October 2021 - Rum In the News

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                                         MOUNT GAY

In October 2021, Mount Gay will expand its team of expertise to welcome Maggie Campbell, former Head Distiller of Privateer Rum. Hailing from Massachusetts and bringing a wealth of knowledge, experience and appreciation for rum and its culture, Campbell has been appointed Estate Rum Manager. In the newly created role, Campbell will sit at the helm of a vital mission for the future of Mount Gay. She will oversee the entire lifecycle, from sugarcane production through to the finished product, of the new estate rum division. Campbell will work hand in hand with Mount Gay’s Agricultural Manager Jacklyn Broome, Agronomy & Permaculture Consultant Dr. Emmanuel Bourguignon and Master Blender Trudiann Branker. “Mount Gay has always held a special place in my heart,” noted Maggie Campbell. “I’ve followed the work of Allen Smith and Trudiann Branker for quite some time and to be invited to join Mount Gay is a true privilege. I’m committed to honoring the genuine rum tradition and celebrating over 300 years of rum making expertise.” “We are thrilled to welcome Maggie to our team here in Barbados,” noted Raphael Grisoni, Managing Director, Mount Gay. “I’ve been following her career for many years, and she will be an integral part to the future of the Mount Gay Estate. We’re looking forward to sharing her work with the rum world in years to come.” Prior to joining Mount Gay, Campbell served as President and Head Distiller of Privateer Rum. In addition to her work at Privateer, Campbell worked across all aspects of the spirits industry. She founded Half Pint Co-Creation where she’s consulted on production, business, marketing, PR, and sales strategy as well as offered Founder’s and Performance Coaching. She served two elected terms on the Board of Directors of the American Craft Spirit Association and two elected terms as Vice President, she also served as their Spirits Judging Director bringing transparency and top standards to the not-for-profit competition. She also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Resistance Served and the Wine and Spirits Education Trust’s International Advisory Alumni Board. Campbell founded the Denver Brewer’s League, won the inaugural Denver Brewster’s Women’s Brewing Competition, and is a Masters of Wine candidate. Campbell’s practical experience speaks volumes and is complemented with her education in chemistry, brewing and distilling. Originally interested in the art of distillation following a 2004 journey to Scotland, she since received her Diploma in Craft Distilling Technologies from the Siebel Institute, her Level IV Diploma from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust, and attended The Ethanol Technology Institute’s Alcohol School, Concise in Jamaica after completing her university degree in Philosophy. Campbell also worked as Assistant Distiller at Germain-Robin learning traditional Cognac techniques after cutting her teeth with her original passion for whiskey. Her experience and education have propelled her to the top of the wine and spirits industry, culminating in awards to highlight Campbell’s contribution to the industry. Drinks International named her one of the industry’s most influential figures in Bar World 100 at No 65 in 2019 and No. 31 in 2020. Wine Enthusiast also named her Top 40 Under 40 in 2018. https://www.mountgayrum.com/

                                        SANTA TERESA

Ron Santa Teresa is proud to name Nancy Duarte as its new master blender, the first woman to hold this position within the company, and the fifth altogether in the history of the brand. Nancy Duarte has a Superior Technical degree in food and beverage, specializing in wines and fermented drinks. Since 1990, she has held several positions in the production area of Ron Santa Teresa, being recently responsible for the supervision of quality control, development, and formulation of liquids as well as innovations in the productive process and new products for the company portfolio. From the time she entered the company, she absorbed the knowledge handed down to her by Jean-Paul Levert, the third master blender at Santa Teresa, and learned that rum is synonymous with patience. “Time is the best ally. Rum has taught me to cultivate the gift of patience because that is what you must have to allow the liquid to evolve, to keep developing and obtain those aromas that make the Ron Santa Teresa portfolio what it is,” said Nancy Duarte. A vital part of her responsibilities has been to supervise the entire production process, from raw materials obtained at the Hacienda Santa Teresa to the finished product, to guarantee the quality and consistency of the blends. Duarte points out that, out of all the areas she oversees, the aging stage is one of her great passions because it is where the transformation of alcohol into rum takes place and where the mastery of the rum blender helps create exceptionally aged rums. Among the products in the portfolio, her special favorite is Santa Teresa 1796. This Super Premium Rum is renowned as a pioneer in the use of the artisanal Solera Method, as the second ageing process which gives this rum its uniquely dry, smooth, and balanced characteristics. “I like Santa Teresa 1796 because it surprises you with its complexity and long-lasting taste on the palate, with its characteristic notes of nuts, chocolate, honey, and leather that can be enjoyed on any occasion,” she added. As master blender, Nancy Duarte, along with Néstor Ortega will take the lead in the expansion plan to meet increasing international demand and together face the challenge to help establish the category of Superior Premium rum in the world. Santa Teresa is the leading producer of rum in Venezuela with a tradition of five generations of master rum blenders during its 225 years of history. A company that has transformed crises into opportunities, recognized for the quality of its liquids and its social investment initiatives in the Revenga Municipality of Aragua state. To commemorate the bicentennial of the Hacienda Santa Teresa, the fourth generation of the Vollmer family (Alberto J. Vollmer), challenged the Master Distillers to elaborate the best crafted rum in the world. The final result was SANTA TERESA 1796. Launched in 1996, it is a bold and elegant rum with blends of up to 35 years of aging in bourbon oak barrels then further aged through the artisanal Spanish Solera Method, resulting in a rum that is rich, refined yet unexpectedly dry. Each aspect of SANTA TERESA 1796, from the special pot still rum, the artisanal production process, to the bottling system, and the hand application of the wax used to seal the cork, makes every bottle a unique piece. It is the perfect spirit for whisky drinker looking to discover new flavors, with notes of wood, dark chocolate, leather and nuts. www.santateresarum.com

                                           RON ABUELO

Blue Ridge Spirits & Wine Marketing is pleased to announce it has entered into a partnership agreement with Varela Hermanos, S.A. to represent Ron Abuelo in the U.S. market. Under the new arrangement, Blue Ridge will manage all sales and marketing activities for the Panamanian aged rum brand, effective immediately. “We are very excited to welcome Ron Abuelo into our growing spirits portfolio,” said Blue Ridge Spirits & Wine Marketing’s CEO, Carlos Carreras. “This brand is a game-changer in the rum category, and we look forward to working closely with the team in Panama to accelerate the growth of the brand here in the U.S.” The highly acclaimed rums of Ron Abuelo are produced by Varela Hermanos, Panama’s oldest distilling family that dates to 1908, when Don José Varela Blanco established the first sugar mill in Pesé in the recently formed Republic of Panama. Known for their commitment to exceptional quality since the beginning, the family controls 100% of the rum-making process from cane to bottle: they grow and harvest 1,600 hectares of sugar cane, distill their own spirit, age it at their estate and bottle within the community. The results speak for themselves: a collection of award-winning aged rums that are a true expression of their craftsmanship. “We are thrilled to team up with a company that understands our heritage and shares our vision for the future,” commented Daniel Fábrega, Vice President, Export for Varela Hermanos. “The team at Blue Ridge recognizes the growth potential and distinct market opportunity for Ron Abuelo in the United States. We are confident we have chosen a terrific partner with both the energy and skill to bring our brand vision to life.” Each of the rums are masterfully created at La Hacienda San Isidro in the Pesé Valley and are uniquely delicious due to the region’s singular terroir (a rich mixture of volcanic soil and clay with special climate conditions that bless the hacienda) and Ron Abuelo’s most vital resource: its reserve of mature rums dating back more than four decades. While each reference in the portfolio offers a different experience, all the rums express the family’s passion to produce the very best in aged rum. https://www.ronabuelopanama.com/en/home

                                         HAVANA CLUB

Havana Club and Skepta are back again with another creative collaboration that sees the UK artist design his second limited edition Havana Club 7 bottle. Rum of Skepta has been crafted by the man himself alongside Havana Club’s Maestro del Ron Cubano Asbel Morales in celebration of the cultural links between Cuba and Skepta’s family roots in Nigeria. As the collaboration makes clear, “This Havana Club 7 bottle honors my roots. It traces the migration of Yoruba culture from Africa to Cuba and back again. Inspired by the region of my chieftainship in Ogun State Nigeria, it celebrates inner strength and the journeys that make us great.” Alongside the release of the limited-edition Havana Club 7 bottle, Skepta and Havana Club have also curated a campaign film of Skepta on his journey from London back to Nigeria to explore the story of his Yoruba roots continuing from the journey of discovery with Havana Club in Havana, Cuba last year. Travelling from Ogun State to Lagos and the renowned New Africa Shrine, this campaign video specifically celebrates Yoruba culture, both traditional and contemporary, a culture that Skepta, Cuba and Havana Club all share. www.havanaclub.com

                                             REEFTIP

A world-first science and tourism partnership to support the growth of new corals in the Great Barrier Reef, is being given a financial helping hand by Diageo Australia, the drinks producer behind Bundaberg Rum, through the launch of its new drinks brand Reeftip Drinks Co. Reeftip, which is launching with a spiced rum premix range featuring hints of Australian inspired local flavors and a spiced rum spirit in October, is donating 10 per cent of its profits to the Coral Nurture Program whose aim is to build the resilience of the Great Barrier Reef and boost coral abundance along tourism sites through innovative scientific methods of coral propagation and planting where it’s needed most. More and more consumers are looking to brands to do more for environment and Reeftip answers that call from its inception with its support of the Coral Nurture Program. Reeftip’s financial support will enable the Coral Nurture Program to significantly accelerate its coral regeneration work at Great Barrier Reef sites where coral needs to be boosted and maintained and support the scientific research that underpins field work on the reef. The Coral Nurture Program’s regeneration efforts harness tourism’s vast collective infrastructure and use new Australian coral clip technology to grow and maintain new corals in high value sites across the Reef. Angus McPherson, Managing Director of Diageo Australia, said: “Australians are getting right behind the local spirits industry and that’s why I’m so excited to launch Reeftip, Australia’s newest spirits brand, a product that not only tastes good, but does good. Consumers around the world are becoming increasingly aware of the environment they live in, and they’re passionate about brands that give back and make a positive contribution. That’s what Reeftip is about - it’s helping scientists and those who live and work on the reef build its long-term resilience. We’re incredibly fortunate to have the world’s largest coral reef ecosystem on our doorstep, and we all want to see it preserved.” University of Technology Sydney (UTS) Professor and Coral Nurture Program co-founder, David Suggett, says building environmental resilience requires community action. “It’s not just scientists that can be part of positive change. With the support of Reeftip Drinks Co, we’ll be able to help more people play a part in securing a better future for Australia’s reefs. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed in the face of environmental change. The Coral Nurture Program has shown us that if we work together and create communities committed to action, we can bring about real and lasting change – including a more sustainable experience of the reef,” said Professor Suggett. Katherine Reid, Chief Executive Officer of Bundaberg Region Tourism said: “The launch of Reeftip Drinks Co is exciting. Nothing says summer like kicking back with a cold drink, with quintessential Queensland flavors. With 10 per cent of profits going towards supporting the Great Barrier Reef, we love that kicking back also means contributing to the preservation of our greatest natural asset. “It’s truly wonderful to see an Australian brand like Reeftip Drinks Co. take steps to help preserve and regenerate the Great Barrier Reef and empower action in consumers to both contribute to the great work of the Coral Nurture Program and learn more about coral reef health.” https://www.reeftip.com.au/en-au

                                         HOLMES CAY

Delivering on its promise to share rare and special rums to spirits lovers, Holmes Cay Rum has built a reputation over the past two years by selecting and releasing an annual series of limited-edition rums. Now available, Holmes Cay’s South Africa Mhoba 2017 marks the first time South African Rum has ever been sold in the United States and the first time that rum from the Mhoba Distillery is available stateside. “We are extremely honored to be the exclusive importer of the first US edition of this entirely unique artisan-distilled rum from the Mhoba Rum Distillery in collaboration with master distiller Robert Greaves,” said founder Eric Kaye. “We are proud to present this truly one of a kind rum to spirits lovers for the first time in the US.” The Mhoba Distillery uses hand-cut cane grown on the adjacent farm and distills from fresh pressed cane juice on a crusher designed by Greaves.  Both commercial and wild African yeasts are used in fermentation.  The pot stills which produce this richly aromatic and flavorful rum were also designed and built by Greaves.  This edition has been aged for four years exclusively in South African whisky casks. Robert Greaves added, “When I first began distilling, my goal was to produce a spirit like a single malt whisky but made from our own sugarcane, grown on our farm. From the growing, hand-harvesting and crushing of our sugarcane right through to distillation in our self-built pot stills and the aging in ex-South African whisky casks, everything was done on our farm and distillery to create a pure rum which is truly unique.” The Holmes Cay South Africa Mhoba 2017 edition was aged for 4 years in subtropical conditions of the Mhoba distillery in the Mpumalanga province on the northeastern border of South Africa, before being bottled in New York State. Only four barrels were selected. No sugar, color or other flavors were added. The Holmes Cay South Africa Mhoba 2017 is bottled at full barrel proof of 59% ABV. Kaye also announced the return of their Fiji 2004 rum.  “We were able to get 4 more barrels of this award-winning rum that Robb Report ranked 9th in the ‘21 Best Rums of the 21st Century (So Far)’. Aged for 12 years in the tropics, with 5 years maturation in the UK, the Fiji 2004 17-year was bottled at 58% ABV. Holmes Cay (pronounced ‘key’) Rum curates a continuously evolving collection of the best small-batch, limited-edition rums, distilled and bottled without additives. Single Cask editions are aged in cask, while Single Origin editions combine multiple casks and production styles to create exciting expressions from a given distillery or region. www.holmescay.com

                                       SELVAREY RUMS

SelvaRey Rum, co-owned by music superstar Bruno Mars, is donating 100% of its profits earned in Hawaiʻi for the remainder of 2021 to Honolulu Community College’s Music & Entertainment Learning Experience program. “The community of Hawaiʻi is near and dear to the heart of the SelvaRey team. It is where Bruno Mars was born and raised and is the ideal embodiment of the ‘Tropical Luxury’ that the brand strives to bring imbibers to with every sip of their rum,” read a press release from SelvaRey Rum. “Naturally, music is a fundamental part of the brand, so SelvaRey is honored to support the island’s music and entertainment arts.”SelvaRey is a collection of single-estate rums, ranging in price point and enticing flavors, whose striking package was personally designed by Mars himself. He also directed and starred in its first campaign video. https://selvarey.com/

                                            MINOKI RUM

Yoshino Spirits has added Minoki Rum to its portfolio. Minoki takes its name from the first emperors of Japan, said to have descended from an ocean princess-dragon. Minoki’s design also draws inspiration from the legend, depicting the mythical princess, dragon Fuji-Yama. The rums are aged in in Mizunara casks before being filtered through washed ashore Japanese corals. Yoshino Sugi Cask Finished 8 years old blends eight years oak barrel-aged, Japanese and Pacific rums. It is then finished in Yoshino Sugi-Japanese Cedar casks before filtering through washed ashore and bleached Japanese corals to create a truly exceptional blend with hints of Japanese cedar on the nose and green tea in the finish.  Sakura Cask Finished 12 years old is a blend of twelve years oak barrel-aged, Japanese and Pacific rums. The blend is then finished in Sakura -Japanese Cherry Tree casks before filtering through washed ashore and bleached Japanese corals to create a truly exceptional blend with hints of Sakura blossoms on the nose and zest of berries in the finish. https://www.minokirum.com/