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| Renegade Rum Company |
London-based distiller Renegade Spirits has
begun work on its groundbreaking new rum distillery in Grenada. Located near Pearl, on the north-eastern side
of the island, the new distillery will cost $20 million, being both
technologically advanced and environmentally sound. Designed to produce up to 1
million liters of spirit each year it will be one of the most significant rum
distilleries in the Caribbean.
The Renegade Rum project has already
created 50 jobs locally, with a further 100 jobs requiring a wide range of
skill levels to be created over the next year, all in a rural area of high
unemployment. The aim of the Renegade Rum Distillery is to distill and mature
the most compelling rum the world has ever seen.
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| Still Parts Arrive |
Using the latest techniques and equipment,
together with an innovative, industry-challenging philosophy, Renegade Rum
believes this is a landmark rum project that will raise the bar worldwide. Drawing on experience from both the Scotch
and Irish whisky industries, as well as the wine world, Renegade Rum is the
brainchild of CEO Mark Reynier, who runs Waterford single malt whisky
distillery in Ireland, and who was behind the renaissance of the famous
Bruichladdich distillery on Islay, Scotland, in 2001. Reynier said: “This project has been
completely back to front: we’ve had to propagate cane first, and only then
build a distillery.
“I had been looking for a home for this
project for over a decade before I found Grenada, but after my first trip
around the island it was clear there was no cane left, just bush. We would have
to start with a blank canvas, to prove there is enough cane potential to make
it worthwhile building a distillery. “And
that’s where we are now today. During those three years we have been designing
the distillery, taking advantage of the latest ideas from the top engineers in
the business, while simultaneously planting cane lands.”
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| Mark Reynier CEO and Dr. Keith Mitchell Prime Minister Break Ground for New Renegade Rum Distillery in Grenada |
Prime minister of Grenada, Dr Keith Mitchell,
said, “When I first heard about this project I was not entirely convinced that
it could be brought to fruition but standing here today and learning of its
many unique facets, I must say it is historic in every sense. The project will
not only help boost the agriculture sector and enable diversification of the
economy, it will also provide invaluable promotion of Grenada as the origin of
this unique blend. “The location of the
project will have a remarkable impact on this rural community, spurring
significant development outside of areas usually targeted for business
operations. I commend Mark and his team for staying the course, for their
determination to forge ahead with the evolution of this concept into a reality
and most importantly, for choosing Grenada. This is a project all of Grenada
can be truly proud of. I believe its reputation will spread far and wide, along
with that of our beloved island.”
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| CaneCo Sugar Cane Fields in Grenada |
Renegade Rum Distillery will use
exclusively sugar cane reintroduced to Grenada in 2016 during the first phase
of the project. The remote greenfield site will be surrounded by cane fields
with the mill, utilities and distillery buildings located on three terraces
overlooking the Atlantic Ocean to the east, extensive water meadows to the south,
and a saltwater mangrove lake to the north.
With the main equipment coming from Scotland, Ireland, Brazil, America,
and South Africa, there is a global context. The rum – made by Grenadians with
Grenadian cane – once matured and bottled, will go back out across the seas to
global markets.
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| Special Locally Grown Sugarcane |
Renegade Rum Distillery has a close
partnership with CaneCo, its agricultural supply company that was set up three
years ago to propagate, cultivate and harvest super-premium sugar cane to
supply the distillery. Taking a terroir driven approach to rum production,
numerous varieties of cane are grown across the island on varying soils and
altitudes to maximize flavor differences.
The harvest from each field of cane will be milled and distilled in
isolation – from field to barrel. This will allow Renegade Rum Distillery to
capture in its distillates the numerous expressions gleaned from Grenada’s
unique soils and micro climates. With such attention to detail, it will be able
to create a rum of unparalleled complexity. Renegade Rum’s distillate will be
matured in oak barrels, before being brought to market around 2021/2022.
