Rum in the News
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 a landlocked rum enthusiast, he is based in Colorado, USA and is our newest contributor.
CRUZAN
After a five year absence, Cruzan has reintroduced their Estate Diamond Rum. However, this time there are two Diamonds, a Dark and a Light. They join the Single Barrel as part of the new Cruzan Distiller’s Collection. The Estate Diamond rums were originally created by Hardy Neltropp, who served as Master Distiller at Cruzan from 1959-2007. These rums are aged between five and twelve years in American Oak barrels. Cruzan Estate Diamond Light Rum is then charcoal filtered to remove most of the color, but still retains the smooth and mature characteristics of the blend.
BRUGAL
The Edrington Group has seen some solid success with their ultra high-end releases for The Macallan, so they’re bringing a very similar strategy and sensibility to Brugal, their rum brand. Brugal Papá Andrés Rum has all the elements for a ultra high-end release: it’s a limited edition series with only 500 bottles produced a year, presented in a stunning crystal decanter, with rare rum hand selected by Brugal’s Maestros Roneros. The Papa Andres blend varies from year to year but it consistently draws rum from three different kinds of casks: first filled Sherry, Ex-Pedro Ximenez, and first filled American Oak barrels. Brugal Papá Andrés was originally blended by the family to be served at family celebrations. Until now, the only bottles that ever became available were sold through charity auctions.
TANDUAY
Tanduay is one of the top selling, if not THE top selling rum in the world. Most of their business comes from their home country, the Philippines. They are now entering the competitive US light rum market with their Tanduay Silver Asian Rum. It is a blend of rums aged up to five years, but is not filtered, resulting in a light straw colored product.
WICKED DOLPHIN
Wicked Dolphin has taken their time in developing their Spiced Rum. They wanted a rum that truly represented Florida, with hints of oranges, honey, vanilla and subtle spices. These flavors are rounded out with the addition of some of their aged rum. The Spiced Rum joins Wicked Dolphin’s award winning Silver Rum.
CAPTAIN MORGAN
Diageo, owner of the Captain Morgan brand, is also entering the highly competitive light rum market with their newly released Captain Morgan White Rum. Diageo hopes to appeal to both the light rum drinker, as well as the adventurous vodka drinker.
BATISTE AGRICOLE
Habitation Bellvue, on Marie-Galante, tauts itself as a ‘Carbon Negative’ distillery that creates five times more energy than it uses by using the waste bio mass from the operation and a 4.5 mega-watt solar farm. It is the creation of an unusual collection of unique individuals: a Parisienne Socialite-Journalist, a Caribbean Eco-Agriculturist, a German Product Developmentalist and a Californian Big Idea Evangelist. Batiste Rhum Agricole Blanc is made in small batches with the freshly pressed juice of locally grown, sugar cane. The cane is crushed, and the fresh cane juice, or ‘vesou’, is sent to the fermenters within hours. Batiste is currently available in California.
TIBURON RUM
Tiburon Rum is a hand crafted, double-aged, premium rum, from an old family owned distillery near the shores of the Caribbean Sea in Belize. Basil DeStefano, a Belize resident and rum lover, has joined with Belize-based Travellers Liquors, to create Tiburon Rum. Small -batch rums of various ages are re-casked by Master Blenders into Kentucky Oak Bourbon Barrels for the ‘second maturation’. Tiburon Rum is currently available in Illinois, New Hampshire, Georgia and Florida.
RICHLAND RUM
Eric Vonk creates Vennebroeck Estate Private Reserve from locally grown fresh sugar cane juice or syrup, not molasses. He has spent the last fifteen years perfecting his proprietary fermentation process. Distillation is done in gasfired potstills and the rum is aged in American white oak, medium-charred barrels for at least eighteen months. A portion of the production is earmarked for aging 5 years and beyond. Eric expects to release 8,000 cases in 2014. Richland Rum is currently available in Georgia and Tennessee.