Wednesday, December 5, 2018

Nusa Caña Rum: Bringing Back the Taste of Indonesia


     Nusa Cana Rum is a unique spirit, coming from the area that was near the origin of sugarcane.  The 1500’s explorers and travelers prized the Indonesian Rums.  They were also the choice of those looking for a luxury expression and could be found in the finest “punch Houses” and bordellos throughout the world.
     Nusa Cana was created by industry experts Marc Rodrigues, Joe Milner, Andy Gaunt and bartender Sam Jeveons.   Nusa Caña is made from molasses from local sugarcane grown on the Indonesian island of Java, and yeast grown on Javanese red rice.  It is distilled twice in steel Chinese pot stills before being matured in teak casks to give the rum a “drier” finish.
     Rodrigues, Nusa Caña co-founder and formerly of Beam Brands, Constellation Brands and Diageo, said: “Indonesia’s part in the story of cane spirits, and therefore rum, is both compelling and valid. We’ve forgotten that sugarcane originates in Southeast Asia and was taken from here to the Caribbean and elsewhere.
       “We’ve forgotten that early explorers visiting what is now Indonesia discovered the locals drinking a distilled sugarcane spirit as far back as the 15thcentury, before the word rum was even coined.  “To bring it back in a serious way, I assembled friends and industry experts from Australia, Asia and the UK to launch Nusa Caña, a tropical island rum with the vision to take the story of Indonesian rum and the Bali lifestyle we love to the rest of the world.”