch and continue to grow into the UK and other markets.”
CRUZAN RUM HURRICANE RELIEF
Cruzan Rum, producer of some of the world’s finest aged rums, is proud to announce the launch of the Island Spirit Fund. Created in the aftermath of the destruction caused by last year’s Hurricane Maria, the Island Spirit Fund supports disaster relief efforts in the U.S. Virgin Islands and across the United States, helping rebuild and renew communities impacted by storms of all kinds. As founding sponsor, Cruzan Rum has commit ted to donate $1 from every case of rum sold to the Island Spirit Fund, meaning each Cruzan Rum bottle purchased will provide aid to communities in need. This commitment alone is expected to generate nearly $1 million for the Island Spirit Fund this year. Coupled with generous case-matching donation commitments from several distributor partners and anticipated public fundraising, Cruzan Rum aims to raise $2 million for the Fund by the end of 2018. “Last year, our home island of St. Croix faced many challenges in the devastating wake of Hurricane Maria, but the resiliency of the Crucian people and our sense of community never wavered,” said Gary Nelthropp, Cruzan Rum’s Master Distiller. “That’s what we like to call our ‘island spirit,’ and I’m honored to help extend this spirit to others in a sustainable and ongoing way through the Fund, ensuring that no community, near or far, weathers a storm alone.” Established in partnership with Global Giving, a nonprofit organization that connects donors with grassroots projects around the world, the Island Spirit Fund provides disaster relief by issuing grants to local organizations with boots on the ground and lasting relationships in affected areas. The Fund prioritizes both short-term recovery and long-term stability projects, including: environmental rebuilding, community planning, and workforce development and job creation. By listening directly to affected communities’ needs, the Island Spirit Fund takes a customized approach to providing relief including, but not limited to, nourishment, supplies and volunteer support. In the immediate future, the Fund is focused on the areas still recovering from Hurricane Maria’s devastation and is also prepared to respond to future storms. “We’re proud to support our Cruzan family and neighbors in the USVI and beyond with the launch of the Island Spirit Fund, and we’re incredibly humbled by the way our distributor partners have stepped up to further our efforts,” said Rashidi Hodari, VP Marketing, Cruzan Rum. “Our roots in the Caribbean run deep, and by joining together, we’re able to provide much needed physical and emotional support beyond the initial days, weeks and months following disaster. We look forward to awakening the ‘island spirit ’ both now and in the years to come.” Individuals interested in making their own contributions to the Fund can do so by purchasing any of Cruzan’s quality rum products or by making a direct donation via IslandSpiritFund.org. In addition to the brand’s case-matching donation program, Cruzan will also absorb the cost of all transactional fees associated with all donations to the Island Spirit Fund, so that 100% of donors’ generosity goes directly to communities in need. The establishment of the Island Spirit Fund is the most recent effort by Cruzan and its parent company, Beam Suntory, to provide aid to those in need. In 2017, Beam Suntory and its parent company provided more than $2 million in cash and in kind support for disaster relief in the U.S., U.S. Virgin Islands and Mexico, which also included a $500,000 donation to the Fund for the Virgin Islands late last year. For more information about the Island Spirit Fund, please visit www.islandspiritfund.org.
BEST CARIBBEAN RUM BAR
The Caribbean Journal has chosen the Rhum Room in Gustavia, St. Barts as the Best Rum Bar in the Caribbean. Rhum Room is a speakeasy conceived by Christopher Davis, the proprietor of 25 Quarter. His rum/rhum collection is quickly approaching 600 labels. There are over 300 Agricoles, including multiple vintages of La Favorites’s La Flibuste, sherry-finished HSE bottlings, the full selection of Rhum A1710, rhums from Marie Galant and a full-fledged-shrine to Rhum JM. There are rums from Velier, pre-embargo Cuban rums, British Navy Rum and pre-Diageo expressions from Zacapa. So many rums, so little time.
PRIVATEER RUM
Privateer Rum celebrates the 6th release of its Pride label. The rainbow flag replaces the red logo on special bottles of Privateer Silver Reserve Rum. A portion of the proceeds of these Pride bottles is donated to support local LGBTQQ+ organizations in Massachusetts. Sales of Pride will be sporting Boston GLASS (Gay & Lesbian Adolescent Social Services) provides a continuum of services to LGBTQQ+ youth of color and their allies in the Greater Boston area. “Privateer supports the LGBTQQ+ community throughout the year through fundraising and awareness events. Our Pride labeled bottles are available year round and for the month of June each year we partner with a local group that provides support, guidance and education to people who need it. We are proud to let our colors fly and help bring equality to our neighborhoods,” said Kevin Martin, Vice President of Sales & Marketing. Previous Privateer’s Pride donations have supported: Pink & Black, Victims of Pulse Nightclub Shooting, Fenway Health, and Bagly. Privateer Rum’s Pride is available in Massachusetts. Privateer Rum was founded by Andrew Cabot in 2011. He is a direct 6th generation descendant of the Revolutionary War era Andrew Cabot, a famous Privateer and rum distillery owner. The Privateer Rum distillery is a few short miles from the site of the original 18th century family distillery.
MONTANYA RUM
Montanya Distillers now have a more efficient bottling method for miniatures, which means they will be producing them in greater quantities from now on. Both the white Platino and the gold Oro will be available. Keeping with Montanya’s strong green sustainability initiatives, the minis are packaged in glass bottles with stainless steel tops. No plastic! They come in cases of 60, or they sell them individually at their Tasting Room in Crested Butte, CO. They can also do a mixed case (30 Oro, 30 Platino) on request at the Tasting Room. A special note to liquor store owners and event planners, the minis are also available from a number of Montanya distributors in different states.
BLY SILVER RUM
Pennsylvania Pure Distilleries, distiller of the multiple-award-winning Boyd & Blair Potato Vodka, has announced the most recent review of its newly launched BLY Silver Rum. The new craf t spirit received a 5-star rating from F. Paul Pacult’s Spirit Journal, the quarterly independent guide to distilled spirits, beers and wines, earning it the title of “highest recommendation.” BLY Silver Rum joins its family of spirits Boyd & Blair Potato Vodka and Boyd & Blair Professional Proof 151 who also hold a 5-star rating. “I believe this to be one of the best white rums I have ever reviewed,” said F. Paul Pacult, named ‘America’s foremost spirits authority’ by Forbes.com.
His review continued: “Pristine, flawlessly pure appearance. Wow, the first sniffs detect abundant and assertive ambrosial scents of tropical and orchard fruits, such as pineapple, banana, pear and guava, but there’s likewise a mineral/flinty undercurrent of aroma that balances the intense ripeness of the fruit, creating a bouquet of memorable proportions; secondary sniffs find touches of mown grass, lemon zest, marshmallow and chalk that somehow all work together in harmony….just plain delicious.” A white rum distilled in single batches from the purest form of molasses sourced in the countryside of Pennsylvania, each single batch of BLY Silver Rum is carefully filled, corked and labeled by hand to meet the distillery’s high quality standards. To ensure quality in taste, Master Distiller, Barry Young uses what he calls a “unique Instinct Palette Distillation method”, which means that the determining factor as to when the distillation process is complete is purely based off of taste and his instinct alone. There is no automation involved whatsoever in this process. “It was recently brought to my attention that only 1 percent of currently available spirits are rated at 5-Stars, bringing even more meaning to the fact that two of our other spirits have also received a 5-Star rating,” said Young. “Being recognized for producing three craft spirits at this level is a huge accomplishment for us, and something we believe sets us apart from our competitors.” BLY Silver Rum also recently received a 95 rating in the 2018 Ultimate Spirits Challenge, the world’s most prestigious and progressive global spirits and cocktail competition, giving it an extraordinary, ultimate recommendation. BLY Silver Rum is officially listed by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB), and is also currently available in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Washington, DC and Wisconsin.
THE NEW RUM – A MODERN GUIDE TO THE SPIRIT OF THE AMERICAS
June brought another enjoyable rum book, The New Rum – A Modern Guide To The Spirit of the Americas, by drinks author Bryce Bauer. The basics: 6 -1/4” x 8 -1/2”, 333 pages, hardback, published by Countryman Press. Unlike most recent rum books, The New Rum does not rely on large color photographs on every page. This is definitely a book to read and not just look at the pictures. Bauer manages to tell the story of rum by way of a travelogue of his trips to Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Georgia and even my home state of Colorado. Along the way he covers the history of rum in the Americas, both good and bad, as well as all aspects of production. All the usual suspects are in this book, Richard Seale, Ian Burrel, Joy Spence, Roberto Serralles, Jeff Berry, Ed Hamilton, and their interviews help Bauer tell his story. Bauer’s style is light and humorous and not only covers the basics but includes plenty of nerdy rum details that will keep the true rum geek reading. He includes nine cocktail recipes, some new, some new twists on old classics. There is a ten page bibliography in the back of the book that sent this rum book collector on the hunt. The book closes with Bauer’s Rum Guide, his selection of forty-three of “the most interesting, iconic and innovative brands working today”. His selection runs from A (Appleton) to Z (Zacapa) and covers both producers and bottlers. This is an enjoyable summer read and I recommend a Mojito (recipe in the book) if you are reading it by the pool or a Navy Grog or El Dorado Mai Tai (both also in the book) if your relaxing at home after dinner. The New Rum is also available in an audio version from Audible.com and is great for long road trips.
RON COLONIAL
Guatemalan rum brand Ron Colonial has been given a refreshed visual identity by design agency Appartement 103, aiming to convey the roots of the beverage. Founded 1953, Colonial is an artisanal rum that combines Guatemalan rums and an infusion of vanilla beans, fresh prunes and sun-dried raisins – all signature ingredients from the Guatemalan town of Antigua. The new labeling aims to reconnect the brand with its customer base while engaging with new ones. Meanwhile, graphic elements, illustrations and typography reflect the baroque style of the 18th century preserved today as ruins which are found in Antigua. Appartement 103 said the logo communicates the name with pride in its origins, while the different elements of the label “express the quality and handcrafted appeal that makes this rum so special”.
Marlon Watts, Appartement 103 design director, said: “With the objective to re-vitalise this iconic brand, Appartement 103’s team had the privilege to visit Guatemala, being directly inspired by the city in order to create a visual identity that truly conveys the spirit of Antigua and its people.”