May 2014- Rum in the News

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CHAI RUM

SMAKS Luxury Group has introduced the world’s first Chai rum. Among Kiran Shiya Akal’s many talents and passions,he is a tea maker. He says he has found the perfect partnering between the leaves of tea from the East Indies and rum from the West Indies, a pairing that goes back to the 17th Century. Chai Rum is currently available in Barbados,Trinidad and St. Thomas.

SELVAREY WHITE & CACAO RUMS

Don ‘Pancho’ Francisco Fernandez is famous for his award winning aged dark rums. Now he is producing a white and a flavored rum for Selvarey. Selva = jungle; rey = king. For Selvarey Rums, Don Pancho ferments Grade A molasses and distills the nectar in four copper column stills built in 1922 by the American Copper & Brass Works. The distillate is aged in American white oak barrels that previously aged fine bourbon. For the White, Don Pancho chooses a 3 year old rum for its youth and vibrancy, and combines it with a rich, full bodied 5 year old mark. For the Cacao, he selects a 5 year old rum whose inherent flavor is enhanced with the infusion of the finest locally sourced chocolate. His goal is to produce a white and flavored rum fine enough to sip on the rocks.

SAMMY’S BEACH BAR RUM

Imperial Brands has announced that it has signed an agreement with Sammy Hagar’s newest spirit, Sammy Beach Bar Rum. Imperial Brands will assume all sales responsibility in the United States and Canada for the rock star’s award winning silver rum.

PENNY BLUE XO RUM

Printed in Mauritius in 1847, the Penny Blue stamp is considered one of the rarest stamps in the world. From the oldest distillery in Mauritius now comes Penny Blue XO Rum. Named after the famous stamp, Penny Blue is made at the Medine Distillery. Master Distiller Jean Francois Koenig selects individual casks at the peak of their maturity, having been aged in Cognac, Whisky and Bourbon barrels. Penny Blue is natural in color and is not cold-filtered in order to preserve the heart of the rum. It is bottled on the Medine estate and distributed by Anchor Distilling.

ST . GEORGE AGRICOLE RUM

The folks St. George did not want to make a ‘normal’ rum; they wanted a true agricole. They wanted to use true cane juice, not molasses. Small-diameter California sugar cane is grown outside Brawley in the Imperial Valley. Immediately after harvest, the stalks are shipped to the distillery where fresh cane juice is extracted by running the stalks by hand through a sugar cane mill. The freshly pressed, uncooked cane juice is then fermented and distilled in small batches in a 500 liter copper pot still.

LOST SPIRITS POLYNESIAN INSPIRED RUM

Last month I wrote about Bryan Davis’s Navy Style Rum. Since then, I have had the great pleasure of tasting both the 55% and 68% ABV versions. I had to bribe my brother- in- law to hand deliver them to Colorado. Well worth every cent, the rums are potent, flavorful and unique. Look for a Polynesian Inspired Rum to follow shortly. I don’t know much about it yet, but I am definitely sending the brother- in- law more money.

SAN FRANCISCO WORLD SPIRITS COMPETITION

This year, 39 spirits experts judged 1,474 spirits from 41 states and 63 countries. Wray & Nephew, Inner Circle and Bounty won Double Gold Medals in the Overproof Category. Tanduay Silver won a Double Gold in the White Rum Category. Havana Club Seleccion de Maestros and Real McCoy won Double Gold in the Dark/Gold Category and Zaya, Fecundo Rum Exquisito and Appleton Estate won Double Gold in the Extra Aged Category. Caribbean Treasure Rum by Vanilla Rum won Double Gold in the Flavored Rum Category.

DESTILERIA SERRALLES

Puerto Rico’s largest distillery says it plans to roughly triple its production of rum within a few years. Alejandro Garcia Padilla said that Destileria Serralles Inc. had signed several deals with private investors. He said the increase in production will start this month.The company confirmed that the expansion would push output up by 8 million gallons a year from the current 4 million to 5 million. Its best-known brand is Don Q.

BACARDI

The latest addition to the brand’s flavored rum family, BACARDÍ® Mango Fusion TM, is a one-of-a-kind product that fuses the ripe flavor of mango with a recognizable hint of orange, creating an unforgettable taste experience. “Mango is one of the most popular flavors on the market today, with its light, crisp profile,”said Toby Whitmoyer, vice president and brand managing director, rum category, at Bacardi U.S.A., Inc. “As leaders in the rum category, we’re committed to innovating to meet our consumers’ needs- - and BACARDÍ Mango Fusion delivers on that promise,” he added.

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.