Exclusive Interview June 2019
Q: What are your full names, titles, company name and company location?
Ed Tiedge, President and Master Distiller, Copal Tree Distillery (ET).
Waluco Maheia, Rum Expert, Copal Tree Lodge, Punta Gorda, Belize (WM).
Q: You operate both a resort and a distillery. This concept (resort + distillery) is relatively new, can you tell us what attracted you to it?
ET: While resort and distillery are co-located and we have a close working relationship, we are two separate entities. The distillery is owned by a chartable trust whose goals are to improve educational opportunities for Belizeans and promote sustainable agriculture in Belize. The lodge is run by a separate company and management.
WM: The lodge was here before the distillery was conceived.
Copal Tree Distillery
Q: Where does the name “Copalli” originate from and why did you chose it?
WM: “Copalli” was influenced from the Copal Tree located in Belize and popular within the Mayan Communities. The Copal Tree produces a sap that is burned as an incense at ceremonial events and rituals. I believe there is a connection between the spiritual use and aspect of the Copal and rum being a “spirit.”
Q: Distilleries on islands face challenges unique to their location, so do distilleries far away from cane fields or sugar mills, for example. What are some of the challenges unique to you and your location?
ET: Everything gets used from the shredded cane fibers (bagasse) to power our boiler and the resulting ash returned to the field to the spent rum wash (vinasse) that goes back to the fields as irrigation and fertilizer.
Q: What rums do you currently have in your portfolio?
ET: We have two certified organic rums currently. Our white rum is a blend of column and pot still rums. Held in tanks 4-6 months and blended with rain water to bottling strength. The alcohol content is 84 proof.
Our rested rum is 100% pot still rum held in once used bourbon barrels for less than one year. Blended with rainwater to bottling strength and bottled at 88 proof.
We are also aging an organic Mayan corn whiskey that will be released in a year or so. We’re aging that in new charred American oak barrels.
Copali White and Rested Rum
Q: How did you acquire the initial knowledge to get started with fermentation and distillation and what have you done since then to improve on your techniques?
ET: My initial training was at a small cognac distillery, but we were starting with a clean slate without preconceived notions on how the rum should be made. Our objective was to produce a rum that focused on the character of the sugar cane. We changed a lot of variables in fermentation and different distillation styles until settling on techniques that brought me back to my training as a eau de vie maker.
Q: Why did you decide to ferment the fresh cane juice, versus using molasses?
ET: It was never a decision point. We’re a company based upon organic and sustainable practices. Rum from cane juice is an agricultural product. Molasses is an industrial residual from commodity sugar production. They couldn’t be more different.
Q: Can you describe your fermentation process?
ET: Our organic sugar cane fields are within 2 miles of the distillery and the cane is milled within an hour or two of cutting. We hand cut the cane. Once the cane is shredded and pressed it goes through some filtering and directly into our stainless steel closed top fermenters. We don’t pasteurize the juice prior to fermentation. We let the juice naturally ferment as it accumulates in the tank until the tank is about 1/3 full (about 3 hours from the start of milling). We then start adding our rum yeast.
We control the temperature of the fermentation to about 88 degrees Fahrenheit and the juice is fully fermented in about 4 days.
Copali Distillery and Oak barrels
Q: What type of distillation equipment do you use to produce your rums?
ET: We have 2 Charentais style pot stills (5000 liter and 2000 liter) and a continuous column. The pot stills are used for all our barreled spirits and as a blend for our white rum. The column rum is used to blend in our white rum and the base for future flavored rums.
Q: Do you plan to add new rums to your portfolio in the future?
ET: We have a couple of flavored rums in development that use ingredients grown in Belize and also developing a specific varietal sugar cane rum.
Q: Are your rums available for purchase outside the distillery/resort?
Yes, we’re being distributed in California and New York. You can find it online through our website, www.copallirum.com, and a complete list of retailers should be up soon.
Q: Do you offer tours of your distillery and tastings? If yes, what are the hours of operation and is a reservation required?
WM: Yes, we do offer distillery tours that typically end with a tasting of our Copalli line up. Guests get a chance to visit our cane fields, learn about and taste our varietals of organic sugarcane, as well as visit our distillery and learn about the process of how our rum is made. The tours are typically offered Mondays to Fridays between 9 AM and 4 PM. Tour times can be scheduled and confirmed with a reservation call or email.
Q: Do your resort guests have a different level of access to the distillery than day
Copali Resort
tourists who stop by?
WM: Not necessarily, distillery tours are standard for all guests. The only difference is that resort guest have a near endless supply of Copalli rum, haha!
Q: Can you tell us what kind of experience one can expect if staying at the resort and visiting the distillery?
WM: The resort and distillery are located in the rain forest of Belize, and only a few miles away from the Caribbean Sea. Guests will be able to learn about how Copalli rum is made, while indulging in vast cocktail creations and enjoying the beauty of nature, whether that be in the jungle or at sea.
Map of Copal Distillery and Farms
Q: Which is (or are) your most popular cocktail(s) your guests ask for? Which is your favorite and why?
WM: Daiquiri, Mojito, Watermelon Smash, Ginger Buck; my favorite is between a Copalli Sour and Gingerbuck; I am a big fan of the grapefruit and Campari blend in the sour, and the Copalli White rum simply adds vibration to the citrus and tropical fruit profiles in the cocktail. As for the Ginger Buck, the ginger infuses marvelously with the Copalli Barrel Rested rum, not to mention our ginger syrup is made from fresh ginger, giving you and explosive ginger spice.
Q: If people want to contact you, how may they reach you?
WM: Email is the most efficient means of contact for me. My email address is: bm@copaltreelodge.com
Q: Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
WM: Actually yes, aside from our standard distillery tours, guests now have an opportunity to sign up for our new Rum Camp, offered, for now, in the months of April and May. Rum Camp is a 4 day package where guests not only learn about Copalli rum, but get multiple opportunities to work hands on with our rum. This involves a hands on distillation as well as a mixology class. Of course, food and Copalli rum are all inclusive.
Margaret: Again Waluco and Ed, thank you so much for the opportunity to interview you. I wish you all much success.
