January 2017 - Rum In The News

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January 2017 - Rum In The News

BARRELL RUM

At Barrell Craft Spirits, their goal is to find and select barrels of great tasting, high quality spirit. They craft products that explore the unique effects of different distillation methods, barrels and aging environments, and bottle them at cask strength. Every batch of spirits they produce is a limited release and has an intentionally distinct flavor profile. Barrell take pride in producing, preserving and presenting spirits to the people who enjoy them most. Up to this point they have focused on bourbons and whiskeys, but now they have released their first Barrell Rum. It is a pot still rum, distilled and aged in Jamaica. It is blended and bottled at cask strength (134.73 proof ) in Kentucky.

ANGOSTURA

Last month the Trinidad Express reported that Angostura was buying bulk rum from Cuba and South America and repackaging it for sales to export markets. The Express further reported that the issue first came to the attention of the Angostura Board of Directors in August when it was asked to sign off on a $16.5 million purchase of heavy rum concentrate to meet its rum production quota for 2016 and early 2017. Following the discovery by the Board of Directors, Angostura chief executive Robert Wong has been placed on administrative leave. After internal review, Genevieve Jodhan, CEO Acting of Angostura Holdings Lt., released a statement saying “The integrity of Angostura’s international branded rums is not under audit. All our international branded rum products are aged and meet international standards. The company is ISO certified, which allows its products to enter export markets. In addition to this, Angostura uses the official standard for Caribbean Rums - the West Indian Rum Producers Association’s (WIRSPA) Authentic Caribbean Rum marquee for all its branded aged rums, guaranteeing age claims made.”

HAMILTON NAVY STRENGTH RUM

Ed Hamilton, of Caribbean Spirits and the Ministry of Rum, recently released Hamilton Navy Strength Rum, a full - bodied blend of high proof Jamaican Pot Still Rum from the Worthy Park Estate and aged Guyanese rums, bottled at 114 proof by the Five & 20 Distillery in West field, New York. Intended for spirit forward rum cocktails, it is a hearty blend of aged Demerara and Jamaican rums designed for tiki and other specialty drinks that call for stronger, more flavorful rum. It is bottled at 57% ABV.

CUBA OFFERS TO PAY CZECH DEBT WITH RUM

According to the Czech Finance Ministry, Cuba has offered to pay back a $270 million dollar debt with rum. Havana’s debt dates back from the Cold War era, when Cuba and what was at the time Czechoslovakia were part of the Communist bloc. The Czech Finance Ministry said negotiations over how the old debt will be paid are still in the “early stages,” and stressed that it would like at least part of the debt to be paid in cash. The Czech Republic imported about $2 million worth of rum from Cuba last year, according to the European nation’s statistics office. At that rate, it would probably take more than a century for Czechs to drink the rum payment if it was used to pay off Cuba’s entire debt.

LIVERPOOL RUM

When Halewood purchased the Liverpool Gin brand, the company said the acquisition would “pave the way” for the distillation of a wider range of premium spirits. They have now added a small batch, single cask dark rum to their Liverpool spirits line, less than a year after acquiring the brand. Distilled from sugar cane molasses at an unnamed distillery on the Caribbean island of Trinidad, Liverpool Rum has been “double matured” and then finished in ex-American Bourbon barrels. “The launch of Liverpool Rum was inspired by Liverpool’s rich heritage and culture,” said a spokesperson for Halewood. “It celebrates the brand’s super-premium standards, appeals to rum connoisseurs and follows on from the outstanding popularity and success of Liverpool Gin.” Bottled at 43% abv, the rum is said to have an aroma of oak and caramel with a “rich oaky sweetness, subtle spice notes and a long, lingering finish” on the palate.

RICHLAND SINGLE ESTATE GEORGIA AGRICOLE RUM

Richland Rum celebrates the start of the Sugar Cane Harvesting Season on the second Saturday of each year with a limited production of Single Estate Georgia Agricole, made directly from the First Pressing of the 1st harvested cane of the crop. This Virgin Rum, hand crafted from fresh juice within hours after crushing cane stalks, highlights the terroir of the Georgia Grown Sugar Cane with distinct flavors and aromas imparted by the native soil, water from the Georgia Aquifer and the warm southern climate. 

“The 2016 Vintage of our Single Estate Georgia Agricole has surprised us, after the record drought this year, with its fresh, floral and grassy notes over an earthy and dry base,” said Erik Vonk, Richland Estate’s proprietor. He continued: “The 2016 harvest demonstrates again that Georgia Terroir supports our commitment to handcrafting the Best Rum in America and allows us to strictly use fresh ingredients and all natural processes.” The all-manual production of Virgin Rum from the year’s first harvest is limited to a single batch which will yield no more than a few hundred cases. Once pressed, the fresh cane juice is immediately fermented and then distilled. The Virgin Rum is then allowed to rest for 60 – 90 days before bottling and scheduled for release to the Distillery’s Distributors in March 2017.

SEAWOLF RUM

SeaWolf, the first white rum to be distilled on Scottish soil, launched on December 1st, 2016. It has been created by Mike Aikman and Jason Scott, the brains behind Edinburgh bar Bramble, cited by Drinks International as one of the World’s 50 Best Bars, and Vino Wines’ co-founder, Gavin Ferguson, who have formed drinks innovation company, Boilermaker Drinks Co. It’s a bold move for the trio, one they hope will help make rum the UK’s next craft sector.

“Rum is a massive player in the cocktail world. However, when we started looking around for a British brand, we realized that very few brands are distilled here and so SeaWolf was born,” explains Aikman. “We feel that British rum is about to have its time in the spotlight and we aim to be at the forefront of this.” Taking its  name from the Native American term for killer whales, the name makes a subtle nod to both Britain’s naval links with rum importation but also the pods of sea wolves that are found dot ted around the coastline today. 18-months in the making, it has a limited first run, with only 300 bottles being made available before the end of the year.

Made in Angus at Ogilvy Spirits, the fermentation of the cane molasses, the spirit ’s base ingredient, is done at low temperature for four weeks using both rum and champagne yeast, which gives this drink its unusual flavor profile. Once poured, notes of unripe banana and sugar cane on the nose give way to tropical fruits on the palate with a faint citrus and spice finish. “We decided that if we were going to make the first white rum distilled in Scotland, it would be one that would be proudly Scottish… good enough to work well straight and as a base for cocktails,” says Aikman. “It  had to have character, flavor, mouthfeel and body which can be difficult with an unaged spirit but we think we’ve delivered on all aspects. SeaWolf is Boilermaker Drinks Company’s first project but we have aspirations to produce a stable of Scottish spirit products and eventually produce in our own distillery.”

CARIBBEAN JOURNAL RUM AWARDS

For the fifth year, The Caribbean Journal, a website for all good things Caribbean, has awarded their annual Rum Awards. Here are some of the awards and the Journal’s comments:

The Rum of the Year Award went to Mount Gay 1703. “Mount Gay has taken its legendary rum to a new level in the last few years, trying out new formulas, unveiling new limited editions and taking its existing blends to another level. And that’s precisely what happened with its halo 1703 rum, which is drinking better than ever before. This is a simply exquisite rum.” Runners Up were Rhum Damoiseau XO from Guadeloupe and Rhum Depaz VSO P from Martinique.

Pusser’s Gunpowder Rum was chosen as Best New Rum. “ It ’s powerful, robust and an authentic tribute to the Navy rums of yesteryear. This is what Pusser’s should taste like.

”The Best New Rhum Agricole Award went to A1710 Nuée Ardente. “A 1710 rums are a blend of rums from across the French Caribbean, including Martinique and Guadeloupe. An intoxicatingly complex blend of rums between 9 and 17 years of age.”

Santiago de Cuba Carta Blanca won Best White Rum. “There’s no better white rum than that of Cuba’s Santiago de Cuba brand, which is, right now, producing the island’s best rum expressions.”

Best White Rhum Agricole Award went to Rhum Bologne Black Cane.  “Simply astonishing white rhum, with notes of  tropical fruit, mango, cane and anise and a sweet finish. Most importantly, it ’s so good you don’t even need to put sugar in your Ti’ punch.” 

Rum-Bar Gold Rum won Best Gold Rum. “a classic gold rum aged for a minimum of four years with a profile marked by fruit, coconut, vanilla, confectioners’ sugar — it’s a terrific mixing rum and sippable, too, on the rocks.”

The Best Spice Rum Award went to Siesta Key Distiller’s Reserve Solera Blend. “without a doubt, the world’s best spiced rum.” 

Siesta Key also won Best Flavored Rum with its Siesta Key Toasted Coconut Rum. “a superb expression infusing white rum with real shredded coconut. The result is, well, spectacular.

”Best Overproof Rum was Rhum Neisson Esprit Bio.  “It is the Caribbean’s first ever certified organic rum. It ’s a full - fledged overproof rum with a robust, decidedly vegetal taste that’s unlike any other overproof you’ll find.” 

Rhum Clement Canne Bleue 2016 won Best Bottle Design.  “Clement is still king, with another beautiful design for this year ’s Blue Cane variety.”

Rum Bar of the Year went to Rum Bar at the Cooper Island Beach Club. “remains one of the Caribbean’s best, with a great mix of molasses-based and agricole rums and great cocktail creations, too. It’s a Mecca on the Caribbean rum trail.”

EDWARD’S RIDGE DISTILLERY

Nathan Brown, Luis Gonzalez, Joe Neely and Jonathan Reading have opened Edward’s Ridge Distillery on the north side of San Antonio, Texas. They have two fermenting tanks called Bob, a cooker named Chef and a still named Billy. Billy is a cedar-clad, 250-gallon still purchased from Hillbilly Stills.  they just opened the 1,200 square-foot tasting room on New Year ’s Eve and are currently producing William, Talus Silver and William, Talus Gold Rum. 

The tasting room is about a third of the 3,200-square-foot facility that has been two years in the making. An idea born after a night of whiskey and rum tastings, Edwards Ridge Distillery began its journey in 2014. Over two years later, after a lot of construction, paperwork, inspections, paperwork, hard work, and more paperwork…rum production finally began.