Watching as the Sunsets on July

     Today brings the sunset on July.  It has been an interesting month with a lot of really good things that have taken place.  The month is going out with a beautiful sinking of the sun into the waters to the west of us.  I hope that you have had just as nice of a month as mine was.

     The aft deck seems to have been the site  of so many wonderful evenings where mother nature has creates some of her most beautiful art works for us.

What is Happening in the Barrel: Part 3

Barrels Stacked in a Aging Bodega

      Jordan Bushell from Hennessy speaks about the meticulously planned aging process of Cognac.  "The first flavor concentration is through distillation. The second concentration is through the angel's share".   Hennessy uses two types of aging warehouses to manipulate brandy in different ways. The company's dry cellars have an annual angel's share 4% on new barrels, while the angel's share in its humid cellars can be as little as 0.5%. The humid cellars, therefore, are where the very old Cognacs are kept, maturing at a slow rate without too much of the precious liquid evaporating away.  

Classic Aging Bodega

Filling the Barrels

     Hennessy also groups its barrels into categories depending on how long they've held maturing brandy and how much impact they'll have on spirits aging in them.  Barrels used for up to one year are in Category A, while Category E indicates barrels that have already been in use for 20 to 35 years. Different marques of Cognac will age through different combinations of barrel categories and placement in different cellars. Furthermore, Hennessy does not simply age a VSOP Cognac a little longer to get the XO marque; it ages the spirit in a different combination of barrels and cellars for each blend.

Good Labeling of the Barrels

     Overall, these three articles give you an idea of how complicated the chemistry of aging spirits can be, how advanced the scientific understanding of it is, and how much data can contribute to the decision-making in spirits production. But at the end of the day, someone with a trained palate rather than someone trained in chemistry will make the final decision on which products make it to market. Like I said at the end of yesterday’s edition, people will be buying these spirits, people looking for sensory experiences and not real interested in scientific data.

What is Happening in the Barrel: Part 2

Stave Replacement to adjust aging

     Dr. Matthew Crow spoke on three ways in which spirits change during barrel aging: subtractive, taking away the less desirable flavors, additive, color and flavors taken from the barrel, and interactive, the distillate reacting with the wood, with oxygen, and with the barrel char.   The choice of a new versus many times reused barrels for a spirit is based on how much and which type of wood influence is desired.  The spirit had lost its characteristic immature notes of young Scotch, yet had picked up very little color or caramel flavor from the barrels.   A barrel with heavily charred new ends, the flat top and bottom of an old barrel.  Crow said they initially found the spirit to be too woody and spice dominant, masking the "distillery character" from the spirit itself. But after another eight to nine years of additional maturation, the distillery character resurfaced as the spirit matured.  To bring it all together, a spirit matured in a variety of barrels, then blended and rested in "low activity barrels," Crow said made a significant positive impact on the character of final spirit.

The Good Stuff Coming out of the Barrel

     How much do spirit makers rely on chemical analyses as opposed to human taste buds in creating spirits?   Crow said: "The chemical analysis supports the sensory," to the mutual agreement of all the panelists.  Bushell of Hennessy, added that in producing Cognac the distillers are forced to make decisions on how to distill the wines before lab analyses could be completed. If they waited for test results, the wine would have changed enough that said results would no longer be useful. 

     The more the industry relies on the scientific portion to make its decisions, the more they seem to need the sensory.  I understand the need for both, but the final products are not sold to scientific equipment, but rather to people.  People buy spirits for their sensory enjoyment, not mental knowledge.

What is Happening in the Barrel: Part 1

Lignin: The Molecule

     Dr. Don Livermore of Wiser's/Hiram Walker, spoke on "the most underappreciated molecule", lignin.  Lignin is a complex organic compound that binds to cellulose fibers that hardens and strengthens the cell walls of plants.  Lignin is a polymer consisting of various aromatic alcohols, and is the chief noncarbohydrate constituent of wood. The lignin is broken down and transformed via cooking and distillation into compounds producing the flavor notes of clove and smoke, as well as the particularly distinctive spicy note we associate spirits, from 4-ethyl guaiacol.  Following through to distillation, Livermore discussed how the yeast-derived flavors of a spirit, fruity, floral, green grass, soapy, and sulfur are separated through pot distillation: the sulfur removed by the copper of the still; the green grass notes in the head cuts of distillation; the soapy notes in the tails cut.

Where the Flavors Come From

     In maturation inside an oak barrel, that magical lignin comes up again, in a role Livermore calls the "mortar to the bricks" of cellulose and hemicellulose that make up most of the wood. When burned in the barrel charring process, the broken down lignin products add to many of the smoky, phenolic components to the aging spirit, while the cellulose and hemicellulose impart many of the caramel-type flavors.

     Livermore finished with some counter-intuitive experimental data showing that more char on a barrel doesn't necessarily lead to more wood extractives in the spirit aging inside of it. He found that a new barrel charred to two millimeters depth gives more wood extractives than one charred to a four millimeters depth.

Angostura Will Announce Rum Range Changes

     Angostura is facing some “difficult decisions” in rationalizing its rum range, and is set to announce some “additions or deletions” next year according to the group’s new CEO.  Speaking to The Spirits Business last month, Genevieve Jodhan, who was made the permanent CEO of the Trinidad and Tobago-based rum and bitters producer in February 2017, we are “looking at the range now to see what we want to consistently grow, and whether there are any of the rums that we would like to drop”.  “It’s all about looking at the change in consumption patterns, and looking at the younger consumers,” said Jodhan.

     “Angostura 1919, for example, started off with an age statement and five years ago we removed it because we ran out of all eight-year-old stock – we changed the blend.   “I think this eventually happens with all companies, we are now looking at our 10-year ageing plan and we are going to cement what that range should be, so that by January we should be announcing either some additions or deletions. But it’s not anything that we are scared off.”

     Jodhan also revealed to The Spirits Business that Angostura has “no capacity constraints” for production of rum, particularly since the company made a "strategic decision" to vastly reduce it third party supply contracts.   Angostura’s rum portfolio is divided into ‘international rums’ – its premium heritage-­driven expressions – and ‘Trinidadian jewels’ – rums not branded as ‘Angostura’ that dominate the domestic market.

As part of a three-­year strategy that started with the redesign of the international rum portfolio, Jodhan says Angostura may consider expanding international distribution of its ‘Trinidadian jewels’.

To read Genevieve Jodhan’s interview in full, see the July 2017 issues of The Spirits Business magazine, out now.

Read More at https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2017/07/angostura-to-announce-rum-additions-or-deletions/

     This is an issue within the entire rum industry.  The same expressions year after year are no longer holding up in this rapidly changing spirits market.  Many of the older traditional expressions have disappeared in the past few years.   I expect to see more of this with other companies in the very near future.

Fidel Castro’s Personal Rum Arrives in the United Kingdom

      Cuban rum brand Isla del Tesoro, once produced for revolutionary Fidel Castro, has been made available in the UK through distributor Spirit Cartel, priced at $650.00.  For 50 years Isla del Tesoro, or ‘treasure island’, was distilled for Castro’s personal consumption; gifted to visiting international dignitaries and senior members of Cuban government. Until recently the rum was not commercially available, and even now production is limited.

     The original recipe for Isla del Tesoro was created from a collection of rums appropriated by the Cuban State from rum-producing families fleeing the Revolution. They were discovered in 1959 ageing in a cellar nicknamed the ‘Cathedral of Light Rum’.  The expression is presented in an individually-numbered ceramic decanter encased in a handmade wooden chest.   A map accompanies the bottle, depicting the location of Isla del Tesoro, now called Isla de la Juventud.

    Charles Marshall, Spirit Cartel, said: “Isla del Tesoro is truly the stuff legends are made of.  We feel it’s our own little revolution and certainly a piece of history, just being granted the UK distribution for the this very special rum.  

     The romance surrounding this rum, contributes to the myth that it has come to represent the Cuban people’s soul: pure and full of spirit, whilst maintaining a real sense of dignity and elegance.  “It’s a rum for connoisseurs and aficionados. In my opinion, no rum collection is complete without a bottle of ‘El Caballo’s’ personal rum.  No matter of what you think about Fidel Castro, this is one of those rare and unusual rums that would be a cornerstone for any collector.

RumChata has introduced the first Alcoholic Iced Coffee FrappaChata

      RumChata has launched FrappaChata, the first and only premium ready-to-drink alcoholic iced coffee on the market.   FrappaChata is a custom blend of Arabica and Robusta coffees blended with award-winning RumChata cream liqueur. The result is the flavor of rich, dark roast coffee highlighted by the sweet smooth taste of RumChata.

     Iced coffee has become a year-round drink enjoyed by almost forty percent of adults in the United States. Ready-to-drink coffee is currently a $2.4 billion business at retail and continues to grow. Pre-orders have been extremely strong for FrappaChata, leading to projections of 100,000 cases being sold through the end of 2017.   While delicious straight, on the rocks, or blended with ice, the versatility of FrappaChata also makes it a great mixer with coffee liqueurs, bourbons, espresso vodka and aged and spiced rums.

     FrappaChata at 25-proof is shelf stable, requiring no refrigeration and available in 1.75L bottles for a suggested retail price of $19.99 and 100ml bottles for a suggested retail price of $1.99. FrappaChata can be located on the shelf with RumChata or next to other premium, ready-to-drink cocktails in the ready-to-drink section, or in the cold box.

For more information, visit Rumchata.com/Frappachata.

Rums Dominate the Top 10 Spirits Brands on Social Media

     The use of the social media is a must, it provides a very precise way to target your specific audience.  It is probably the best way to connect with the largest number of people and get back quick response as to how effective your posting was.  I find it as a great encouragement to see that rums have dominated this top ten group. 

     Historically, mastering social media has been far from easy for the drinks industry, but when executed well, social media provides unparalleled opportunities for brands to engage with their target audience.  Thanks to increasingly sophisticated age targeting, several spirit brands have honed their online presence, recognizing its intrinsic value within a wider marketing strategy. Some have even opted to eliminate traditional advertising altogether and are leveraging the likes of YouTube, Pinterest, Snapchat and more to engage with fans, share content and generate brand awareness.

     The Business Spirits Team has evaluated brands’ presence, engagement, creativity and consistency on what are considered to be the most integral online platforms in 2017: Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Brands were individually assessed on each platform, with a focus on global accounts rather than regional, where possible, with a final score awarded.   While regulatory challenges will always exist, by maximizing online presence, alcoholic drinks companies can best serve their customers, their brands and perhaps most importantly, their profits.

     Even though rum has four of the top ten, it does show that the group it is reaching for the most part is interested in the productions expressions. There were 4 runs, 2 gins, 1 scotch, 1 Cognac, and 1 apertif in the top ten spirits.

• 10.   Malibu
• 8.     Captain Morgan
• 5.     Havana Club (Cuban)
• 1.     Sailor Jerry

     These are the rums that are targeting the younger and less sophisticated palates, there are no premium spirits in the list.  I see this as an indication that the media people don’t believe that the older and more sophisticated palates don’t spend much time on social media.  I feel that this will change as more and more of us “old farts” use the social media regularly.

Read More at https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2017/07/the-top-10-spirits-brands-on-social-media/

The Garden of Copper

     Every time I go into a distillery, it never ceases to amaze me how unique and beautiful many of the stills are.  I just love to see them as they tower up into the upper ridge of the buildings and along with the rest of the pieces that make them up often time looks like a garden of copper as their shapes rise from the floor.

Hemingway Dodged Death Five Times During his Adventurous Lifetime

    "Hemingway didn’t become known as a "literary he-man” without taking a few risks — in art and in life. From his birth on this day, July 21, in 1899, to his death in 1961, he had nearly as many real-life brushes with death as he assigned to his similarly he-manly fictional characters.

He’d been obsessed with death ever since he confronted it — and nearly succumbed to it — on an Italian battlefield during World War I, and although he ultimately died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at age 61, while suffering from a number of disabling physical and mental illnesses, the idea of facing down death at the hands of an enemy soldier, or on the horns of a bull, had long captivated him and infused his writing. Remarking on his concise but vivid prose, TIME noted in 1961: “Everything in Hemingway is seen as it might be looked at by a man on the day he knew he would die.”

     True to his larger-than-life fortitude, Hemingway seemed to court death wherever he went — and to do so with vigorous good humor. Here are some of the many ways he almost went before his time:

1. Shredded by an Austrian mortar shell. During World War I, Hemingway served on the Italian front lines as an ambulance driver with the Red Cross. On July 8, 1918, per TIME, he was “so badly wounded in a burst of shellfire that he felt life slip from his body, ‘like you'd pull a silk handkerchief out of a pocket by one corner,’ and then return. He emerged with 237 bits of shrapnel (by his own count), an aluminum kneecap, and two Italian decorations.”

2. Shot while wrangling a shark. In a 1935 dispatch for Esquire (headlined “On Being Shot Again,”, Hemingway doles out advice on how best to kill a large animal: shoot it in the brain if it’s close, the heart if it’s far or the spine if you need to stop it instantly. He was inspired to offer these instructions, he writes, “on account of just having shot himself in the calves of both legs” while attempting to gaff a shark on a fishing trip off Key West.

3. Hunting German subs from his fishing boat.  During 1942 and 1943, Hemingway spent less time writing than he did aboard his 38-ft. wooden fishing boat, armed with grenades and submachine guns, scanning the Gulf Stream for German U-boats, according to Terry Mort, author of The Hemingway Patrols. Hemingway knew that if he spotted an enemy sub, it was unlikely that the Navy could respond quickly enough to destroy it. “His solution,” Mort writes, “was characteristic: he would attack the U-boat — suddenly and unexpectedly — and then run for it.” Luckily, Hemingway never had the opportunity to put his reckless plan into action.

4. Downed in a plane crash.  While on an African safari in 1954, Hemingway survived two plane crashes in two days. In the first, a single-engine Cessna carrying Hemingway and his wife crashed when the pilot attempted an emergency landing to avoid hitting a flock of ibises. Forced to choose between “a sandpit where six crocodiles lay basking in the sun or an elephant track through thick scrub,” the pilot chose the scrub, and the trio spent the night in the jungle, surrounded by elephants. Hemingway walked out of the jungle in high spirits,  “carrying a bunch of bananas and a bottle of gin, and was quoted, possibly even correctly, as saying: ‘My luck, she is running very good.”  

5. Another Crash on Take-off.  The next day, the Ernest and Mary Hemingway boarded another small plane, which crashed on take-off and caught fire. Both were seriously injured, although not quite badly enough to warrant the many newspaper headlines reporting their deaths. Ernest Hemingway who was a large man had trouble escaping and used his body to open the door of the plane and he was injured badly in the process. 

     Hemingway never fully recovered from his injuries of the second crash.  It was a short seven years later in the two-story house, which he bought in 1959 and wrote his books A Moveable Feast and The Dangerous Summer while at the house in Ketchum.  

     Hemingway moved to Ketchem after the nationalization of his house in Havana by Fidel Castro.  The combination of his lack of mobility and the feelings that he was losing his ability  to write to his high standards any longer, killed himself in the main entryway of the house, in 1961.

Here is Why Alcohol Labels Don’t Show Nutritional Information

      In the past few years there has been a push for nutritional labels on alcoholic beverages, but there has been no movement toward this happening.  The more health conscious population today is interested in what is in what they consume.  Here is the reason we haven’t seen any progress toward this end according to the Huffington Post.

     Don't expect it to change anytime soon.   In our recent attempt to rank the best and worst alcoholic beverages according to calorie content, we were struck by how difficult it was to research this topic. In case you haven't noticed, alcohol rarely ever comes with a nutritional label. And in a world where even a bottle of water is packaged with nutritional information, it seems a little strange.   It's all about the FDA.   Here's the short answer: alcohol is not regulated by the FDA, so it's not subject to the same rules as other food and drink (such as nutritional labels).

     Alcohol is regulated by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) and it would be up to this organization to require alcohol companies to disclose nutritional information.   When Prohibition was repealed in 1935, Congress passed the Alcohol Administration Act, which would eventually become the TTB to ensure that tax revenue was generated from newly legal alcohol. And so in the '90s, when the FDA required nutritional labels on other goods, alcohol was not affected. (With the exception of alcoholic drinks with seven percent alcohol or less that don't contain malted barley, because those are regulated by the FDA.)

     Change won't come easily.   Health professionals have voiced their concerns over a lack of nutritional transparency when it comes to alcoholic drinks. These drinks are generally highly caloric? someone who imbibes daily can easily drink more than 400 calories?   Because there is no information for consumers, it's easy for that fact to be ignored.

     Over the years, there has been a push for more transparency from advocacy groups, but alcohol groups have fought against it. Some alcohol companies have claimed that nutritional labels would give consumers the false impression that alcohol is nutritious.   Though, the more probable explanation is that these companies are scared of the potential backlash from health-conscious imbibers. With other nutritionally-void products like soda steadily on the decline because of the public's move toward healthier lifestyles, it's easy to see why.

Read More at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/alcohol-nutritional-information_us_596cb1ebe4b03389bb18ca6b

Angostura to Reduces its Bulk Rum Distilling

     The world largest supplier of aged rum is cutting back on it production of bulk rum.  This will be a blow to a number of rum producers that do not have distilling capabilities on their premise.  There has been a trend for many of the smaller and even some of the larger islands in the Caribbean to abandon distilling for sourcing of their rum from suppliers like Angostura.

     Angostura has reduced its “third party” rum production after a project to upgrade its wastewater facilities “didn’t work out as well as they had hoped”, according to the group’s Genevieve Jodhan, the new CEO.  In an interview with The Spirits Business, Genevieve Jodhan confirmed that Trinidad and Tobago-based Angostura made a “strategic decision” in the third quarter of 2016 to reduce bulk rum distilling after work on its wastewater treatment plant ran into difficulty.   We started to scope out and ask, how can we produce our products responsibly? We realized that we needed to cut back production and make some changes,” according to Jodhan.    “That led us to look at the entire business model to see where we want to be, then reposition the company for the future.”  Angostura has maintained some key supply contracts, but will reserve greater distilling capacity for its own brands.       This change in production strategy has also allowed Angostura to speed up its premium trajectory, by focusing more on value than volume.  The industry-wide premiumization trend in rum: “We don’t just think it will happen, we intend to make it happen.”

 “The future of rum lies in all categories, and mainstream rums are here to stay.”   Consumption is changed by occasion, by lifestyle, and the consumer’s stage of life.  “I do not think there will ever be a time when rum is out of reach for the average consumer”.  “But there is an untapped market at the top end that is wide open, and I think rum will continue to push into areas once reserved for whisky.”

     This is a very interesting approach to the issue.  I have to agree with Genevieve Jodhan that there is a place for all of the levels of rum.  There is a demand for the premium expressions that is growing rapidly at this time, but likewise the entry level is you will, expressions have a place in the process to lead consumers to enjoy the more sophisticated expressions as they grow older and their tastes and budgets allow them to enjoy some of the better quality things in their lives.

Read More at https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2017/07/angostura-reduces-bulk-rum-production/

Here are the Best and Worst Alcoholic Drinks for Your Waistline as Ranked by Calories

     Summer is here in full force, you have worked out at the gym, dieted just to get your beach body on for this year’s seaside season.  Now after working that hard for the past few months, don’t blow it now by drinking all of the wrong adult beverages while you are out on the water, at the beach, or poolside.   You still give a lot of attention to what you are eating, but how much attention are you paying to what you drink?

     Here is how to have fun this summer and maintain that "beach body."   Take a look at these facts before you rush out to happy hour.   All those half-off drinks you plan on imbibing come with a side of calories, and some of them more than others.

     It is time to drink smarter, at least less calorically anyway.   We set out to find how many calories are found in wine, beer and popular spirits, and we've broken it down for you below.   Keep in mind that not every brand of a type of drink contains the same number of calories.  The calorie content in wines ranges greatly, anywhere between 125 calories per serving for a white or red to 300 calories per serving for a dessert wines.   You should also note that you might not have an easy time finding the calorie content for your favorite drink, because alcohol companies are not legally obligated to provide nutritional information.  Remember that once you add a mixer to any of the spirits listed below, the calories shoot up rather quickly.

This is the calories counts for the top thirteen adult beverages, read them and weep.

 Beer, Pale Ale (HIGHEST CALORIES): 175 calories for 12 ounces (Sierra Nevada Pale Ale)-With lots of flavor comes lots of  
calories.

 Beer, Lager: 170 calories for 12 ounces (Sam Adams Boston Lager)-But remember:  It's a lot of calories, but also a lot of ounces.

 Wine, Red: 160 calories for 5 ounces (Cabernet Sauvignon from France) - The caloric content of red wine is different depending on the bottle for reasons that have to do with alcohol percentage and sugar. It can vary between 125 calories to upwards of 190 calories per 5-ounce serving, the standard.

Wine, White: 160 calories for 5 ounces (German Auslese Riesling) - Just like with red wine, the caloric content of white wine can vary. We're talking about differences ranging between 121 calories to 190 calories. But at least those calories also come with a host of health benefits.

Hard Apple Cider: 150 calories for 12 ounces (Angry Orchard Crisp Apple)-A slightly less caloric choice than many beers, and gluten-free, too.

Tequila: 104 calories for 1.5 ounces (Jose Cuervo Gold)-Salt and lime not included.

Whiskey: 104 calories for 1.5 ounces (Jack Daniels)-But if you pair it with Coke, that's a whole different beast.

Vodka: 101 calories for 1.5 ounces (Absolute Vodka)-Just a few calories less than a shot of tequila or whiskey.

Wine, Rosé: 100 calories for 5 ounces (Echo Falls)-Just one more reason to love rosé.

Champagne: 100 calories for 3.4 ounces (Moet Champagne)-Of course, you'll probably want a little more than 3.4 ounces, so keep that in mind.

Gin: 97 calories for 1.5 ounces (Hendrick's Gin)-That's without the tonic, of course.

Beer, Light: 96 calories for 12 ounces (Miller Lite)-Check with each individual brand for precise calories, but you can expect about 100 calories per serving for a light beer. 
 
Rum: (LOWEST CALORIES) 96 calories in 1.5 ounces (Bacardi Superior)-Not in a mojito, not in a rum and coke - just the straight shot.

Rum: The Lowest Calorie Adult Beverage

     I find it amusing that Rum is at the bottom of the list after years of bartending with customers telling me that they don’t want Rum because it has sugar in it and too many calories.  I’ve told people for years that the distillation process removes the majority of the sugar content, but I feel like I have been talking to deaf ears.  Here are the facts, rum has the lowest calories of any of the spirits and is tied with Miller Lite Beer. 

Miller - Lite The lowest Calorie Beer

     You have to pay attention to what you add to the rum, but if you stay with diet sodas, club soda or just ice, you can with a little bit of restraint maintain that slender “beach body” all summer long.

Read More at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/calories-in-alcohol_us_59662962e4b005b0fdca211d

Bahama Bob's Blue Cayo Hueso

     This is a great cocktail to make up in a big batch to take out on the boat or for a patio summer afternoon get together.   The color, the flavor and the fun of how it looks will make this one a real winner for you and your friends.  This cocktail picks up the colors of the sand bars around Key West and the flavor of the tropics.  Blue Cayo Hueso takes me to the beautiful waters around "Bone Island" known everywhere else as Key West.

Bahama Bob’s Blue Cayo Hueso

• 1 Oz. Siesta Key Toasted Coconut Rum
• 1 Oz. Pilar Blonde Rum
• 1/2 Oz. Blue Curacao
• 1/2 Oz. Juice of a Half Lime
• 1 1/2 Oz. Pineapple Juice
• 1 Oz. Bahama Bob’s Whole Banana Syrup

Place all ingredients into a shaker filled with ice, hake hard for 10-12 seconds or until chilled.  Double strain over a double Old Fashion glass filled with fresh ice.

Bahama Bob’s Whole Banana Syrup

• 1 Cup of Sugar in the Raw
• ¾ Cup of Water
• 1 Whole Banana (slice into coins and save the peel)
• 1/8 Tsp. Allspice

Place the sugar, water and banana coins in a pan and heat at about 425 degrees stirring until it reaches a full boil.  Lower temperature to 275 and allow to slow boil for about 5 more minutes, crush the banana coins with the spoon as they soften up and keep stirring slowly.  Remove from the heat and strain into an appropriate vessel and let stand.  Now place a cup of water back in the pan and lay the peels after cutting off the stem and black end off.  Bring to a boil then lower temp to 275 and allow to boil for another 5 minutes.  Strain the liquid into the syrup and stir it in.   Allow it to cool and ready to use.

2017 International Spirits Challenge Rum Winners

     The 2017 International Spirits Challenge is complete for this year and the winners in the Rum Category have been announced.  Some surprises, but for the most part the winners have shown their quality before and cream floated to the top again.

     The big winner this year is Richard Seale and the RL Seale & Company (Foursquare Distillery) of Barbados.  Six Gold Medals for his Doorly’s 12 Year, Foursquare 2004, Foursquare Criterion, Foursquare Triptych, R L Seale’s Finest and Foursquare Zinfadel Cask Blend, then add in the three Silver Medals for Doorly’s XO, Doorly’s 8 Year Old and Foursquare 2013, put him clearly on top of the heap.  If you throw on top of that “Rum Producer of the Year”, They are the absolute dominate distillery of 2017.

     Here are all of the “Rum Winner’s” for 2017.  Congratulations to all of the winners for 2017.

Brand name as it appears on the bottle	Brand Owner Company Name	Tasting Medal
Admiral Rodney Extra Old St Lucia Rum	St Lucia Distillers	Gold
Bundaberg Rum : Master Distillers' Collection - Blenders Edition	Bundaberg Distilling Co	Gold
Doorly's 12 Year Old	R L Seale & Company	Gold
Foursquare 2004	R L Seale & Company	Gold
Foursquare Criterion	R L Seale & Company	Gold
Foursquare Triptych	R L Seale & Company	Gold
Foursquare Zinfadel Cask Blend	R L Seale & Company	Gold
Havana Club Selección de Maestros	Havana Club International	Gold
Penny Blue VSOP	Berry Bros. & Rudd	Gold
Pusser's Rum Gunpowder Proof	Pusser's Rum Company	Gold
R L Seale's Finest	R L Seale & Company	Gold
Rum-Bar Rum, White Overproof	Worthy Park Estate	Gold
1931 by St Lucia Distillers 6th Edition	St Lucia Distillers	Silver
Branca	J.Faria & Filhos	Silver
Bundaberg Rum : Master Distillers' Collection - Small Batch	Bundaberg Distilling Co	Silver
Bundaberg Rum : Master Distillers' Collection - Small Batch Vintage Barrel	Bundaberg Distilling Co	Silver
Cachaça Tiê Prata	Cachaçaria Tiê	Silver
Chairman's Reserve Finest St Lucia Rum	St Lucia Distillers	Silver
Chairman's Reserve: The Forgotten Casks	St Lucia Distillers	Silver
Diplomatico Planas	IRUM International Rum and Spirits Distributors	Silver
Doorly's 8 Year Old	R L Seale & Company	Silver
Doorly's XO	R L Seale & Company	Silver
Foursquare 2013	R L Seale & Company	Silver
Havana Club 7 Años	Havana Club International	Silver
Marauda Rum Steelpan	Marauda Rum	Silver
Mezan Jamaica 2005	Marussia Beverages	Silver
Naud Panama Rum 15 Year Old	Noble And Unusual Distrillery	Silver
Navy Island - XO Reserve	Navy Island Rum Company	Silver
Negrita White Signature	Bardinet	Silver
Old Hopking White Rum	Aldi UK	Silver
Penny Blue XO Batch 4	Berry Bros. & Rudd	Silver
R. St. Barth Chic	Sarl R St Barth	Silver
Real McCoy 2016	Real McCoy	Silver
Red Heart Original	Pernod Ricard South Africa	Silver
Rumbullion! XO 15 Years Old	Ableforth's	Silver
Samai Gold Rum	Samai Distillery	Silver
Spiced Rum	Marks & Spencer	Silver
Woods Old Navy Rum	William Grant & Sons	Silver
Zabana Rum	Emperador Distillers	Silver
1000 Islands Moonshine	King's Lock Craft Distillery	Bronze
Aguardente 970 Reserva	J.Faria & Filhos	Bronze
Angostura 1787	Angostura	Bronze
Angostura 1824	Angostura	Bronze
Angostura 5 year old	Angostura	Bronze
Botafogo	BBC Wines & Spirits	Bronze
Branca Destilação Especial	J.Faria & Filhos	Bronze
Bundaberg Rum : Master Distillers' Collection - Solera	Bundaberg Distilling Co	Bronze
Cachaça Tiê Ouro	Cachaçaria Tiê	Bronze
Charrette Rhum Blanc Traditionnel de La Réunion	Rhums Réunion	Bronze
Charrette Rhum Vieux 3ans Traditionnel de La Réunion	Rhums Réunion	Bronze
Charrette Rhum Vieux Traditionnel 7ans	Rhums Réunion	Bronze
Diplomatico Mantuano	IRUM International Rum and Spirits Distributors	Bronze
Dos Maderas 5+5 Aged Rum	Bodegas Williams And Humbert	Bronze
Dos Maderas Luxus 10 + 5 Aged Rum	Bodegas Williams And Humbert	Bronze
Fiorito Lemon Infused Rum	di Fiorito B.V.	Bronze
Formosa Rum	YoungCheers	Bronze
Fort La Tour	Distillerie Fils du Roy	Bronze
Gingerbread Flavoured Rum	Marks & Spencer	Bronze
Havana Club Añejo 3 Años	Havana Club International	Bronze
Lido Rum	J.Faria & Filhos	Bronze
Marks & Spencer Dark Rum	Marks and Spencer	Bronze
Marks & Spencer White Rum	Marks and Spencer	Bronze
Mezan Jamaica X.O	Marussia Beverages	Bronze
Naud Spiced Rum Hidden Loot	Noble And Unusual Distrillery	Bronze
Negrita Anejo Reserve	Bardinet	Bronze
Neptuns Rhum	FSM - Flensburger Spirituosen Manufaktur	Bronze
O.V.D.	William Grant & Sons	Bronze
Old Hopking Dark Rum	Aldi UK	Bronze
Phraya	Thai Beverage Marketing Company	Bronze
Project One 'Caribbean Spirit'	Oldman Spirits	Bronze
Pusser's Rum 15 Year Aged	Pusser's Rum Company	Bronze
R. St. Barth Cool	Sarl R St Barth	Bronze
RedLeg	RedLeg Rum Company	Bronze
Ron Botran Reserva Blanca	Ron Botran	Bronze
Rum-Bar Gold	Worthy Park Estate	Bronze
Rumbullion!	Ableforth's	Bronze
Rumbullion! Navy-Strength	Ableforth's	Bronze
Saint James Royal Amber	La Martiniquaise	Bronze
Samai Kampot Pepper Rum	Samai Distillery	Bronze
SeaWolf White Rum	Boilermaker Drinks Co	Bronze
St Abbs Captain's Table XO	Black Mountain Spirits Company	Bronze
St Abbs Cask Silver	Black Mountain Spirits Company	Bronze
St Abbs Six Spice	Black Mountain Spirits Company	Bronze