Rum in the News
October 2018- Rum in the News
SAINT JAMES
The production of vintage rhums at Saint James dates back to 1885 when the first ever vintage rhum was created. now, a hundred and thirty years later, Master Distiller Marc Sassier has created L’Essentiel, a special blend of three iconic, vintage rhums. Vintage 1998 has an interesting structure with the typical notes of a very old rhum. Vintage 2000 was a particularly fruity rhum. Vinatge 2003 brings woody noted to the blend. All three rhums were aged in small bourbon barrels for 12 years. The barrels were never modified with “ullage”, the common practice of topping up casks with eau-de-vie to compensate the natural evaporation (Angels Share). rather than the typical tall, square bottles that Saint James is famous for, this special rhum is bottled at 43% in an attractive short square bottle. www.saintjames-rum.com
ISLAND COMPANY RUM
Island Company Rum, the award-winning, premium blonde rum of the Caribbean, expands its reach throughout the east Coast. Partnering with Breakthru Beverage Group for distribution throughout Florida, Horizon Beverage for Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and Wolfpack Wine & Spirits in New York and New Jersey. Island Company Rum® was created when the founder of Island Company, Spencer Antle, wanted to create a premium rum that would fill a void in the rum market place; a rum that would appeal to women and men alike. The resulting ultra-premium rum is incredibly smooth to be mixed with as little or as much as desired. Simply the Smoothest®, Island Company Rum is an endlessly mixable rum. “I wanted to make a rum that women could drink straight and that appealed to the sailors and mariners I know throughout the Caribbean. There’s virtually no burn and it almost vanishes when you mix it into any tropical cocktail” says Antle. www.islandcompanyrum.com
PLANTATION XAYMACA SPECIAL DRY RUM
Maison Ferrand has released more information on their Xaymaca Special Dry Rum. Plantation wanted to revive the quintessential Jamaican- style, 100% pot still rums of the 19th century with an expression of intense flavors that reveal the traditional, legendary “Rum Funk”: aromas and flavors of black banana and flambéed pineapple, locally called “Hogo,” an Anglicization of the French term “Haut Goût” (high taste). “With Xaymaca pecial dry, I wanted to dive into the iconic culture that is unique to Jamaican rum. I wanted to work with these complex flavors of overripe exotic fruits with an almost “animal intensity”. We can still find certain white rums with this famous “rum funk”. I think, however, that this great terroir expresses itself perfectly in an aged rum. That is why we are launching Xaymaca Special Dry, which is a tribute to this ancestral culture of rum” explains Alexandre Gabriel, Master Blender and creator of Plantation Rum. Plantation now owns a third of the mythical Long Pond and Clarendon Jamaican distilleries. Thanks to these exceptional production tools, Alexandre Gabriel made his dream of blending a 100% pot still Jamaican rum a reality. “The access to these two emblematic distilleries with their retort stills, which look like ancient pachyderms, is the realization of dream. It allowed me to dive into this ancestral tradition and create a rum that I had wanted for a long time.” From the Clarendon Distillery, Gabriel chose the EMB and MLC marks and from the Long Pond distillery, he chose the VRW STC^e marks. The rums were first aged for one to three years in the Caribbean in ex-Bourbon casks and then an additional year in ex-Cognac casks. Xaymaca is bottled at 43% ABV. www.plantationrum.com
BACARDI GINGER RUM
Bacardi has expanded its flavored rum category in the UK with the introduction of Bacardi Ginger. Described as having a “sweet and spicy taste”, the expression is recommended served with cola or lemonade. Sarah Doyle, VP Marketing for Bacardí rum in Europe, said there are particular opportunities in the golden rum segment, which is growing faster than white, dark or spiced rums.” We know that spirits drinkers are looking to experiment with new and interesting flavors and we have introduced Bacardí Ginger as a response to this demand” she said. www. bacardilimited.com
RUMFEST
This year’s RumFest will be held on October 20th and 21st at the ILEC Conference Center at the Ibis Hotel in London. The festival was founded by Global Rum Ambassador Ian Burrell in 2007, who was keen to promote rum as a drink. There will be tastings, seminars and master classes. speakers include Luca Gargano from Velier, Richard Seale of Four square, Miguel RIascos of La Hechicera, Alexandre Gabriel of Maison Ferrand, Jeff ‘Beachbum’ Berry of Latitude 29, Bailey Pryor of Real McCoy and Ian Burrell himself. http://rumfest.co.uk
WICKED DOLPHIN
Once again, Wicked Dolphin has been named top Craft Rum Distillery in the USA by USA Today. “It’s a great privilege for us to have been nominated and a great honor to win this title.” said, JoAnn Elardo, President of Wicked Dolphin Distillery. “A Big Thank you to all that took the time to vote for Wicked Dolphin. We are very proud of our Craft Distillery and hope if you are in Cape Coral, Fl you come on in and take the Free tour and taste our award-winning rum. Wicked Dolphin has garnered attention, winning awards nationally and internationally since its start in 2012. They produce several rums – Silver, Spiced, Coconut, Crystal, Gold and soon to be out Wicked Dolphin Barrel in Bond, a 6 year old Special Reserve. Wicked Dolphin is also the producer of RumShine, a truly premium Florida Shine. www.wickeddolphin.com
WEST INDIES RUM & SPIRITS PRODUCERS ASSOCIATION
WIRSPA, representative association for regional rum producers, is launching an initiative to promote responsible consumption of alcoholic beverages. A public statement issued by the grouping strongly condemns alcohol abuse and notes that “as a group of responsible producers of alcoholic products, we have a duty to lend our support to efforts that address these issues and are committed to doing so as an industry and in collaboration with other producers of alcoholic beverages.” According to Komal Samaroo, Chairman of WIRSPA and of Demerara Distillers Limited, “We believe, and current regulatory advice maintains, that responsible drinking remains a valued and enjoyable part of life in a modern society. Notwithstanding, we cannot ignore the negative impact on our societies caused by the excessive consumption of alcohol.” The Statement acknowledges the impact of inappropriate consumption, on both individuals and society, of a range of alcoholic beverages. He added “while we as individual producers are active at the national level in supporting efforts to reduce harmful drinking, as a group we intend to intensify these efforts starting in 2018. In this regard we have established a task force to look at a range of issues including labeling, advertising and promotion, and online marketing, incorporating international best practice.” According to Samaroo, the association and its members within each producing country are beginning to engage government and non-state stakeholders to determine how the industry can best contribute in practical ways, to the implementation of policies and actions to mitigate the impact of harmful consumption. in making this commitment, he said “we recognize that the success of such efforts will be contingent on full participation of all producers of alcoholic beverages, and particularly of those entities involved in the retailing of such beverages and operators who interface directly with the consumer.” The association says further that it will work to improve self-regulation through its code of practice for responsible advertising and marketing of spirit drinks and providing information to consumers; and will encourage and support actions to reduce driving under the influence of alcohol and drinking by underage and vulnerable persons. www.wirspa.com
-Article written by Mike Kunetka-
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.