November 2018- Rum in the News

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                  November 2018- Rum in the News

                                                             GOSLINGS

This Fall, Golslings will release Papa Seal Single Barrel Bermuda Rum, a blend of column and pot still rums distilled from molasses. This single barrel rum is aged for 15 years in once used bourbon barrels with a medium char. Papa Seal will come from twelve selected barrels which yielded 2592 bottles. Each bottle will display both, the barrel and bottle number as well as the bottling date. Due to the nature of single barrel releases, slight variances in flavor are to be expected. “Our obsession has always been with crafting the finest rums possible, not the most rums,” explains  , seventh- generation patriarch and CEO of  . “With that mantra in mind, we proudly offer Papa Seal Single Barrel Bermuda Rum, ‘the father of all rums’, to our celebrated product line. We hope that dedicated Goslings drinkers and newcomers to super premium rum will have the opportunity to enjoy this special spirit.” Papa Seal will be bottled at 41.5% ABV www.goslings.com

                                                  NAKED IN JAMAICA RUM

Kermit Weeks, who owns the Fantasy of Flight Air Museum/Event Center in Polk City, Florida, has created his own   called Naked in Jamaica. Over the years Kermit has sampled different rums, mixing them together, trying to come up with what he thought best mixed with orange juice. And while some rums tasted great by themselves, he felt that something can happen when you mix them with other flavors and the blends do not always taste so great. As fate would have it, located just five miles from his house is Florida Caribbean Distillers in Auburndale, Fl. Working in the lab with Director Stacy Woodward, Kermit quickly learned that mixology is an art, not a science. After many attempts, he came up with what he felt was just the right rum to mix with orange juice. Naked in Jamaica recently won a Gold Award for Favorite Boutique Dark Rum at the 2018 RumXp Awards. www.nakedinjamaica.com

                                                        MOUNT GAY

Mount Gay Rum Distilleries unveiled the first edition of the Master Blender Collection with the launch of XO - The Peat Smoke Expression, a unique and unconventional limited edition. Crafted by Mount Gay Master Blender Allen Smith, the Expression is a complex blend, marrying the aromas of ripe bananas and toasted notes of Mount Gay XO, with the salty and smoky notes coming from peated whisky casks. To produce this unique batch of only 6,120 bottles, Allen Smith carefully selected and combined column and pot still rums, matured for 8 to 15 years in American oak barrels. The blend is then finished in peated whisky casks from the Isle of Islay, Scotland, for an additional 6 months resulting in a complex array of salty and smoky notes. “For this limited edition blend, I have worked to capture the perfect balance of elegant rum overtones and mellow, peated whisky undertones,” says Mount Gay Master Blender, Allen Smith. “This one-of-a-kind blend is sure to please the most discerning of palates with its unconventional character, freshness and aromatic complexity,” he explains. Each bottle features vintage-style labels and is individually numbered, adding to the rarity of this valuable collection. This edition is bottled at cask strength, 57% ABV, to reveal its true intensity. offered in 750 ml, 1,200 bottles XO Peat Smoke Expression will be available in the united states from select premium retailers and e-commerce merchants. A legal deed dated from February 20, 1703 confirms the existence of a “pot still house” on Mount Gay’s sugar cane estate in Barbados, establishing Mount Gay as the world’s oldest rum producer. Perpetuating a long-standing Barbadian tradition for more than 315 years, Mount Gay rums are handcrafted from a blend of single column and double copper pot distillates and matured in toasted oak barrels, delivering aromatic, flavorful taste, body andrefined character. www.mountgayrum.com

                            BEST RUM DISTILLERIES IN THE CARIBBEAN TO VISIT

If you are thinking of leaving the cold weather behind and visiting rum distilleries this winter, travel website, TripsTodiscover and the Chicago Tribune have created lists just for you. TripsTodiscover has list for everything, including the eight Best Rum Distilleries in the Caribbean. Their list includes:

  • Cayman Spirits Company Distillery, Georgetown, Cayman Islands, www.caymanspirits.com. Their Seven Fathoms Rum is aged in fine white oak barrels that are anchored 42 feet below the ocean surface.
  • River Antoine Rum Distillery, Grenada. It is the oldest water powered distillery in the Caribbean that is still in operation.
  • Casa Bacardi, Puerto Rico https://www3. bacardi.com/casa-bacardi/ massive facility offers four tours: Historical, Tasting, Mixology and Bottle Your Own Rum.
  • John Watling’s, Bahamas http://www. johnwatlings.com/ Caribbean sugar cane, fermented into two distinct spirits, Firewater and Kill-Devil, then purified via coconut charcoal.
  • Habitation Clement, Martinique http://habitation.fondation-clement.org/ Habitation Clement’s old school stone structure could not be positioned more beautifully on this tropical dreamland.
  • Callwood Distillery, Tortola. In a 400 year old facility, age-old methods are used to create a downright amazing cane syrup spirit
  • St. Nicholas Abbey, Barbados http://www. stnicholasabbey.com/. Stories behind this elegant plantation distillery makes it the very best place in the Caribbean to taste rum.
  • Appleton Estate, Jamaica http://www. appletonestate.com. Welcome cocktails and a generous tastings of a list of rums will definitely take you to your happy place!

The Chicago Tribune list offers two more distilleries: 

  • Rhum J.M Distillery, Martinique http:// www.rhum-jm.com. The Rhum J.M Estate is one of the oldest and most beautiful, dating back to 1790.
  • Le Galion, Martinique http://www.legalion. eu/. Martinique’s only brown-sugar factory uses a decades-old process to make its fruity, Funky Grand Arôme Rum.

                                                        HAVANA CLUB

Developed in partnership with bartending legends, Havana Club Professional Editions is a new range of premium rums created for professional bartenders.

Edition A - To celebrate the 200th birthday of the famous El Floridita Bar in Havana, the Cuban Bartenders Association sent Havana Club a challenge. Create a richly expressive white rum for the Floridita’s legendary Daiquiri. Edition A was developed by Cesar Marti, Havana Club Master of Cuban Rum and Alejandro Bolivar, El Floridita’s Head Bartender. Three different bases, each aged up to 4 years, and one aged aquardiente go into this rum. The blend is then matured again in very large, very old barrels. An innovative rapid filtration process, used only for this rum, carefully preserves the different aromas in the rum.

Edition B – By a twist-of-fate, a shipment of Islay whisky casks arrived in Cuba by mistake. Maestro Asbel Moroles decided to experiment, finishing small quantities of rum bases in the barrels. After promising results, renowned bartender Nick Strangeway was brought on board to consult on the perfect dark rum for making cocktails, one achieving a delicate balance between dry whisky notes and rich rum flavors. Edition B starts with a blend of 3 rum bases aged a minimum of 7 years each, plus an entirely new base finished in smoky Islay barrels. While the starting point is similar to Havana 7, the blending proportions are different. With the unusual addition of a whisky barrel aged component, the resulting blend is a super-premium dark rum, dry and richly smoky. https://www.havana-club.com

                                                      MATUGGA DISTILLERS

Paul and Jacine Rutasikwa are preparing to start production at their new facility in Livingstone, which they say is “the first rum distillery in central Scotland”. Up to this point, Matugga Golden Rum and Spiced Rum has been small batch distilled in London. The Rutasikwas began exploring central Scotland when Paul, a chartered civil engineer by trade, started a master’s degree in brewing and distilling at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh. The £100,000 distillery is equipped with two 200 liter copper pot stills, capable of producing 50,000 liters of artisanal rum in its first year. Over the next year, the firm is forecasting a 400% increase in turnover and is hoping to create five new full-time roles, including positions in distilling and business development. The Rutasikwas say their rums have “a uniquely East African flavor profile”, achieved using sugar cane molasses from the region and a masala chai blend of black tea, ginger, cloves, vanilla, cardamom and cinnamon. https://www.matuggarum.com

                                            8th GERMAN RUM FESTIVAL

The 8th German Rum Festival was held last month in Berlin. Rum-Bar White Overproof Rum won Best of Show. , Rum Bar Gold, along with Koloa Kauai Gold and Gold of Mauritius Dark won awards in the Gold & Dark Category. Bougainville White, Enghaven Rum Distillery 100% Pot Still and Nine Leaves Clear 2017 won awards in the White Rum Category. Rum Artesenal Spiced Byer’s Island, Koloa Kauai Coconut Rum and Black Palm Vanilla won awards in the Spiced Rum Category. Rum Bar Rum Cream, Koloa Kauai Coffee and Ti Arranges de Ced ‘Mirabelle won awards in the Rum Liqueur Category. Hampden Estate Pure Single Jamaican Rum, Worthy Park Single Estate Reserve and Rum Nation Jamaica 7 Year won awards in the up to 8 Year Old Category. Alta Gama Brut Nature, The Real McCoy 12 Year and Alta Gama Sec won awards in the 9 – 14 Year Old Category. Autentico Nativo 15 Year and 20 Year and Ron 1914 Edicion Gatun won awards in the 15 to 25 Year Old Category.

                                                     WYLAND RUM

After years of diving the most renowned areas of the world’s “sugar cane” belt, internationally renowned marine life artist Wyland developed a taste for the fine rums in those regions. Now, he has created his own blend of rum, carefully sourced from the finest Caribbean distilleries for unique flavor and smoothness. Hand-crafted in small batches, Wyland Ultra- Premium Rum is aged eight years for the rum connoisseur who appreciates careful craftsmanship. The limited release product features Wyland’s iconic art on Bruni Italian premium glass bottles. “Art and spirits go together perfectly,” Wyland says. “I’ve always tried to create the greatest marine life art in the world, so I thought why not create the ultimate rum to go with it.” Wyland Ultra-Premium Rum will be sold through select retailers in California, Florida, and Hawaii, and online at www.hitimewine.net. The rum is also featured on-premise on Norwegian Cruise Lines’ fleet of sixteen cruise ships, including the new $1 billion Breakaway-Plus class ship, Norwegian Bliss, with custom hull art work designed by the artist. “It’s a pleasure to collaborate with Wyland once again, as he has not only been a great partner to our brand, but he is truly a member of the Norwegian family. We are pleased to support his new venture as he embarks on this journey. We look forward to featuring his new rum across our fleet” said Andy Stuart, President and CEO of Norwegian Cruise line. The silky smooth, 80 proof dark rum can be enjoyed by itself or slightly chilled. For Wyland, the art of rum is another way to connect with the more than 500,000 collectors who enjoy his art and for the millions of others who simply appreciate a premium drinking experience. It’s also about making connections to something even closer to his heart. “The success i’ve had as an artist not only gives me the opportunity to share my art, but to support the work of my non-profit Wyland Foundation, which is having a global impact in the effort to protect our oceans and waterways.” www.wyland.com.

                                                 ANGOSTURA

The House of Angostura has won six medals in the prestigious annual sip Awards. The company won platinum for its ANGOSTURA® Orange Bitters, Angostura® 1919 and Angostura® 7 Year old, Double Gold medal for Amaro di ANGOSTURA® and gold medals for Angostura® 1824 and Angostura® 5 Year old. All its rums and Amaro were awarded the Consumer’s Choice Award as well. The SIP Awards is a unique event on the global spirits calendar, as it is the only blind tasting competition that enlists consumers as judges. The results are therefore unaffected by industry bias and truly reflect the consumer’s opinion. This was the 10th annual hosting of the event and saw a new record of 783 spirit brand entries, a dramatic increase in engagement with the spirit industry and consumers. SIP enlisted 122 consumer judges for the competition this year, strategically chosen from all demographics with the goal of bringing the people who regularly consume the competing spirits together to decide which brands deserved the award. “With more entries than ever before, this year’s edition of the SIP Awards was even more competitive,” says Angostura’s Executive Manager- Marketing, Natasha Mustapha-Scott, “so the House of Angostura’s achievements really demonstrate our brands’ premium quality and their appeal to the people who really matter, the consumers!”

                                                   MHOBA RUM

One of the many interesting rums shown at The UK RumFest this year was Mhoba rum from South Africa. MHOBA rum is made directly from fresh unprocessed sugarcane juice squeezed from sticks of Nkomazi sugarcane. The sugarcane is grown on the farm surrounding the distillery on the outskirts of the small town of Malalane in the heart of the cane-growing area in the Crocodile River Valley of Mpumalanga, South Africa.

The small team of MHOBA rum employees handle the planning, growing, harvesting and pressing of the sugar cane and the creation and fermentation of the wash. Custom built small batch stills produce extremely pure and concentrated cane rum batches of between 20 and 25 liters. Each individual concentrated rum batch is then checked for taste and aroma before being blended with other suitable batches and local rock fissure water to achieve an ideal ageing concentration. After the distilling and blending process has been completed, the rum is aged in American white oak staves which are cut and charred on wood fire coals at the distillery. They showed several rums at RumFest: a French Cask Aged rum, a glass cask aged rum, an overproof 101 rum, a pineapple rum, two white rums and a high ester rum. http://www.mhoba.com/

-Article written by Mike Kunetka- 

These are the most recent and noteworthy headlines in the rum industry. If you want us to

share your news with our readers, please send an email to Mike@gotrum.com. Mike Kunetka

is a land- locked rum enthusiast, he is based in Colorado, US A.