Exclusive Interview with Lee Smith, Founder of Cane & Able, and the creator of Lost Years Rum

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Q: What is your full name, title, company name and company location?

I’m Lee Smith, Founder of Cane & Able, a new independent UK-based rum house, and the creator of our debut brand, Lost Years Rum.  

Q: What inspired you to get into the spirits industry and why rum?

My own rum journey started about 15 years ago. I began where a lot of people begin – with spiced rum – but soon discovered what an incredibly enjoyable and diverse spirit rum is.  

I’m a massive fan of Jamaican and Barbadian rums – which is why we source much of our rum from these islands – but I’ve been blown away by rums from elsewhere too – Venezuela, Belize, El Salvador, the US and Madeira to name a few. I don’t think I will ever get bored of trying new rums – that’s one of the things that excites me so much about this category!  

From a business perspective, I’m new to the world of spirits and, prior to launching Lost Years Rum, had no experience at all in the sector. I previously ran a London-based communication agency, which I sold in 2017 – so I have strong skills in branding, design and storytelling and I’m quite entrepreneurial – but I’ve been on a steep learning curve when it comes to my knowledge of the drinks industry. 

Q: “Lost Years”, what a great name for your rum portfolio, why did you choose this name?

The idea for Lost Years was hatched on a family holiday in Jamaica in 2019. I’d been out visiting rum distilleries, which is something I like to do when I’m in the right part of the world, and my wife and children had been back at the resort hearing all about the local sea turtle nesting beaches and how endangered these ancient creatures now are. That night we got talking over dinner and hit on the idea to combine two of the things the region is famous for, great rum and sea turtles!   

Lost Years is a reference to the early years of a sea turtle’s life, when they disappear below the waves not to be seen again for up to a decade. This period – known as ‘the lost years’ is one of nature’s great mysteries, as no one knows where they go. It just seemed fitting for a brand devoted to saving these creatures. 

Everything about our brand was built around the simple idea of ‘great rum doing good’ – the liquid in the bottle is from some of the region’s most revered distilleries and every bottle we sell raises money to support community-based sea turtle conservation. 

Q: Where did you gain your knowledge about the spirits industry in general and about rum in particular?

I’m constantly learning – that’s what makes this so exciting after a long career as a communication professional, where I’d developed a deep expertise over nearly 30 years. I’m a fast learner though and have been helped along by having some great people around me and by participating in some world class learning.  I’ve completed  various courses over the last few years, including learning the art of distilling, but the highlight for me was definitely Luis Ayala’s Rum University program, which I attended in Kentucky last year – a fantastic ‘deep dive’ into the world of rum, which opened up my eyes to the complexity and rich history of the spirit.   

Q: You were just getting started with your company when COVID-19 hit last year, what were some of the challenges you faced during the pandemic? How have you overcome these challenges?

Yes, we launched Lost Years in November 2020, during lockdown and at the height of the COVID pandemic here in the UK.  It certainly presented some challenges, including delaying our launch by about six months. We had to adapt our plans significantly and during the first six months focused heavily on driving online sales at the exclusion of almost everything else. Selling direct to the consumer via your website is fantastic, but it’s hard work and expensive to build a new brand from scratch.  In the last few months, as things have begun to open up again, we have started to widen this out – we have recently launched on Amazon in the UK, secured listings with many of the biggest online spirits retailers and are now focused on traditional ‘bricks and mortar’ retailers and the licensed on trade, including pubs, bars and restaurants.  

Q: What rums do you currently have in your portfolio?

At present the Lost Years range comprises of four rum blends – two aged and two unaged.  Our signature bottling is called Four Island, a 40% ABV blend of three aged rums sourced from Barbados, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic, with the added ‘x-factor’ of unaged Rhum Agricole from Guadeloupe.  

We’re champions of the ancient art of rum blending and believe that the right marriage of a number of single origin rums can create something much more than the sum of its parts. Four Island is a great example of this – a combination of molasses-based rums and a cane juice-based rum, aged and unaged, to create a unique flavour profile. It’s proving quite a hit!  

We also have a more traditional molasses-based aged rum called Arribada, which is sourced from distilleries across Latin America. It’s aged up to eight years in ex-Bourbon barrels and named after the mass sea turtle nesting events that take place in that part of the world.   

Our unaged rums are based around the same incredible blend - a combination of Jamaican column still rum and a high ester pot still rum from Barbados - which we offer at true navy strength of 54.5% - called simply ‘Navy Strength’ - and as a 40% ABV rum we call Silver Moon. This really is a world class blend and is winning some great recognition – we even picked up a Master medal in Rum Masters 2021 for our Navy Strength just four months after the brand launched! 

All of our rums are pure and unadulterated with absolutely nothing added post-distillation - no sugar, caramel or flavours. 

Q: Do you have plans to add new rums to your collection?

We are working on some exciting new products and plan to expand the range in the coming months. I won’t say what these are just yet, but they will stay true to our philosophy of great rum doing good – and always beautiful, 100% natural rums from world class distilleries. 

Q: Where are your products currently available for purchase?

Lost Years is currently only available in the UK, but we have big ambitions for the brand and are planning to launch in other markets in 2022.  We’ve already had numerous approaches from potential partners in a handful of countries and I’m confident the brand will be a big hit internationally. 

Q: I too am passionate about sea turtles and absolutely love your slogan “Saving sea turtles, one sip at a time.”  Why are sea turtles so important to you?

We are beginning to wake up, at last, to the fact that the clock is ticking for our planet and are starting to realize that we have to take action before it is too late.  Sea turtles are, for me, symbolic of the massive environmental challenges we are all facing. They have been on our planet since the time of the dinosaurs – over 110 million years – but today six out of seven species are classified as either endangered or threatened. Some are predicting that certain species could become extinct within a generation!  

They are also beautiful, graceful creatures and anyone who has seen one can’t fail but to feel an emotional connection to them. And they are a vitally important part of the ocean ecosystem too. 

Q: I feel the timing of this interview is great, since many sea turtles around the world hatch in July!  How do you feel now that your brand has “hatched” and your products are being distributed in more and more places, like baby turtles exploring new waters?

We recently announced that, based purely on website sales during the first six months, we have already raised enough money to save up to 15,000 baby sea turtles. That’s a great feeling, but it’s just the start for us – we want to add a couple of zeros to that number over the coming years!  It’s also really gratifying to be picking up coveted awards for our rum and winning lots of new fans – proof that you can have great rum and do good too! 

Q: Who have you partnered up with to help these precious, endangered turtles?

We work with a US-based charity called SEE Turtles, which supports community-based conservation efforts across Latin America and the Caribbean.  

Q: I understand that Lost Years is a “Zero Plastic” brand.  Can you tell us more about this?

For us, launching a rum brand devoted to sea turtle conservation meant that we had to do certain things – not least remove all single use plastic from our product and processes. 

We chose eco-friendly materials throughout and banished plastic from our main product packaging and the packaging used to fulfill customer orders on our website. The tamper seal, for instance, looks like plastic, but is actually made from plant-based cellulose and is fully compostable. There’s one manufacturer in the world who produces these. We use an eco-friendly solution called Flexihex for our customer orders, sealing boxes with recycled paper tape. We chose a lighter weight bottle. Our corks are made from the by-products of cork production with a natural wood stopper sourced from FSC certified forestry.  

There were many choices along the way, but even small producers like us can make a difference.  We also offset our carbon emissions by planting seagrass – another link to the blue planet and a way for us to support this ocean wonder-plant which absorbs carbon up to 35 times faster than tropical rain forests! 

Q: You also have a Rum Club, can you tell us more about this club and some of the benefits of joining?

It’s just a way to stay in touch with Lost Years and be the first to hear about new products, exclusive launches, recommended cocktails and how the money we raise is making a difference to sea turtles. 

Q: If people want to contact you, how may they reach you? 

You can learn all about Lost Years at our website www.lostyearsrum.com. We’re also on all the key social media channels via @lostyearsrum.  Or drop me a line direct: lee.smith@caneandable.com.

Margaret: Again Lee, thank you so much for this opportunity and I wish you, your team and your partnership with SEE Turtles all the best.  Keep savings those sea turtles!