JANUARY 2016 fRom the gRAss to YoUR glAss, siNce 2001! · JANUARY 2016 fRom the gRAss to YoUR glAss, siNce 2001! ... distill the juice of locally grown sugar cane with wild yeast

COOKING WITH RUM - ANGel’s sHARe - CIGAR & RUM - MUse OF MIXOlOGY - RUM HIsTORIAN -

RUM IN THe NeWs - eXClUsIVe INTeRVIeW -PRIVATe lABel PRIMeR - RUM UNIVeRsITY

JANUARY 2016 fRom the gR Ass to YoUR gl Ass, s i Nce 2001!

Got Rum?®

got Rum? January 2016 - 2 Inspired in over 300 years of passion and history and more than a century (106 years) of tradition, brand name, rum mastery and excellence.To be enjoyed with prudence and moderation. A unique and exclusive rum from Rones Superiores de Puerto Rico & Co., Inc., 40% alcohol per

volume, 80°proof. The return of this fine crafted ultra premium rum is not yet available for sale or distribution, but coming soon.

THERE ARE PASSIONSYOU WANT TO RE-LIVE...

PUERTO RICO’S EMBLEMATIC ULTRAPREMIUM RUM IS SOON TO BE,

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,

CHEERS!

BACK ON THE STREET!

SUPERIOR_PAREJA_RED_English_Spread_Layout 1 8/13/15 5:26 PM Page 1

got Rum? January 2016 - 3Inspired in over 300 years of passion and history and more than a century (106 years) of tradition, brand name, rum mastery and excellence.To be enjoyed with prudence and moderation. A unique and exclusive rum from Rones Superiores de Puerto Rico & Co., Inc., 40% alcohol per

volume, 80°proof. The return of this fine crafted ultra premium rum is not yet available for sale or distribution, but coming soon.

THERE ARE PASSIONSYOU WANT TO RE-LIVE...

PUERTO RICO’S EMBLEMATIC ULTRAPREMIUM RUM IS SOON TO BE,

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,

CHEERS!

BACK ON THE STREET!

SUPERIOR_PAREJA_RED_English_Spread_Layout 1 8/13/15 5:26 PM Page 1

got Rum? January 2016 - 4got Rum? January 2016 - 4

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coNteNts January 2016

7 From The ediTor8-11 The Angel’s shAre - rum reviews12-13 The rum universiTY l iBrArY14-15 CooKing wiTh rum16-17 The rum universiTY lABorATorY18-21 meAsuring AlCohol - PArT i22-25 Pr ivATe lABel Primer - PArT i26-27 The rum universiTY - Agr icul tural Focus28-31 The muse oF miXologY32-34 The rum h isToriAn36-38 rum in The news40-45 eXClusive inTerview52-55 C igAr And rum PAir ing


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Got Rum?®Printed in the u.s.A.

A publ icat ion of rum runner Press, inc.round rock, Texas 78664 - u.s.A.

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Januar y 2016editor and Publ isher: lu [email protected] ive edi tor : [email protected] and rum: phi l [email protected] ’s share: [email protected] histor ian: [email protected] in the news: [email protected] with rum: [email protected] is ing services: v i rg in [email protected]: [email protected] of Photography: [email protected]

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on The Cover: sni f ter and Barrel .

inside Cover: rum for Two.

@ G o t _ R u mf a c e b o o k . c o m / G o t R u m


From The ediTor

Stubbling

i n the world of sugarcane cul t ivat ion, “stubbl ing” is the term employed to descr ibe the abi l i ty of a part icular

cane var iety to regrow new stalks af ter the exist ing ones have been harvested.

There are var iet ies that produce a high concentrat ion of sugar by weight of stalk, but th is fact a lone is not enough to select those var iet ies, i f their stubbl ing abi l i ty is poor or fa i r. This abi l i ty to overcome mut i lat ing adversi ty, is one of the reasons sugarcane can be so inspirat ional .

l i fe, i t seems to me, can present us wi th chal lenges that are very s imi lar to a sugarcane harvest, removing much of what we take for granted, leaving behind only roots and stubs. overcoming adversi ty for humans, just l ike for sugarcane, comes down to matching our own stubbl ing abi l i ty against our environmental condi t ions, in a batt le of wi ts, determinat ion and pat ience.

in 2015 we witnessed smal l craf t d ist i l ler ies struggl ing to survive, somet imes due to workplace accidents, others due to cash f low problems, others due to lack of focus on brand ident i f icat ion and di fferent iat ion.

neophyte dist i l lers somet imes see these misfortunes as career-ending and, somet imes they are r ight . But i f the dr ive to start a dist i l lery is engrained in their dnA, then the “stubbl ing effect” emerges and they return to face their o ld enemies, but th is t ime they are wiser and better prepared.

There are def in i te ly some people in the craf t industry who do not have a passion for what they do, people who only got in the business because i t seemed l ike an easy and fun way to make a prof i t .

There are others who wi l l never qui t the craf t , even i f their legs are chopped down from underneath them, they wi l l s imply f igure out a way to persevere. i t is to th is last group that i ra ise my glass and toast, for they represent the t rue spir i t of craf t d ist i l lat ion.

Cheers!

luis Ayala, Editor and Publ isher http://www.linkedin.com/in/rumconsultant

do you want to learn more about rum but don’t want to wait until the next issue of “got rum?”? Then join the “rum lovers unite!” group on linkedin for updates, previews, Q&A and exclusive material.


my name is Paul senf t - rum reviewer, Tast ing host , Judge and wr i ter. my explorat ion of rums began by learning to c raf t T ik i cock ta i ls for f r iends. i quick ly learned that not a l l rums are created equal ly and that the uniqueness of the spi r i t can be as var ied as the locales they are f rom. This inspi red me to t ravel wi th my wi fe around the Car ibbean, Centra l Amer ica, and uni ted states v is i t ing dist i l ler ies and learning about how each one creates thei r rums. i have also had the p leasure of learning f rom bar tenders, brand ambassadors, and other enthusiasts f rom around the wor ld; each one prov id ing thei r own unique point of v iew, adding another chapter to the modern stor y of rum.

The desi re to share th is informat ion led me to c reate w w w.RumJourney.com where i share my exper iences and rev iews in the hopes that i would inspi re others in thei r own explorat ions. i t is my wish in the pages of “got rum?” to be your host and prov ide you wi th my impressions of rums avai lab le in the wor ld market . hopeful ly my tast ing notes wi l l inspi re you to t r y the rums and make your own opin ions. The wor ld is fu l l of good rums and the journey is a lways best exper ienced wi th others. Cheers!

P uer to Angel rum Blanco is produced in a dist i l ler y located in the oaxaca mountain region

of mexico. To make the product , they dist i l l the juice of local ly grown sugar cane with wi ld yeast in a copper pot st i l l . hand made in smal l batches they age the blanco for s ix months in used Amer ican oak bourbon barrels. due to their product ion methods they are one of the few rums that has earned the usdA organic Cer t i f icat ion.

Appearance/Presentat ion

The rum is packed in a tal l f rosted wine bot t le. The plast ic cork is secured to the bot t le with a wooden cap. A secur i ty st r ip wraps the top and anchors i t to the neck of the bot t le. The screen pr inted por t ion of the f ront label shares the basic product detai l . The yel low st icker at the base has the signature of the master dist i l ler, that the cane used for the rum was harvested in 2011, and that the barrel number was 15 - 03.

The l iquid in the glass has a sl ight yel low t int and creates a thick band with fast moving legs when i t is agi tated.

Nose

when i poured the rum in the glass i p icked up a swir l of cane and mineral notes. As the aroma set t led i discovered notes of f resh hay, dr ied apr icots, b lack pepper and capped of f wi th a hint of di l l .

Puer to Angel rum Blanco

The A ngel’s sh A reby Paul senf t


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Palate

on the palate the bi te of the alcohol is balanced by the f lavors of sweet sugar cane grass, a pop of tangy c i t rus, grounded by a l ight ly bi t ter l imestone mineral foundat ion.

The longer i s ipped i t hints of oak weave in and out of the other f lavors consistent ly set t l ing with the mineral notes in a bi t tersweet f inish.

Review

i real ly enjoyed the dynamics of this product . The oak notes popped in and out shar ing di f ferent aspects of the woods f lavor. The mineral foundat ion counterbalanced by the grass notes created levels of f lavor that made this an enjoyable sipper.

not a recommendat ion i usual ly make with a six month old rum. The c i t rus note provides an interest ing twist that is fun to play with in cock tai ls that use white rum as i ts pr imary ingredient .


A few years ago i was at tending a wine and spir i ts t rade show in At lanta. whi le there i chat ted with

edward hamil ton, the grandfather of rum in the u.s. about the l ines of rums he was represent ing and he ment ioned the idea of the yet to be released minist r y of rum l ine. since that t ime he has released rums f rom several is lands and provides a batch number on every bot t le.

using the batch number the consumer can go onl ine and receive detai led informat ion about the is land, dist i l ler y, as wel l as the barrels used dur ing the par t icular batch. he also share informat ion about the f i l tered water used dur ing the blending process when the rums were blended and bot t led in new York. mr. hamil ton does not use any caramel color ing or other addit ives in his rum l ine.

As the t i t le indicates the rum is created on the is land of st . luc ia at st . luc ia dist i l lers lTd. The molasses based rum is dist i l led using a vendome copper pot st i l l then aged for seven years. edward hamil ton then personal ly selected the casks for this blend and shipped them to new York where they were blended to 97 proof at Five and 20 dist i l ler y in mayvi l le, new York. The barrels used in the blend were numbers: 443 -12- 03, 449 -12- 03, 597-11- 06, 451-12-03 and 151-10 - 04. on the label of each bot t le is a batch number, for this review my bot t le is f rom batch #813 -793.

Appearance/Presentat ion

The tal l dark bot t le is capped with a gold secur i ty wrap conceal ing a plast ic capped

st. lucian Pot st i l l Aged rum

synthet ic cork. on the neck of the wrap is the signature of edward hamil ton in black. The f ront and back labels provide the basic informat ion about the rum along with the batch number and year : 2006 as wel l as the onl ine references ment ioned above.

The rum in the glass is a nice sol id copper color with gold highl ights. swir l ing the l iquid produced a nice thick band with long slow moving legs that c l ing to the glass and take quite a whi le before they evaporate.

Nose

As i poured the rum in the glass the air was f i l led with the heavy dunder aroma i associate with a pot st i l l rum with the tang of alcohol that goes along with the high proof. i let the glass breathe for a few minutes and discovered notes of ear thy vani l la, sweet banana, lemongrass, a touch of anise, with oak tannins dancing with the other f lavors.

Palate

The f i rst s ip provides a rush of oak laden spices of c innamon, tobacco, and nutmeg with a nice black pepper pop of alcohol. Addit ional s ips reveal notes of baked apple and l ight ly ac idic orange in the midl ine, with sugary pear across the t ip of the tongue. As the rum begins to fade i discovered an ear thy base of astr ingent leather, anise, with l ight mineral notes at the f inish.

Review

i have to admit i was a bi t wary and exc i ted to f inal ly exper ience this rum. over the past few years i had heard mixed reviews about

The A ngel’s sh A reby Paul senf t

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would you l ike to see your rum reviewed here?

we don’t charge fees to review

rums, you don’t even have to

adver t ise, so what are you wait ing

for???

For more information, please send an email to:

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the expressions in the l ine and was l i teral ly braced for any thing. Knowing edward hamil ton wanted to create something that the rum connoisseur could exper ience whi le learning the detai ls about the product with a level of t ransparency rarely seen in the spir i ts industr y.

i found this rum to be enjoyable f rom beginning to end r ight down to the l inger ing f inish. Adding a touch of water real ly opens up the f rui t notes and mel lows out the oak. enjoy i t neat , wi th an ice cube, or dash of water. At this t ime the minist r y of rum l ine is in l imited dist r ibut ion across the u.s. and can be found at some onl ine retai lers.

the RUm UNi VeRsit Y l ibR ARY

RumUNIVERSITY

THE ®

welcome to The rum univers i t y l ibrar y. in addi t ion to the mater ia l found on our of f ic ia l websi te, we also per iodical ly publ ish on “got rum?” rev iews of books on topics inc luding fermentat ion, d ist i l lat ion, aging, mixo logy

and many more. You can also f ind addi t ional valuable mater ia l at

w w w.Rumbook.com

www.rumuniversi t y.com

The rum universiT Y



w hat happens when we combine two cultures known for celebrat ing l i fe and nature through their rum-

inspired cuisines? i f we are refer r ing to Car ibbean and south Amer ican cultures, the answer is “pure bl iss” !

laurel -Ann mor ley was born in venezuela, but has l ived in Barbados since she was 10 years old. she descr ibes hersel f s imply as a “housewife who l ikes to cook” but her demand as a special ty chef in Barbados te l ls a bet ter stor y about her cul inary sk i l ls.

Beyond simply prepar ing meals, mrs. mor ley also enjoys “creat ing atmospheres” within which to enjoy the meals. i t is this al l -encompassing view of gastronomy that led her to the wr i t ing of this great book.

Cooking wi th Car ibbean rum opens up with a sect ion devoted to rum dr inks, both hot and cold. Among our favor i tes are Ponche Crema and Orange Egg nog.

The book then moves on to soups and star ters, where we are del ighted with rec ipes such as Cheddar rum-rais in Spread and rum nut Br ie. i t is then of f to the land of poult r y, a very ex tensive sect ion featur ing the l ikes of Turkey Breast wi th rum Curry Glaze and rum Punch Chicken.

The Beef and lamb sect ion does not disappoint ei ther, with a plethora of rec ipes that have survived the test of t ime. Among our favor i tes are Oxtai l Stew and Lamb Kebabs .

There are two addit ional sect ions, devoted to Pork and Fish respect ively, which are sure to del ight those with a predi lect ion for ei ther one. But just l ike most celebrat ions, the book must end with a sweet note, or sect ion devoted to them. in this case, the desser t sect ion ent ices our senses, feast ing our eyes and imaginat ion with rec ipes such as Pineapple rum Log , rummy Oranges and Macaroon Tor te.

The book is a del ight ful source of inspirat ion, wether i t is a single rec ipe or a 5 course meal, there are plenty of rum-centr ic of fer ings to create the per fect atmosphere.

Cheers!

margaret e. Ayala, Publ isher



cooK iNg W ith RUm

hello, my name is susan whit ley, i am passionate about great foods and beverages. i love f inding rec ipes that incorporate my favor i te ingredients and shar ing the results with my f r iends and family.

Through this monthly column i wi l l do my best to inspire you to incorporate the spir it of the tropics into your everyday cooking.

[email protected]

by Chef susan whit ley

RumUNIVERSITY

THE TM

welcome to 2016! Are you looking for something special to r ing in the new year? wel l, i have two great rec ipes to share with you, they are sure to impress your f r iends, fami ly and business associates. The rec ipes are simple but very scrumpt ious. Bon apet i t !

Rum marinated mushroomingredients:

½ lb. Fresh Champignon mushrooms½ tsp. Crushed oregano¼ C. ol ive oi l1 gar l ic Clove, crushed2 Tbsp. dark rum2 Tbsp. red wine vinegarsalt & Pepper to taste and a pinch of di l l

“ i cook wi th wine, somet imes i even add i t to the food.”

― W.C. Fie lds

Got Rum?TM



direct ions:

wash the mushrooms thoroughly, dr y and cut in hal f. mix al l of the ingredients together in a bowl and add the mushrooms. Toss unt i l mushrooms are thoroughly coated with the mar inade. let stand at room temperature for about an hour. serve with toothpicks. serves 6 -8.

Pork loin with spiced Rum soaked Prunesingredients:

one 4 -5 lb. Pork Tender lo in20 Pit ted Prunes¾ C. spiced rumsalt & Pepper to taste

direct ions:

Cut a pocket in the center ( lengthwise) of the pork tender lo in. soak the prunes in the spiced rum unt i l sof t- about 3 hours. drain and reserve the rum. inser t the prunes in the pocket of the pork tender lo in. season the meat with salt and pepper, then t ie the lo in into a round shape using str ing. in a smal l dutch oven, brown the meat on al l s ides, bast ing every ten minutes with the rum mar inade. Cook for 3 ½ hours over low heat (325⁰F), covered, adding l iquid as needed (can use beef or chicken stock). serve the lo in s l iced with the pan juices and dr ippings in a gravy dish. serves 6.


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making your own

Pomegranate Rum Liqueur

the RUm UNi VeRsit Y l AboR AtoRYwww.rumuniversi t y.com

ingredients:

• 3 large, Fresh, Pomegranates• 2 Cups sugar• 1 teaspoon orange Zest• 1 Tablespoon f reshly squeezed lemon

Juice• 1 Cup white overproof rum• ½ Cup water• 1 Cup white Zinfandel wine

direct ions:

Peel the pomegranates and remove the seeds, making sure to discard al l the pi th at tached to them. Place al l the seeds in a large bowl, spr ink le the sugar on top of the seeds and crush them using a wooden spoon. A l low to rest for 30 minutes, then add the orange zest and lemon juice and al low to rest for an addi t ional 30 minutes.

strain and discard the sol ids, measure the st rained l iquid and add water i f needed in order to end up wi th 1 cup.

Transfer the ju ice to a c lean, 1 quar t jar, add the rum and the wine and let i t rest in a cool, dark p lace for at least 4 weeks. rack or f i l ter pr ior to ser v ing.

Pomegranate curat ive Powersmany people bel ieve that consuming pomegranates regular ly br ings them benef i ts such as: re l ief f rom stomach disorders, natural b lood thinner, h igh source of f lavonoids, ant ibacter ia l and ant iv i ra l proper t ies.

in many cul tures, the f rui t and i ts ju ice are regarded for their power to reduce or e l iminate ostheoar thr i t is, anemia and diabetes problems.



me AsURiNg Alcohol - PARt iby gary spedding, Ph.d., A lcohol Beverage Chemist

on Alcohol, Alcoholic strength and measurements

Alcohol ic st rength is the term used to denote the measure of the amount of ethy l a lcohol (ethanol) in solut ions such as beer, c ider, kombucha, malt-beverages, rTd cock tai l mixes, wines and spir i ts /l iqueurs. i t may be repor ted as percent by mass of solut ion (% weight /weight – w/w or mass/mass - m/m) or as percent by volume (% volume/volume – v/v). These values are expressed at e i ther 60 °F (15.56 °C) or at 20 °C (68 °F) depending on countr y, regulator y author i t y or other local requirements.

over 180 years of research, laborator y pract ice, and a number of establ ished ver i f ied tables of data and ex tensive algor i thms help the alcohol beverage chemist best determine alcohol content in their samples. many of the methods used to determine alcohol (once only avai lable

The rum univers i ty is ver y p leased to share th is compendium on alcohol measurements wi th “Got rum?” readers around the wor ld. We would l ike to thank Mr. Gary Spedding for the pass ion and accuracy wi th which he approaches his work.


in wel l - equipped laborator ies) have evolved through new technological developments, wi th modern inst rumentat ion now simpl i f y ing the measurement of a lcohol by beverage producers in their own fac i l i t ies. That said, the grounding pr inc ip les and theor ies behind alcohol determinat ions remain largely unmodi f ied s ince their discovery, as wi l l be demonstrated.

the Proper t ies of Alcohol and i ts measurement

ethanol is misc ib le wi th water in al l propor t ions, wi th ethanol molecules f i t t ing wi th in the “spaces” in the three -dimensional st ructure of water. This “space f i l l ing” proper ty means that the f inal vo lume of any mix ture of water and alcohol is less than the sum of their indiv idual vo lumes, i .e. there is a volume contract ion upon mix ing. The volume contract ion has to be accounted for when determining alcohol by volume in aqueous mix tures. solut ion volumes are temperature dependent and so temperature compensat ion also has to be al lowed for in measurements. more sophist icated inst rumentat ion compensates for temperatures of measurement and can del iver repor table data at spec i f ied temperatures. in the us, alcohol by volume is somet imes st i l l repor ted at 60 °F (15.56 °C) though more f requent ly 20 °C (68 °F) is the required temperature. The temperature volume change is, however, ef fec t ive ly so smal l between these two temperatures that the di f ference in values is a l i t t le redundant for the to lerances al lowed for most a lcohol ic beverages. most modern inst ruments and methods are in fac t now measur ing and repor t ing values at 20 °C (68 °F) and this wi l l be the value largely discussed here.

ethanol (Ch3Ch2oh: C2h5oh) has, at 1 standard atmosphere pressure, a boi l ing point of 78.29 °C (172.92 °F), an igni t ion or f lash point of between 9 -11 °C (48.2-51.8 °F), a f reezing (or melt ing) point of -114. 14 °C (-173.45 °F), a densi t y (d² ⁰4) of 0.78934 g /ml (or 789.34 kg/l at 20 °C), a densi t y (d20/20) of 0.78927g/ml at 20 °C and a ref ract ive index (n20/d: 20 °C measured at a wavelength of 589 nm using the sodium d - l ine) of 1.3611.

ethanol molecule 3 -d model


These proper t ies may be used to determine the concentrat ion of ethanol as out l ined below. densi t y values may be expressed as re lat ive densi t y or spec i f ic gravi t y values as def ined elsewhere and wi l l be impor tant numbers expressed throughout th is note. spec i f ic gravi t y values are uni t -less numbers as they are def ined re lat ive to a standard substance, usual ly water, and so the uni t terms of densi t y g /ml (or kg /l) cancel. For equat ions expressed herein i t is noted that 0.7907 as a uni t - less number, or the rounded values of 0.790 or 0.791 are the spec i f ic gravi t y values most commonly used in brewing c i rc les for pure alcohol. The number is der ived f rom the densi t y value of a lcohol at 20°C (68 °F) and the densi t y of water a lso at 20°C (68 °F): 0.998203. [These l isted proper t ies of ethanol wi l l be employed in methods for i ts quant i tat ion as noted throughout th is ar t ic le ser ies.]

outl ine of methods to measure Alcohol

over the years many physical and chemical methods have been used to determine the amount of a lcohol present in solut ion. These methods re l ied on measur ing some physical or chemical proper ty of ethanol and they evolved in sophist icat ion along wi th micro -chip technology and micro -scale developments. in general, for the purposes of th is ar t ic le, only the more modern and sophist icated (of f ic ia l ly accepted or approved) methods of a lcohol determinat ion are covered. As such alcohol may be accurate ly determined v ia:

• Chromatography – gas (gC) and liquid methods (inc luding high Per formance or high Pressure liquid Chromatography (hPlC))

• densi ty and or spec i f ic gravi t y measurement

• enzymat ical ly - [highly spec i f ic b iochemical tests for analy tes]

• spectroscopy – near- inf rared (nir) & nuc lear magnet ic spectroscopy (nmr)


Before detai l ing the methods l isted above, i t is to be noted that a lcohol was t radi t ional ly measured fo l lowing i ts separat ion f rom samples by dist i l lat ion. dur ing dist i l lat ion alcohol is boi led out of the aqueous solut ion and col lec ted by condensat ion. A long wi th alcohol and water some other volat i le components of the beverage wi l l be dist i l led over, somet imes impinging upon the spec i f ic i t y of detect ion. such issues i f known can be compensated for wi th careful design of test protocols or by separate measurement of the suspected co -dist i l l ing compounds causing such inter ferences. whi le of ten deal t wi th in the past these issues are largely ignored today or are of only ver y minor impact on f inal resul ts. ul t imately the concentrat ion of a lcohol in the dist i l late is est imated and then conver ted by calculat ion into alcohol content of the beverage.

stay tuned for Par t i i of th is informat ive ser ies, to be cont inued nex t month.

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Guiding you From Dream to Real ity!

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lesson i - introductionQ: What is a “Private label”?

A: A Pr ivate label is the name typical ly given to a brand that is not owned by the company that manufactures i t . There are many examples of Pr ivate labels in everyday l i fe, f rom c lothing companies that outsource the product ion of their apparel, to cosmet ics that are decorated with di f ferent brand names but that are al l coming f rom the same product ion plant .

in the wor ld of dist i l led alcohol ic beverages speci f ical ly, Pr ivate labels have been around for a very long t ime. in some cases these are brands f rom countr ies without dist i l ler ies, in other cases they are brands owned by businesses not interested in producing, only in ser ving their own products, which generate them a higher prof i t margin than serving brands owned by other companies (hospital i t y industr y).

Q: so how many dif ferent types of Pr ivate labels are there in the rum world?

A: Based on our exper ience and observat ions, we tend to c lassi f y the Pr ivate label wor ld into the fo l lowing categor ies:

1. Rums bot t led by the brand owner, at the brand owner ’s facil i ty. some winer ies or brewer ies, for example, may purchase rum in bulk and then

the PRi VAte l Abel PRi meR - PARt iby luis Ayala

use their exist ing bot t l ing equipment to bot t le i t , under their own company name and with one of their exist ing brands on the label.

2. Rums bot t led for the brand owner, at an independent bot t l ing facil i ty. This is the wor ld of “Co-Packing”. A Co-Packer is a company that special izes in producing Pr ivate labels for third par t ies. somet imes they have access to their own bulk rum suppl ies, other t imes they receive the bulk rum from their c l ients. Co-Packers typical ly do not have their own brands, their business models revolve exc lusively around bot t l ing for others. some Co-Packers of fer formulat ion services, others simply ask for ingredients and instruct ions to be provided pr ior to each product ion.

3. Rums bot t led for the brand owner by a rum dist i l ler y. This category is not as common as the previous two, because rum dist i l ler ies have their own brand(s) that they need to protect and promote. For this reason, the dist i l ler ies rarely want to sel l “good” inventory to third par t ies (bot t led or in bulk), because they fear that doing so could put in r isk their own brands, ei ther through direct compet i t ion or by canibal iz ing inventor ies they may need later on. never theless,



f rom t ime to t ime, dist i l ler ies agree to create Pr ivate labels for third par t ies, ei ther because of potent ial synergies, because they don’t fear compet i t ion or because they need an inject ion of cash.

Q: What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of each categor y?

A: i wi l l answer this quest ion below, using the same category numbers as in the previous answer:

1. The biggest advantage is f lex ibi l i t y. The c l ient can purchase one or more rums f rom di f ferent suppl iers, b lending or combining them using a rec ipe that never has to leave the company, which can be of impor tance to some brand owners. The biggest disadvantage is the lack of consistent supply of rum (i f suppl iers run out of a par t icular type of rum or i f the pr ice goes up too much) and the fact that the c l ient assumes al l the responsibi l i t y for qual i t y control (alcohol proof ing, f i l ter ing, etc.).

2. The biggest advantage is exper t ise, as the Co-Packer should be fami l iar with a wide- range of product types and presentat ions. Another advantage is that Co-Packers are also wel l -versed in the subject of compliance, and can advise their c l ients i f the products don’t meet some government requirements.

The biggest disadvantage is minimum order quant i t ies, which tend to be very large.

3. The biggest advantage is that the brand owner may be able to infer some degree of “pedigree” simply by ment ioning on the label where the rum was bot t led. The disadvantages here are mult ip le and have been l isted already, but this doesn’t mean i t is impossible to f ind win-win scenar ios. dist i l ler ies that have, for example, a successful business expor t ing aged rum under their own labels can, i f they want to, produce inexpensive white rum brands for their domest ic on-premise market .

Q: Where should someone star t , once that person has arr ived at the decision of want ing to develop a Pr ivate label?

A: There are many factors to consider, such as avai labi l i t y of glass bot t les, dist r ibut ion centers, f requency of shipping vessels, etc.

Perhaps the best advise is to stay tuned and read al l the future instal lments of this label Pr imer ser ies, each one to be publ ished in a subsequent issue of “got rum?”.

unt i l nex t t ime!

luis Ayalarum Consultant



the RUm UNi VeRsit YAgr icultural Focus


glossary of termscult ivar Name: The f i rst two let ters in the cul t ivar name represent the source of the cul t ivar. The nex t two numbers represent the year the f i rst c lonal c rop of a g iven cross was p lanted. The numbers af ter the hyphen represent the accession number of that cul t ivar in the year i t was named.soil Preference: descr ibes soi ls where the best per formance of th is cul t ivar can be expected. under Flor ida condi t ions, th is refers to e i ther sand, organic (muck), both, or t ransi t ional so i ls . Transi t ional so i ls are organic so i ls that contain a large percentage of sand, or sand soi ls that contain a percentage of organic mat ter.sugar content : This is an est imate based on compar isons wi th other commerc ia l cul t ivars made at the uF/ iFAs everglades research and educat ion Center. Because a range of values makes up a rat ing categor y, cul t ivars wi th the same rat ing are not necessar i ly equal. rat ings change as the har vest season progresses and are one of the determining fac tors of prefer red har vest season. rated as low, medium, or h igh.tonnage: Based on har vest ing exper iences over several years. This is a re lat ive term and is inf luenced by soi l t ype, locat ion, har vest season, and ratoon being har vested. rated as low, medium, or h igh.leaf Width: measur ing the widest par t of the leaf at the four th node f rom the top. expressed as wide, medium, or nar row.sheath Pubescence: using young sheaths at the top of the p lant , rated as none, sparse, or dense. leaf Retent ion: dead leaves may be t ight ly reta ined giv ing a t rashy appearance, may be held on but easi ly shaken of f, or may be se l f - st r ipp ing. rated as at tached, loosely at tached, or se l f - st r ipp ing.canopy character ist ics: Canopy character ist ics var y f rom compact to open, which inf luence sunl ight penetrat ion and sucker grow th. Canopy grow th habi t can be c lassi f ied as erec t , erec t wi th drooping t ips, h igh arch, medium arch, or wide arch.canopy closure: speed of canopy c losure inf luences weed and sucker grow th. rated as s low, intermediate, or fast .ti l ler ing : The number of shoots f rom a stoo l st rongly inf luences potent ia l y ie ld. number of t i l lers rated as low, medium, or heavy.stalk size: d iameter re lates to cane weight and suscept ib i l i t y to lodging or bending. rated as smal l , medium, or large.exposed stalk color : rated as ye l low, green, wine, red, purp le, brown, or a descr ibed co lor.stubbl ing Abi l i t y : This is the abi l i t y of a cul t ivar to regrow af ter har vest . i t may be st rongly inf luenced by the height of the cut ter b lade above the so i l l ine. rated as poor, fa i r, or good.har vest season: in the usA, har vest begins in late october and conc ludes in late march to ear ly Apr i l . rated as ear ly (10/15 –12 /1), mid (12 /1–1/25), or late (1/25 –3/15).har vestabi l i t y : some cul t ivars grow ver y erec t whi le others are prone to fa l l over ( lodge). The erec tness and degree of lodging inf luences the abi l i t y of mechanical har vesters to c leanly har vest a f ie ld in a t imely manner. rated as easy, moderate, or d i f f icu l t . cold tolerance: This has to do wi th the length of t ime a var iety is able to mainta in economic qual i t y af ter a f reeze. rated as poor, medium, or good.frost tolerance: This has to do wi th the abi l i t y of young cane to wi thstand or regrow af ter exposure to one or more f rosts. rated as poor, medium, or good.mechanical ly cut seed : ease wi th which a cul t ivar can be har vested wi th a whole sta lk har vester. rated as poor, medium, or good.Disease concerns: Af ter re lease, cul t ivars are considered to have adequate disease res istance to a l l of the impor tant d iseases recognized by the indust r y at that t ime. Therefore, d isease concerns l is ted are the resul t of new st ra ins of common diseases, or new diseases that have become impor tant .

featured cult ivar: cP 78-1628 This cul t ivar is widely adapted to most so i l condi t ions encountered in south Flor ida. CP 78 -1628 is grown on 5.3% of the eA A sugarcane acreage (rice et a l . 2014) and ranked e ighth overal l in the area under d i f ferent sugarcane cul t ivars in Flor ida. This c lone cont inues to be the most widely grown “CP” cul t ivar on mineral (sandy) so i ls in southern Flor ida, occupying 13.8% of the tota l acreage on mineral so i ls . however, acreage under th is cul t ivar is dec l in ing in the last few years because of grower st rategies to divers i f y into newer rust res istant cul t ivars.

4Sugarcane Cultivar CP 78-1628 Descriptive Fact Sheet

Table 1. Description for sugarcane cultivar CP 78-1628Soil Preference All soil types

Sugar Content Medium

Tonnage Medium to high

Leaf Width Narrow

Sheath Pubescence Sparse

Leaf Retention Loosely attached

Canopy Characteristics Medium arch

Canopy Closure Fast

Tillering Heavy

Stalk Size Small to medium

Exposed Stalk Color Green

Stubbling Ability Good

Harvest Season Mid

Harvestability Difficult to moderate

Cold Tolerance Poor to good (see Advantages)

Frost Tolerance Good

Mechanically Cut Seed Fair to good

Disease Concerns Orange and brown rust and, on sand, smut. Smut has also been observed on organic soils.

Advantages Does well on transitional soils and wet-organic sites. Intact canopy gives freeze protection, poor canopy cover does not.

Disadvantages Susceptibility to both brown and orange rust, gaps due to smut in ratoon cane on sand.

spec ia l thanks to the Flor ida Agronomy depar tment , uF/ iFAs ex tension.


T here are numerous var iet ies of sugarcane avai lab le for cul t ivat ion. most people are fami l iar wi th the sof t - f iber var iet ies that are usual ly so ld at super markets, intended for human consumpt ion, main ly through di rec t chewing, a l though some people a lso press thei r own ju ice wi th these

canes.

These var iet ies, however, are not the ones p lanted for or by mi l ls who intend to use the canes for sugar product ion. They chose, instead, other var iet ies whose f iber content may not make them appet iz ing to humans, but that can be processed nice ly and ef f ic ient ly by heavy machiner y, to squeeze thei r sweet ju ice. in many cases, var iet ies are a lso se lec ted based on thei r pest res istance or the number of days i t takes them to mature, so they are ready in stages, a l lowing for the har vest to progress f rom one f ie ld to the nex t , a lways f inding r ipe cane that is per fec t for har vest ing.

The purpose of th is sec t ion, is to showcase spec i f ic var ieta ls, a l lowing craf t d ist i l lers to be bet ter educated about the i r opt ions, whi le at the same t ime al lowing consumers to have a br ief peek into the wor ld of sugarcane agr icul ture.


the mUse of m i XologYby Cr is dehlavi

my name is Cr is dehlavi and i am a nat ive of Ar izona, but have l ived in Columbus, ohio for the past 13 years wi th my daughter, desi. i have been running the bar program at “m”, of the Cameron mitchel l restaurant group s ince 2005. i am cur rent ly the President of Columbus usBg as wel l as a consul tant for bars and restaurants nat ional ly.

in 2013, i at tended the r igorous B.A .r. 5 day spir i ts Cer t i f icat ion and have been recognized as one of the top mixologists in the u.s.A . i am one of the senior managers of the prest ig ious apprent ice program at Tales of the Cock tai l and work as a mentor to many bar tenders around ohio.

my contr ibut ion to got rum ? magazine wi l l inc lude every thing f rom reviews of nat ional cock tai l events, ar t ic les on mixology, garnish t rends, rec ipes and techniques, to inter v iews wi th some of the leading bar tenders in the industr y.



show me some PRoof!!!

i t seems that the “overproof ” and “high Proof ” rums are becoming more sought af ter in the mixology wor ld. i remember when the only high octane rum you could f ind behind bars was Bacardi 151, and i t was only used to l ight cock tai ls or shots on f i re. now i am seeing bar tenders use them as the base spir i t in cock tai ls, and they add complexi t y and depth of f lavor that you don’ t get in lower proof rums. Yes, a del icate hand is necessary—you’l l want to add other ingredients so your cock tai l is not too spir i tuous, but i am f inding that these rums can be so much fun to mix wi th.



The concept of “Proof ” star ted wi th the Br i t ish royal navy, whose sai lors were given dai ly rat ions (or “ tots”) of rum af ter the invasion of Jamaica in 1655. These rat ions measured to about a hal f p int , and was given to them around midday. The sai lors bel ieved that the person dist r ibut ing the rum was keeping ex tra for h imsel f and therefore water ing down the remainder of the bar re ls, so they developed their ver y own test .

They would take a bi t of gunpowder, spr ink le i t on the rum, and l ight i t . i f i t d id indeed catch on f i re, they knew the rum was at least 57% abv and not di luted. hence the term, “navy strength”. Pusser ’s rum makes a “gunpowder Proof ” which s i ts at 54% abv (109 proof ) and is arguably c lose to that or ig inal sty le. i ’m not sure i f you want to t r y to dr ink hal f a p int in the middle of the af ternoon though!

There is def in i te ly a cor re lat ion between the proof of a spir i t and i t ’s f lavor. most spir i ts come out of the st i l l at a higher proof than they are bot t led at . The way the dist i l ler lowers that proof is by adding water, and the more you di lute that spir i t , the less f lavor remains. That being said, the high proof rums of today are ex tremely f lavor ful .

i recent ly enjoyed a few high proof rum cock tai ls made by local bar tenders, which were fantast ic and became the inspirat ion for th is ar t ic le.

The f i rst was made with Appleton estate and wray & nephew overproof rum. Bot t led at 63% abv, (126 proof ) the wray & nephew is a ver y intense rum that real ly packs a punch. (no pun intended) what i found most fasc inat ing about th is dr ink is that the predominant f lavor was BAnAnA, yet there was no banana used in the rec ipe. i t was so prominent that i asked the bar tender twice


where the f lavor was coming f rom. “The banana notes come predominant ly f rom the wray and nephew. Bolster that wi th a l i t t le cardamom and the banana real ly stands out ”, says michael Theg of sidebar in Columbus, ohio.

he was k ind enough to share his rec ipe for th is del ic ious punch, which is a st ronger vers ion of the Tik i c lassic “Jungle Bird”. i t is s imple to make but has ver y complex f lavors.

JUNgle gYm

ingredients:

• 0.75 oz. Campar i (one Bot t le or 25.4 oz.)

• 0.5 oz. lime Juice (Approx. 13 oz.)• 0.5 oz. Cardamom simple syrup*

(Approx. 13 oz.)• 1.5 oz. unsweetened Pineapple Juice

(Approx. 38 oz.)• 1 oz. Appleton estate rum (one Bot t le

or 25.4 oz.)• 0.5 oz. wray & nephew (Approx. 13 oz.)

direct ions:

Combine al l ingredients, st i r heavi ly. Punch can be batched and combined a day ahead.

garnish bowl wi th th in s l iced l ime wheels, p ineapple wedges, add ice b lock or mold.

This nex t rec ipe is an example of a more di f f icul t and labor intensive punch but the resul t is f ragrant , t ropical, and again, wi th hints of banana! i t showcases hamil ton overproof 151 demerara rum which is dist i l led f rom molasses and has r ich f lavors of winter spices, dark stone f rui ts, and brown sugar

hAmiltoN PUNch created by Nicole hollerman

ingredients:

• 1 Bot t le hami l ton overproof 151 infused wi th Pineapple Bark ( immersion c i rculator @50 degrees Cels ius for two hours)

• 2 li ters Coconut water infused wi th f resh Kaf i r l ime leaf (cold-steeped)

• 1 Cup Clément mahina Coco

• 1 Cup spiced oleo saccharum (rock sugar ground wi th anise, c love, c innamon, and al lspice - -o i led wi th orange and lemon peel)

direct ions:

Combine al l ingredients in a punch bowl, st i r wel l and enjoy wi th an ice wheel wi th p ineapple and orange s l ices.


marco Pier ini - rum histor ian

m y name is marco Pier in i , i was born in 1954 in a l i t t le town in Tuscany (i ta ly) where a st i l l l ive. i got a

degree in Phi losophy in Florence and i studied Pol i t ical sc ience in madr id, but my real passion has always been histor y. And through histor y i have always t r ied to know the wor ld, and men. li fe brought me to work in tour ism, event organizat ion and vocat ional t ra in ing. Then i d iscovered rum. with Francesco ruf in i , i founded La Casa del rum (The house of rum), that runs a beach bar and selec ts and dist r ibutes Premium rums in i ta ly, w w w.lacasadelrum.i t .

And f inal ly i have returned back to my in i t ia l passion: histor y. But now i t is the histor y of rum. Because rum is not only a great dist i l late, i t ’s a wor ld. Produced in scores of countr ies, by thousands of companies, wi th an ex t raordinar y var iety of aromas and f lavors; i t has a ter r ib le and fasc inat ing histor y, made of s laves and pi rates, imper ia l f leets and revolut ions.

A l l th is i t r y to cover in th is co lumn, in my FB prof i le, w w w.facebook /marco.pier ini .3 and in my ar t ic les on the i ta l ian webpage w w w.bar tender. i t .

A m eriCA n rum 4. To K ern rYe ouT oF The se A wAT Ter

it is not easy for us to understand the s igni f icance of a lcohol ic beverages in X vii Centur y ’s new england. Today, we dr ink for our p leasure, not because we need to. we dr ink spir i ts for the sake of the taste, of feel ing exhi larated, of being in good company, etc. But we do not actual ly need spir i ts. They are an ex tra, a l i t t le luxur y that we t reat ourselves to. But back then, th ings were ver y di f ferent and alcohol ic beverages actual ly fu l f i l led a far more impor tant task.

First of a l l , we have to remember that water was something to be wary of. i t was not advisable to wash onesel f too much or to dr ink water on a regular basis. many, both doctors and publ ic , considered i t dangerous for the heal th. There was cer tain ly a grain of t ruth in th is convic t ion: water-p ipes and sewers were non-existent , and water was badly stored in wooden casks, therefore i t was of ten pol luted, and always of poor qual i t y. why would a grown man in a c iv i l ized soc iety dr ink water? i t was something odd, notewor thy: “ i t was not accounted a st range thing in those days to dr ink

the RUm h istoRi ANby marco Pier in i


water ”; thus, in a book publ ished in london in 1654, a colonist recounts the hardships of the f i rst days. Then, af ter recal l ing the shor tage of food and the bi t ter cold too, he adds “… and most began to repent when their st rong Beer and ful l cups ran as smal l as water in a large land ...”

To dr ink, to quench one’s th i rst , one had to resor t to beer and, for those who could af ford i t , to the more expensive wine. Beer and wine were considered the most sui table dr inks for ever yday l i fe, and probably they real ly were, s ince the alcohol in them c lear ly had an ant isept ic funct ion. They were also nutr i t ious. in a wor ld perpetual ly on the br ink of star vat ion, beer was an impor tant addi t ion to the everyday diet of the lower c lasses. For some t ime, also dist i l led beverages had come into common use, s ince they were considered as wholesome and nour ishing as wine and beer. moreover, to dist i l led beverages were at t r ibuted heal ing, medic inal proper t ies, useful to t reat many diseases. Besides, they provided warmth in the long, chi l ly winters. And then, of course, people drank for the feel ing

of intox icat ion, in order to exper ience a moment of joy and obl iv ion in an other wise hard, drab and dangerous l i fe. in shor t , for the colonists, a lcohol ic beverages were an absolute necessi t y. And at the beginning i t was necessary to take them al l the way f rom england, or get hold of malt to make them. let ’s see some examples.

reverend Franc is higginson, the f i rst minister at salem in 1629, wrote: “Therefore be sure to furnish yoursel f wi th th ings f i t t ing to be had before you come: as meale for breads, malt for dr inke, woolen and l innen c loath ...” his ship, the Talbot , car r ied a cargo of 300 tons, among which 9 tons of water, 45 tons of beer, 20 gal lons of brandy and 20 gal lons of spanish wine.

in the same year, the massachuset ts Bay Company sent rev samuel skel ton there too, whom they suppl ied wi th food, c lothes and the wherewithal to l ive, inc luding “one gal l . Aquavi te” and “ f ive qu. of st ronge water ”. inc idental ly, i thought that aquavi te, st rong water, hot water and s imi lar at the t ime were the same thing, but i was wrong


because two di f ferent words in the same l ist must have meant two di f ferent th ings.

John Josselyn, about whom we wrote in november, a lso advised to take wi th you some c laret wine for “burning”, that is, to dist i l l on board.

however, the stocks were bound to run out sooner or later, and i t was ex tremely expensive to have beer, wine etc. brought over f rom europe; therefore, f rom the ver y beginning the colonists t r ied to produce alcohol ic beverages themselves. in one case they were immediate ly successful: apples grew wel l in new england and soon apple ju ice was fermented to make c ider. Cider was made on almost a l l the farms, espec ial ly for household consumpt ion and i t was drunk in great quant i t ies, both dur ing the meals and at work.

But the colonists were accustomed to dr ink ing much bet ter stuf f in england, and they were not prepared to give i t up. with par t of the grain of the f i rst har vests they soon star ted to brew beer and to dist i l l grain -spir i t , the whisky, even though at the t ime the word had not come into common use.

The May f lower ar r ived in 1620 and as ear ly as 1648 emmanuel downing, governor John winthrop’s brother- in - law, c la imed that his spir i t was bet ter than the impor ted one. But he had a big problem: shor tage of

raw mater ia l . The local product ion of grain was scarce, and i t const i tuted the staple diet of the major i t y of the populat ion. giv ing up eat ing par t of the grain crops to dist i l l i t was cost ly, dangerous and, in any case, there wasn’ t enough. his wi fe lucy gets to the hear t of the problem in a let ter to her brother, wr i t ten on 17th december 1648:

“our st i l l ings might be pr i t t y st rong but that a l l the r ye was eaten up al lmost before the indian [corn] was gathered. Could you but teach us to kern [ i .e. To make] r ye out of the sea wat ter, that invent ion, i quest ion not , would quick lye make the st i l l vapor as far as pecoi te [ i .e. Pequot] , and the indians i beleev would l ike that smoake ver y wel l for the engl ish here have but 2 object ions against i t , one i t ’s too dear, 2 not enough to i t . Cure those, and we might a l l have implayment enought at salem to make l iquors, and as i t is we could have custome ten t ime more than pay.”

of course lucy winthrop couldn’ t know i t , but before long the solut ion to the shor tage of grain to dist i l l would come r ight f rom the sea. i t wasn’ t r ye, wheat or another k ind of grain. i t was instead a dark, th ick l iquid, st icky and c loy ing. i t had an exot ic name: molasses.

see you in the nex t issue. i wish you al l a happy new Year.

model of a t yp ical merchantman of the per iod, showing the cramped condi t ions that had to be endured.

Low minimum order quant i t ies, s tar t ing at 1 pal let/1,0 0 0 bot t les. Bonded, FDA and T TB approved. We ship domest ical ly in the USA.

Pr [email protected]

Your Private label Rum in 4 easy steps:1. Choose a bot t le f rom

our inventor y

2. Selec t the bot t le c losure

3. Selec t the rum f rom our catalog, over 50

standard b lends or we can customize one for

you

4. That ’s i t ! We bot t le, label , box and ship to

you!

Pr [email protected]

Tai lored Pr ivate Rum BrandsTurn-Key Beverage Solut ions for the Hospi tal i t y Indust ry


said the show wi l l detai l the histor y of rum, and wi l l v is i t dist i l ler ies in Tr inidad and throughout the Car ibbean. The te levis ion ser ies wi l l be of f ic ial ly launched at the upcoming iT mcleod Al l inc lusive Carnival Fete, which takes place on January 10th, 2016.

DistilleR 2.0

Back in 2010 mikael mossberg had the idea for an app that would help make decisions about which spir i ts to buy when we were at the store or the bar. he had read so many whiskey blogs, books, magazines, but unless he made a point of wr i t ing something down in his phone to look for, he was always at a loss when i t came t ime to buy. he saw some amazing beer apps that people were using, as wel l as dozens of high qual i t y wine apps that iTunes featured regular ly, but couldn’ t f ind any great apps for spir i ts discovery. so he got to work. in February of 2014 he launched dist i l ler 1.0. i t had a few hundred or iginal whiskey reviews, a very ear ly version of a recommendat ion engine, and that was pret ty much i t . Just in t ime for the 2015 hol iday season, he introduced dist i l ler 2.0, the nex t stage of the app, complete with three brand new spir i t categor ies: rum, Tequi la /mezcal, and Brandy. You can easi ly switch between spir i t t ypes, add them to your l ists, check out their f lavor prof i les, get recommendat ions in our updated recommendat ion engine, and learn al l about every thing these new spir i ts have to of fer. There’s even a handy color code so you know what k ind


RUm iN the Ne Ws

bUNDAbeRg RUm

Bundaberg rum is invest ing Au$7.5 mi l l ion on bui lding a new vis i tors’ center at i ts Austral ian dist i l ler y. The upgrade wi l l feature an interact ive and sel f-guided tour, as wel l as a dining area and special -event fac i l i t ies. Bundaberg hopes that the new center, which is to be completed by July 2016, wi l l increase the number of tour ists who vis i t the Queensland-based si te. Current ly, the dist i l ler y at t racts around 60,000 domest ic and internat ional v is i tors every year. “we’ve model led the new vis i tor center of f our state -of- the -ar t Barrel house, as i t of fers v is i tors the chance to get a f i rst-hand view of how our premium rums are craf ted,” said duncan li t t ler, senior brand manager of Bundaberg rum. The new center wi l l house the wor ld ’s largest display of histor ical Bundaberg rum bot t les, as wel l as an expanded retai l exper ience where consumers wi l l be able to purchase the ful l range of Bundaberg rum products, inc luding products that are exc lusively sold at the dist i l ler y. in addit ion, v is i tors wi l l have the oppor tuni ty to blend their own bot t le of rum to take home.

RUm, the coNcePt

rum, the Concept is an innovated t ravel ser ies that wi l l provide an insight into the histor y, cul ture and future of rum in Tr inidad and Tobago, as wel l as throughout the west indies. The ser ies is the brainchi ld of rum connoisseur, producer and director André Chr ichlow and spectrum one’s Col in Blaze. They

by mike Kunetka


of spir i t you’re looking at without having to think about i t . Think “Booze google.”

RhUm clemeNt

rhum Clément wi l l be launching i ts Canne Bleue Agr icole rhum in select bars across europe in January 2016. First re leased in the us, Canne Bleue became popular among mixologist for i ts f lavor and f inish. i t could be the f i rst mono-var ietal rum in the wor ld. result ing f rom the juice of one single var iety of sugar cane cal led “canne bleue” (blue cane), this rum is selected for i ts f ine aromat ic qual i t ies and r ich sugar content .

RUm RoK

midtown sacramento’s night l i fe is get t ing a new tropical twist with a t ik i - themed bar cal led rum rok. Bob simpson, who also operates republ ic, vanguard and Pour house, among others, said the rum rok is the f i rst ful l - f ledged t ik i bar sacramento has seen in many years. The bulk of the cock tai l menu is rum-based, the dr inks served in Polynesian-sty led mugs decorated with paper umbrel las and wedges of pineapple – just l ike a t r ip to Trader vic’s or Tv ’s Fantasy is land.

coVeR oVeR fUNDs eXteNDeD

The virgin is lands dai ly news recent ly repor ted that the u.s. Congress ex tended a temporary tax measure that wi l l keep rum tax revenues coming to the ter r i tor y at i ts cur rent rate throughout 2016. The package of tax ex tenders, which keeps the ter r i tor y ’s rum cover-over revenue coming in at a $13.25 per proof gal lon rate instead of $10.50, is now on i ts way


These are the most recent and notewor thy headl ines in the rum indust r y. i f you want us to share your news wi th our readers, p lease send an emai l to [email protected]. mike Kunetka

is a land- locked rum enthusiast , he is based in Colorado, usA.

to President obama for a signature to become law. whenever rum produced in the ter r i tor y is sold in the united states, the v.i . government receives rum cover-over revenues. The cover-over monies are gleaned f rom the $13.50 exc ise tax that the u.s. government col lects on every proof gal lon of v irgin is lands-produced rum sold in the united states. A por t ion of that exc ise tax is returned - or covered-over - to the ter r i tor y. The cover-over rate is set by law at $10.50 per proof gal lon, but in 1999, i t was temporar i ly increased by Congress to $13.25 per proof gal lon. since that t ime, Congress has ex tended the higher rate of return for the ter r i tor y mult ip le t imes, typical ly every year or two in a package of tax measures cal led the ex tenders.

hAmiltoN PRiNcess siNgle bARRel ReseRVe RUm

Bermuda’s hamil ton Pr incess has par tnered with the is land’s wor ld-renowned gosl ings rum to launch i ts own exc lusive blend, Pr incess single Barrel reserve. of fer ing a “smooth, dark, t radi t ional Bermuda rum with hints of ear th tones and spice,” the signature reserve promises to give the hotel ’s patrons a unique taste of the is land as they enjoy i ts s ights and sounds. with many new fac i l i t ies opening as par t of i ts $100 mi l l ion renovat ion, hamil ton Pr incess saw an increase in i ts rum sales; as a result , i t asked gosl ings to bot t le a single Barrel reserve especial ly for the hotel. Af ter many tast ings, the hotel now has i ts Pr incess rum. A l lan Federer, general manager of the hamil ton Pr incess, said, “Pr incess rum

cont inued on page 38


can be ordered as par t of a dark & stormy cock tai l , or neat, af ter dinner, in a sni f ter. “The single Barrel reserve is a smooth dr ink, without bark or bi te. rum is a quintessent ial Bermudian dr ink and we are exc i ted to of fer our very own gosl ings rum.”

bAR tosses floR De cAÑA

The foodie website eater repor ted that Bobby heugel, owner of Anvi l Bar & refuge in houston, dumped more than 20 bot t les of his bar ’s Flor de Caña rum down the drain af ter reading a munchies ar t ic le that detai led the punishing, and ul t imately fatal work condit ions of i ts sugarcane cut ters, and how the brand has long been indi f ferent to the alarming death rate. The provocat ive piece cal led out the “si lent epidemic” behind Flor de Caña, nicaragua’s most popular expor t , that i ts sugarcane mi l l workers in the munic ipal i t y of Chichigalpa and sur rounding communit ies have been dying f rom (and are cont inuing to die f rom) chronic k idney disease of unknown or igin (CKdu). however, the munchies piece states the disease isn’ t a result of exposure to pest ic ides, as many workers had bel ieved, but rather f rom not receiv ing enough, i f any, water, shade and rest .

beeNleigh RUm

Austral ia’s o ldest rum dist i l ler y has opened i ts doors to v is i tors for the f i rst t ime since the 1980s. Beenleigh rum, owned by beverage company Bick ford’s group, is Austral ia’s o ldest rum and i ts dist i l ler y in eagleby was opened in the late 1800s af ter being bui l t by convic ts. Bick ford’s group spokesman Chr is i l lman said “v is i tor react ions to tours of the dist i l ler y have been nothing but posi t ive. i t ’s been something i think the local community and tour ism industr y has been cr y ing out for, for a long, long t ime. Consumers are looking to understand how to make great spir i ts. This provides the oppor tuni ty to change how people v iew rum in this countr y. i t ’s the oldest and cont inuous dist i l ler y in the countr y, and i ts stor y cont inues to be to ld for future generat ions.” The Beenleigh dist i l ler y ini t ia l ly opened in the late 1800s and produces i ts rum from Austral ian molasses and using copper pot dist i l lat ion. i ts products are aged for up to f ive years and inc lude Beenleigh Copper Pot dist i l led rum, Beenleigh double Barrel, Beenleigh honey and Beenleigh white. The dist i l ler y has faced many chal lenges in i ts t ime, inc luding being completely swept away in the 1887 Alber t river f lood, with the now iconic red bui lding being bui l t in the 1890’s.


RUm iN the Ne Ws (continued)by mike Kunetka

cont inued f rom page 37


Visit www.gotrum.com, click on “shop”

Januar y ’s Featured i tem: unisex v- neck l ightweight sweater, Const ruc ted of 5 .3 oz; 65% polyester, 35% v iscose. This sof t to touch sweater has rag lan s leeves and a

re laxed f i t . Ath let ic heather is 52% polyester, 48% v iscose.


Q: What is your ful l name, t i t le, company name and locat ion?

my name is hugo mesquita, sales & market ing director at Amor im, Topser ies unit , santa mar ia de lamas, Por tugal

Q: can you tel l me how your company got star ted?

Cor t iceira Amor im (Amor im) is the largest wor ld producer of cork products. i t leads the whole sector, contr ibut ing to the sustainabi l i t y and innovat ion of the cork industr y, unl ike any other.

e XclUsi Ve iNteRV ie W

luis and i had the p leasure of v is i t ing Amor im’s fac i l i t y in June of 2015. This was our ver y f i rs t t ime at a cork fac tor y and we were absolute ly amazed by the ent i re process. walk ing through thei r fac i l i t y real ly made me stop and th ink of a l l the t imes i opened a rum bot t le wi th a natural cork and never real ly had a t rue apprec iat ion for i t and the people behind the product ion. Thanks to the v is i t to Amor im, my v iew has complete ly changed: now, when i open a bot t le and see the natural cork, i can’ t he lp but smi le and say a s i lent “ thank you” to a l l the people and the care and at tent ion needed for i ts c reat ion.

Anyone interested in learning more about how cork can add to the prest ige of thei r rum should stop by Amor im’s fac i l i t y in opor to.

Cheers!Margaret ayala, Publ isher

by margaret Ayala

mr. hugo mesqui ta, Amor im Top ser ies uni t


with i ts or igins dat ing back to 1870, the company soon became aware of the endless potent ial of this 100% natural raw mater ial, t ransforming i t into a choice i tem in the contex t of a informed society, aware of the environmental problems that result f rom their consumpt ion- related choices.

over the last 15 years, Amor im made unparal le led investments in research & development and innovat ion, developing a por t fo l io of high added value products and solut ions, which ant ic ipate market t rends and surpass the expectat ions of some of the most demanding industr ies in the wor ld.

i ts s ignature is on the most unl ikely everyday objects, olympic spor ts equipment, organic solvents, high prof i le global works, state -of- the -ar t road and rai lway projects, spacecraf t ... within the panorama of contemporary creat ion, i t chal lenges designers, sc ient ists and archi tects to explore the endless potent ial of cork.

Amor im’s act iv i t y makes the cork v iable in a unique manner, and as a result , the preservat ion of the cork oak forest , a unique example of green economy, which is based on a balance between economic, soc ial and environmental issues. The constant concern to adopt and reinforce sustainable development pract ices makes Amor im one of the most sustainable companies in the wor ld.

Q: of al l the merchant powers in europe, why is i t that Por tugal was the f irst to legislate the protect ion of the oak forests (through the agrar ian laws of 1209)?

This was 500 years before the beginning of the Por t wine t rade, so c lear ly the impor tance of these oak t rees goes far beyond seal ing bot t les.

As a mat ter of fact Por tugal has been a pioneer in environmental legis lat ion, the f i rst agrar ian laws protect ing cork forests having been enacted in the ear ly 13th century, in 1209. later, dur ing the Age of discover ies, the bui lders of the Por tuguese ships and caravels that set sai l in search of new wor lds used cork oak wood for the par ts that were most exposed to inc lement weather. They c laimed that the “sôvaro”, as i t was cal led then, was the best wood for masts and yards: besides being except ional ly st rong, i t never rot ted (source: cork forest .org).

Q: many people don’t know that corks are made from the bark of oak t rees. one of the most fascinat ing things about these trees is that they are able to re- generate the bark, which keeps get t ing thicker and bet ter with each renewal. What is the botanical explanat ion for this? Why don’t al l t rees behave in the same way?


“Cork is indeed elegant, and the current ut i l izat ion of cork

by some of the wor ld ’s most famous designers

and luxury brands can at test to that.”

mr. hugo mesquita



Cork is f rom the cork oak (Quercus suber l.) and is one of nature’s most ex traordinary products that is harvested. i t ’s raw mater ial which is so per fect that no industr ia l or technological processes have yet been able to repl icate. only such a mater ial could give r ise to the demanding and sophist icated device that is the cork stopper.

Cork is the bark of the cork oak t ree which is st r ipped every nine years, always between may and August, when the t ree is at i ts most act ive phase of growth and i t is easier to st r ip without damaging the t runk. special ized professionals, who, with absolute prec ision, are able to handle the only tool used in this del icate process, to do the work: an axe.

other t rees in nature do not show this capabi l i t y of re -growing the outer bark, making then the Cork oak Tree so special.

Q: can corks af fect the ph of the rum stored inside the bot t le? can i t af fect i ts taste or aroma in any way?

one of corks main character ist ics is i ts neutral i t y and role in preserving wel l l iquids inside, protect ing them from outside possible contaminat ions.

Q: is i t possible for corks to cause cloudiness or sedimentat ion in the rum inside the bot t les?


There are several t ypes (natural, technical) and grades of natural cork, each one of them with several abi l i t ies and f i t for every segment in the market . Cork is a wonder ful mater ial that we were gi f ted f rom nature to which Amor im adds today ’s most modern technology to make i t capable to answer every technical need.

Therefore, i f the demand towards the product is not to cause c loudiness or sedimentat ion, our technical Team has the abi l i t y to propose you solut ions that answer those needs.

Q: i t seems f i t t ing to me that bot t les of aged rum should be capped with a natural cork, since both the barrels used in the aging and the cork come from oak trees. but corks tend to lend an air of elegance or prest ige,


regardless i f the rum is aged or not . Why is this?

Cork is indeed elegant and the cur rent ut i l izat ion of cork by some of the wor ld ’s most famous designers and luxury brands can at test to that . But cork is al l that whi le being a natural product and people have a t remendous connect ion with nature. in fact , more and more, nature and luxury are interconnected. A bot t le of f ine spir i ts sealed with a good natural cork provides consumer a whole sense of t rust , high qual i t y, intui t ive packaging, fami l iar i t y and qual i t y. i t ’s a luxury made by nature!

Q: What are some of the most common mistakes companies make when sourcing cork stoppers for their products?

i would tend to say that many people do not know the detai ls of how to choose and use the r ight topper for the r ight dr ink. That ’s why having a special ist is ex tremely impor tant , one

that has the exper t ise regarding cork ’s appl icat ion, technical features, storage and al l the market ing features around the development. These would be main areas that one should bear in mind when choosing their par tner.

Q: What is the proper way to store a rum bot t le with a cork? should i t be stored upright or hor izontally?

ideal ly a bot t le of spir i ts is designed and conceived to be kept ver t ical ly at al l t imes.

Q: have corks themselves changed much over the last couple of centur ies or are al l improvements in this industr y related to how the corks are manufactured?

Corks have changed and evolved considerably. The mater ial is st i l l the same, but the technology used to t reat i t , c lean i t and t ransform i t into f inal product provides a much greater qual i t y guarantee, complying with al l internat ional qual i t y and food safety


standards. Today ’s research has also enabled to develop other k inds of corks, l ike technical corks for speci f ic qual i t y segments.

Q: Do you think that corks wil l st i l l be used 100 or 200 years from now? i f so, wil l their use be l imited to only the most expensive/exclusive products only, due to availabil i ty or wil l supply be able to keep up with demand?

we have no doubt that corks wi l l be used in the future. in fact we bel ieve cork ’s future wi l l be br ighter than i ts stor ied past . Cork has been around for mi l lennia and i ts potent ial is far f rom being ful ly reached. Cork oak t rees are a s low growing t ree with an average l i fespan of 220 years, so we are using today cork which comes f rom trees planted in the last couple of centur ies and we see today ’ mankind with enough wisdom to cont inue plant ing more t rees. dozens of thousands of high density plantat ions have been

done recent ly and technology al lows us to make a much more ef f ic ient use of the avai lable raw mater ial. Addit ional demand is mot ivat ing strong research, development and innovat ion which, in turn, wi l l st rengthen the whole supply chain. our c l ients and the environment wi l l benef i t f rom that growth.

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

They can reach us by our website www.topser iesamor im.com, f rom there you can f ind al l our contacts. we are also avai lable in al l major soc ial networks. my e -mai l is hmesquita.tsunit@amor im.com. do come and chal lenge us with

innovat ive solut ions. Chal lenges is what we love!

Q: Do you of fer any tours of your facil i ty? i f so, how long is the tour and what can one expect during the tour?

our doors are open for professional v is i ts f rom the industr y, but we’d be glad to show around to cork lovers how one can make great cork! depending on the level of depth, f rom hal f a day up to a couple of days would be ideal to get the r ight insight .

Q: is there anything else that you would l ike to share with our readers?

Amor im and Topser ies in par t icular wi l l proudly cont inue making histor y by having consumers around the wor ld entangled with the magic of such a noble mater ial to preserve the wor ld ’s best spir i ts. we count on al l of your preference to cont inue this magic!


“A lways car r y a f lagon of whiskey in case of snakebi te and fur thermore always car r y

a smal l snake...”

W.C. Fie lds

Got Rum? TM



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Day 1: the business of Rum. we wi l l gu ide you through the economic and po l i t ica l landscape of

the indust r y, so you understand your compet i tors’ advantages and d isadvantages.

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organolept ica l charac ter is t ics and assoc iated produc t ion costs.

Day 3: the Ar t of Rum making. You wi l l spend an ent i re day exp lor ing the d is t i l la t ion of rum, understanding cuts and der ived st y les, us ing

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t ransformat ion ins ide the bar re l .

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rum univers i t y courses are avai lab le in spanish and in engl ish, depending on the of f ic ia l language of the host nat ion.

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much conf idence about the topic .”(F. laFranconi , nevada)

“ Ver y benef ic ia l for me.”(d. Boul lé, seychel les)


Do you n e ed B u l k R um?

Ou r S P EC I A L T Y i s a g ed r u m :

• Aged in American oak barrels

• Aged in french oak barrels

• from Very Young to Very old

• low congener to high congener

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• cask strength to bott le strength

• Unblended or fully blended

Ou r com pe t i t i v e a dv a n t a g e s :

• We own the inventory. most of our rums have been fermented, dist i l led and aged under our str ict super vision.

• We have our own, in-house laboratory to guarantee consistency and regulatory compliance (ttb/fDA/eU).

• We ship direct ly to your bonded warehouse or to your co-packer.

• We of fer full blending ser vices (formulat ion, re- formulat ion and product matching).

• We of fer low minimum volumes and we ship worldwide, from our UsA warehouse (houston, tX) or from our aging facil i t ies in

central America and in the caribbean.

i n fo@Bu lkr um .com



m y name is Phi l ip i l i Barake, sommel ier by t rade. As a

resul t of work ing wi th se lec ted restaurants and wine producers in Chi le, i s tar ted developing a passion for d ist i l led spi r i ts and c igars. As par t of my most recent job, i had the oppor tuni t y to v is i t many Centra l Amer ican countr ies, as wel l as, rum dist i l ler ies and tobacco growers.

But my passion for sp i r i ts and c igars did not end there; in 2010 i had the honor of represent ing Chi le at the internat ional Cigar sommel ier Compet i t ion, where i won f i rst p lace, becoming the f i rst south Amer ican to ever achieve that feat .

now i face the chal lenge of impressing the readers of “got rum?” wi th what is perhaps the toughest task for a sommel ier : d iscussing pai r ings whi le being wel l aware that there are as many indiv idual preferences as there are rums and c igars in the wor ld.

i be l ieve a pai r ing is an exper ience that should not be l imi ted to only two products; i t is something that can be incorporated into our l ives. i hope to help our readers discover and apprec iate the p leasure of t r y ing new th ings (or exper ienc ing known th ings in new ways).

cigAR & RUm PA iR iNgby Phi l ip i l i Barake



2016

Got Rum? TM


cocktail tasting

i wanted to star t 2016 wi th the r ight foot , so i opted for a pair ing that is becoming increasingly popular among c igar smokers: cock tai ls. i dec ided to

conduct the pair ing at room n°09 at hotel v ino Tinto ( “red wine hotel ” ) in the Bel lav ista neighborhood, in sant iago, Chi le. This neighborhood is ver y tour isty, spec ial ly due to Pablo neruda’s “Chascona” (one of h is three houses in Chi le), th is bar in par t icular is s lowly becoming one of the best ones in sant iago. This neighborhood is a lso the home of red luxury Bar, which i v is i ted for a previous pair ing. Both of these bars have, of course, excel lent ter races where one can enjoy smoking a c igar.

For th is occasion i was jo ined by diego har r is, head bar tender at room n°09. i brought a long two rums for the pair ing:

• smith & Cross f rom Jamaica, 100% Pot st i l l , “navy strength” (bot t led at 57% ABv). The aroma of th is rum is ver y t ypical of pot st i l led rum, but at 3 years o ld, i t lacks some of the oxidat ion assoc iated wi th o lder spec imens. This may compl icate i ts use in a c lassic cock tai l , as i t is a ver y unique rum.

• el dorado 15 Year old f rom guyana, a rum that is ver y c lose to my hear t , due to i ts ver y def ined character, even when compared wi th other 15 year o lds avai lable in the market . har r is, upon t r y ing i t , refused to mix i t , opt ing to s ip i t neat , but at the end re lented and produced great cock tai ls wi th i t . But i ’m get t ing ahead of mysel f.

T ime to examine our c igars. i dec ided on a “Toro” (6 ” x 52) f rom h. upmann, cal led “The Banker ”. made in the dominican republ ic , i t is a b lend of dominican and nicaraguan leaves, wi th a wrapper f rom ecuador.

sounds del ic ious, let ’s see how i t works out !


“The Banker ” is a l ine of c igars that draws i ts inspirat ion f rom brothers Car l and hernan upmann, of german or ig in, who were bankers and in 1844 immigrated to Cuba, not only to put into pract ice their banking sk i l ls, but a lso to develop the tobacco industr y, which at that t ime was in i ts infancy. one l i t t le known fact about them is that decades later they had vested interests in a shipyard and that dur ing wor ld war i they lost i t due to a f i re, a long wi th a ship docked in i t . not a ver y mot ivat ional stor y, but one that in the tobacco wor ld is synonymous wi th greatness.

The rules for the pair ing were as fo l lows: har r is would taste both rums neat and would then have total contro l over how to prepare the cock tai ls. he could develop new creat ions or re ly on t r ied and t rue rec ipes, but one thing became c lear ly evident r ight away: we would end the pair ing wi th a rum manhat tan, a lso known as a “Presidente”.

i proceeded with the l ight ing of my c igar, which showed f ine pat terns on the wrapper, which looked to be of excel lent qual i t y for a maduro. The aromas emanat ing f rom the “boqui l la” (the end of the c igar that you l ight up) hinted at something more than dominican tobacco, meaning that the nicaraguan tobacco was def in i te ly there.

For the f i rst th i rd, har r is surpr ised me with his vers ion of a “rusty nai l ”, using smith & Cross. i say that he surpr ised me, because this cock tai l is not usual ly one of my favor i tes, because i t tends to be ver y over whelming, but th is t ime i t was qui te the opposi te, ver y approachable and enjoyable. i t was a great way to star t the pair ing. The cock tai l was ser ved wi th an addi t ional smal l g lass, where one could dip the c igar, to enhance the pair ing and, even though i am not a fan of doing so, i must say i t wasn’ t bad.

For the second thi rd of the c igar, har r is prepared a cock tai l using Amaret to, vermouth rosso and smith & Cross, but i t was not a good match, s ince the intensi t y of the c igar was such that

Photo credi t : @Cigar i l i

Photo credi t : la Casa del habano - Chi le

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i t overpowered the cock tai l . The cock tai l was ver y good, just not a good match.

nex t came a rum old Fashioned, where el dorado 15 made i ts debut . To my surpr ise, i was not able to detect the touch of Kahlua, c lever ly fo lded in by har r is. The blend of a l l the ingredients showcased warm cocoa notes. This cock tai l was the per fect match for the c igar, a l lowing me to c lear ly enjoy both of them.

Final ly, for the last th i rd of the c igar, i t was t ime for the Presidente, which was to be created using both rums. despi te my high expectat ions, i was pleasant ly surpr ised. The c igar, wi th i ts ear thy notes and i ts cocoa f lavors combined per fect ly wi th the cock tai l . To be honest , i was wishing the last th i rd of the c igar would last a b i t longer but , s ince this was not possib le, i ended up enjoy ing two more Presidentes by themselves!

i h ighly recommend this pair ing, espec ial ly i f you are able to recreate the last cock tai l using both of these rums.

Cheers!#grCigarPair ingPhi l ip i l i Barake

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Photo credi t : @Cigar i l i

Documents

JANUARY 2016 fRom the gRAss to YoUR glAss, siNce 2001! · JANUARY 2016 fRom the gRAss to YoUR glAss, siNce 2001! ... distill the juice of locally grown sugar cane with wild yeast