Grenada through the Windshield

 
     I traveled all over Grenada while I was there a month or so ago, but just seeing your destinations is missing most of the experience of the island.   I really find myself taking more pictures out of the windshield of the vehicle I am in as we go from place to place than I do once we get there.   Leaving the city and heading up the mountains along the rugged coastline, I'm amazed to see how things keep changing until we get into the dense jungle of the rainforest.

     After visiting all of the destinations that we were set out to see, it was time to come back down the mountain and the seashore just as the sun is beginning to set.   Watching people walking back home as we start to see signs of the afternoon thunderstorms moving up the mountain from the sea.

   These miles of travel and what you get to see through the windshield will absolutely amaze you if you take the time to look.   I guess the saying about life being a journey, and not just a list of destinations is really true, especially if you look out the window while you are traveling.  ;o)

230 Year Old Barbados Rum to be Auctioned

 
    






     There is an article in "The Spirit Business" about a group of old rums that were found in the Harewood House recently that are going to be Auctioned by Christie's in London.

Rum from the 18th century to auction

10th December, 2013 by Amy Hopkins

A selection of the oldest rum ever to be auctioned will go under the hammer at auction house Christie’s tomorrow. 

    

The selection of 12 rums from the 17th century is expected to raise around £12,000

     The collection of 12 bottles of light and dark rum dating back to the 1780s was recently rediscovered in the cellar of Leeds stately home Harewood House.

   David Elswood, international director of Christie’s wine in Europe and Asia, said: “Christie’s is delighted to be offering this rare and unique 1780 rum from Harewood House – the oldest we have ever seen and at 230 years of age, just 14 years younger than Christie’s wine auctions which commenced in 1766.”

     All expressions were distilled in Barbados, shipped in barrels to the UK, and bottled at Harewood House. The rum is offered in original mould-blown bottles and replacement tapered corks and re-waxed capsules.

     Read more at http://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2013/12/rum-from-the-16th-century-to-auction/?article-source=newsletter&source=131&date=2013-12-10  

     These old Barbados Rums would be a treasure to own, although , I am really curious about who produced them in the first place.  

     Christie's says the first record of the rum that is being auctioned is contained in a Harewood House cellar-book entry dated July 1805. It lists "226 bottles, dark and light 1780." They were subsequently stored in two bins – "Bin 9 for the dark, Bin 12 for the light."

 

     After doing some further research, I discovered that the Harewood House located in the city of Leeds was the seat of the Earl and Countess of Harewood.   This house was built with profits earned by the production of sugar, cotton, tobacco and rum from the plantations owned by the Lascelles family in the West Indies.   From the information that I have been able to glean, it was what is now in the area of the Foursquare Distillery and Heritage Park.   Today the Foursquare Distillery is operated by the Richard L. Seale Family and the land seems to have been a part of the Lascelles Plantations during that period.

 

     These rums were hidden away on a high shelf in the cellar and forgotten.  By the 20th century, rum had gone out of style and they were pushed away and forgotten until their discovery as part of an inventory of the Harewood House Cellar in 2011.   I just wish that I could be there to see the auction an enjoy the history of this incredible find.  ;o)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas Time is Egg Nog Time

    



      The Holiday Season is the time for a wonderful glass of Egg Nog and good spiced rum.   The holidays are not the same without a n evening by the fire or on the aft deck and sipping on this delicious seasonal drink.





Bahama Bob's Egg Nog

• Fill eared mug about 3/4 full of good quality Egg Nog
• Top up with a generous shot of Siesta Key Spiced Rum
• Dollop of Whipped Cream
• Top with fresh ground Nutmeg.

     This makes a wonderful evening beverage that you can enjoy through out the Christmas Season. 
Hope you evenings are as nice as mine and you are enjoying this easy to make toddy.

Where is the Facundo?

     I am really getting excited about getting our first bottle of Facundo Rum at the Rum Bar here in Key West.   Premier Distributing tells me it is now in stock at the warehouse, but it hasn't reached us yet.   I'll order it again today, and hopefully it will make the truck this Wednesday.  




Bacardi Building, Havana, Cuba

     This is one of the most exciting new rum to come out this year,  one that all of us at the Rum Bar have been waiting for since being given the opportunity to sample it back in April in Miami.   I can say with out a doubt, you really don't want to miss the opportunity to try this one when it arrives.  

     This is set of rums that would have made Don Facundo Bacardi Masso very proud.  It was in his honor and the feeling that it was time for the Bacardi Family to assemble a line of ultra premium rums to represent the company and the 150 plus years of heritage of the company.  

Facundo Bacardi, Manny Oliver and the Staff for Facundo Rum

     These are some of the family reserves that have been maintained in the Bahamas for many years and put together under the watchful hands of Facundo Bacardi,  Master Blender, Manny Oliver and his staff.  This was a very secret project that took several years of work and tastings to allow Manny Oliver to put the final blends for these fine sipping rums together.    Many of my fellow members of the International RumXP group and I were asked to be a part of the tasting and evaluating of some of the blends over the past couple of years.  It was an honor to be asked and given a chance to be one of the first to taste the final products back in April.  

     I'm hoping that this week will be the week when it arrives, we have a number of people in town now that are looking forward to getting their first opportunity to sip these very special rums.  ;o)

Sunday Serenity

     Sunday's a day of serenity and chilling for me, it is still a working day, but I'm up a little earlier and get a chance to see things before there are a ton of people moving about and breaking the peacefulness of the morning.   I hope you enjoy this moment as well.  ;o)

Walking Along the Beach on St. George's Bay

View from the Flamboyant Beach Resort

Morne Rogue Beach

     One of the really nice things about staying at the Flamboyant Beach Resort in Grenada was the view and proximity to the beaches on Grand Anse Beach and Bay.  As I look down from the veranda of the hotel I am struck with the view of the bay and the beautiful beaches with the surf rolling in against the beach.  As I walk down the road to my left I'm just a half mile or so from the sheltered Morne Rouge Beach, a beautiful westerly facing beach just out side of Grand Anse Bay.

     It is a steep walk down the flights of steps to get from the hotel to the beach, but the soft sand and the ebb and flow of the waves on the beach makes for a very  relaxing stroll down the beach and back.  

     The scenery as you look at the merging of the land, the sea and the sky makes for some of the most beautiful "paintings" that I have ever witnessed.  I couldn't keep from snapping pictures one right after the other.   I think that I still don't believe the way this land, sea, and skyscapes merge together on Grenada's southwest shores.

The "Spice Island" of Grenada is one of the treasures of the Caribbean that you rarely get to enjoy.  Should you be given the opportunity to walk these beaches and enjoy all that the "Spice Island" has to offer, don't miss your chance.   I am looking forward to returning to this little paradise soon and spending more time developing more friendships and seeing more of this fascinating corner of the world.  ;o)



Clarke's Court Distillers of Grenada

Woodland Estate Sugar Plantation in 18th Century

     Named for Gedney Clarke Esq. who bought up some 780 acres from the French, today known as the Woodland Estate around and including Court Bay in Grenada's southwest corner.  The name has been suggested as having come for the merging of the two names.   The factory is located in the Woodland Valley in the Parish of St. George.   Today the distillery is not open for tours as there is construction underway.  This factory has been operational since 1937 and is still largest and best known distillery in Grenada.  The distillery boasts steam engines that date back to the late 1800's used to power the factory up until the 70's or 80's. 

Steam Power within the factory

     Today they manufacture a large line of rums that range from very basic white rums to the #37 aged and very sophisticated rum.  The whites come in a standard 80 proof and overproof versions, all with a very smooth and pleasing flavor profile.

     I found both the "Old Grog" and the "#37" examples to be very special.    The Old Grog, named the "King's Rums of his Majesty George III of England.  Casks of the King's rum were lab
eled "GROG, an acronym for "Georgius Rex Old Grenada".  Old Grog has a light golden color with a fruity nose.  The medium bodied fruity and almond notes carry into the palate.  The finish turns dry very rapidly and leaves you with peppery notes ant the end.

Clarke's Court  #37 Rum was introduced at Nick's Barrel House on the factory grounds by Leroy Nickles on April 16, 2010.  The rum's name is drawn from the year ( 1937) that the factory first opened to produce rums.    Mr. Neckles said “I want all of you to feel a sense of pride in this unique aspect of our heritage and to recommend #37; to friends, family and associates; as the ultimate experience in Grenadian rums”.    "Master Blender Ahmad Rasheed, gave a inspiring overview on the making of #37, but the evening was not without its lighter moments; as Mr. Devon Date, Production Manager of Clarke's Court, entertained patrons with his graphic demonstration of tasting techniques. Blend#37 did not disappoint and those present were high in praises of the rum; commenting" especially on its bouquet, taste and presentation.

     Clark's Court #37 like Old Grog has a very tropical fruity and spicy aroma.  This leads right on to the palate where you pick up the flavors of the fruits and spices of the "Spice Island".  This is a medium bodied rum that subtly tickles your taste buds without overwhelming you mouth.  The smoothness of this rum carries on to the finish where there is a subtle fruitiness enhancing the slightly dry and lingering finish.

     I am working on bringing this wonderful Old Grog and #37 rum to the Rum Bar in Key West, hopefully in time for the Holiday celebrations.   ;o)
   

80 Reasons Why Drinking Alcohol Is Great

     Today is the 80th Anniversary of the Repeal of the 18th Amendment.  This Time article by Laura Stampler is a really fun and apt for this joyous occasion.  Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Happy 80th birthday, Repeal Day: A celebration of the end of Prohibition in America

By Laura Stampler @laurastamplerDec. 04, 2013 

Thursday is the 80th birthday of the repeal of prohibition in 1933, a day that should be heartily celebrated across the country. To give martini aficionado Franklin D. Roosevelt and the 21st amendment a proper “thanks,” we decided to make a list of 80 reasons why drinking alcohol is the greatest.

Let’s see if you can make it all the way through without grabbing a drink. And if you don’t, say safe out there!

1. Because you had a good day.

2. Because you had a bad day.

3. Because, let’s be honest, your day was kind of “meh” and could use something to spice it up.

4. Whiskey.

5. Many doctors recommend a glass of red wine a night to lower the risk of heart disease. And they went to medical school.

6. Although the Mayo Clinic says, “it’s possible that red wine isn’t any better than beer, white wine or liquor for heart health,” which we’re taking to mean all of the above is a healthy choice in moderation.

7. But hey, if you aren’t one for moderation, at least take solace in the fact that every glass of wine you take makes you one step closer to becoming Olivia Pope. (This is an aspirational goal for dudes, too.)

8. It’s called a social lubricant for a reason. Drinking makes you friends.

9. Drinking games!

10. Because alcohol has been there for you during the tough times.

11. There’s nothing quite as warm and cozy as bonding with your family over a cup of eggnog come Christmastime.

12. Or Manischewitz during Passover.

13. Come on, the Haggadah asks you to fill your cups FOUR TIMES.

14. Drinking specialties from your country of origin connects you with your roots. Celebrate that high, Eastern European tolerance!

15. Speaking of Eastern Europeans, Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, thought that beer was so great that he issued a manifesto in 1777 declaring its superiority over coffee, which he briefly banned to boost booze sales.

16. Because somewhere in the world, someone did something awesome right now and you should celebrate.

17. Because drinking can help resolve political and cultural disputes. Exhibit A: Obama’s beer summit.

18. For experiential learners, consuming an aged drink is like tasting history.

19. Were brunches even fun before they were boozy?

20. Because there are more than 20 million bubbles in a bottle of champagne. Gotta catch ‘em all!

     This is only a quarter of the reasons, you can read the rest at http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/12/04/80-reasons-why-drinking-alcohol-is-great/

   Where I work, there was a speakeasy called The Florence Club during Prohibition, today it is the Rum Bar at the Speakeasy Inn in Key West.  Raul Vasquez, a local rum runner of the era was the owner.  At the time he enjoyed some very prosperous times as a result of the Prohibition era.   Later opened a dinner club on the other side of the island called Raul's Club, that flourished for many years until is death in 1966.

     This is a day of celebration for Americans, get out and enjoy your right to safely consume alcohol.   ;o)

 

What does the Cristmas Season Mean?

     Today I find myself very uninterested in Christmas any more.  It starts in October with "Lay Away Sales" and doesn't end until all the exchanges are done in January.   It seems that the only interest is how the retailers are going to get you to spend money you really don't have for stuff you really don't want or need.    Shopping and buying presents is all fine and good, but there needs to be a balance between throwing money at Christmas and enjoying the holiday season with friends and family.  It is really about sharing and spending time with those close to you, not so much how much money can you spend on them.

     There is nothing on TV but Christmas Hype ads and very little of what Christmas is truly about.   They are turning this time of "brotherly love" into a time of pushing and shoving each other around at the mall to get something before someone else gets it and you are left high and dry.   Standing in line for hours and rushing to get an insignificant item doesn't really teach the kids that Christmas is something much bigger.   I remember when we use to go into the work shop and create all of the gifts for family and friends.  Many of these gifts that were made over thirty years ago are still around and being used and enjoyed.  Unlike the latest "plastic fantastic" that hype says that the kid must have today and be lost in the box two weeks later.


    I saw White Christmas and Holiday Inn come on TV and reminded me of what this season is really about.   The miracles of Christmas can still happen with some thought and time spent looking for what is really needed instead of just throwing a volume of stuff at it.   The sparkle in a kids eye when they get the one thing that they really wanted, or Mom's happiness just to see a child again after a long absence.  These are the things that I think of when I think about Christmas.  What is your Christmas going to be this year?  ;o)


 

Thursday Marks 80 Years since the Repeal of Prohibition

    It is hard to believe that 80 years have passed since repeal.   It took until 1966 when Mississippi finally repealed its ban on the sale of alcohol with in the state's borders to fully bring Prohibition to an end.  I question how much that we have learned from the "Noble Experiment", we still ban the sale of Marijuana in all but a few states, and it is the criminal element that make all of the profits instead of the store owners and the government through taxes.  Instead we spend billions trying to stop something that the public, "We the People" want and enjoy.  


   

John D. Rockefeller, Jr. a steadfast supporter of prohibition had to admit that it was a failure. 

“When Prohibition was introduced, I hoped that it would be widely supported by public opinion and the day would soon come when the evil effects of alcohol would be recognized. I have slowly and reluctantly come to believe that this has not been the result. Instead, drinking has generally increased; the speakeasy has replaced the saloon; a vast army of lawbreakers has appeared; many of our best citizens have openly ignored Prohibition; respect for the law has been greatly lessened; and crime has increased to a level never seen before.”

 

     The only gains made from Prohibition were made by organized crime.  Groups like the Mafia who had limited their activities to prostitution, gambling, and theft until 1920, when bootlegging as an organized business emerged in response to Prohibition.   A profitable, often violent, black market for alcohol flourished throughout the era.   Powerful criminal organizations corrupted some law enforcement agencies, leading to widespread racketeering.   Prohibition provided a financial basis for organized crime to flourish from the beginning until the end of the era.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     It is not clear whether Prohibition actually reduced individual consumption of alcohol.   Some historians claim that alcohol consumption in the United States did not exceed pre-Prohibition levels until the 1960s; others claim that alcohol consumption reached the pre-Prohibition levels several years after its enactment, and have continued to rise.  In the decades after Prohibition, Americans shed any stigma they might have had against alcohol consumption. According to a survey conducted by Gallup, almost every year since 1939, some two-thirds of American adults age 18 and older drink alcohol.

 

    I hope that soon the government of the United States will wake up to the waste of tax payer dollars they are spending  in today's prohibition of marijuana and start to follow the lead of several states and put the product under alcohol like controls and make money from its sales instead of spending monies the government doesn't have, trying to prevent the use of something the people are going to go underground and by anyway.  

 

     Celebrate 80 years with us on Thursday of the repeal of the "Noble Experiment" and raise a glass to freedom of choice.   ;o)

 

 

 

The Caribbean Rum and Beer Festival CAB Rum Tasting Results

    The Caribbean Rum and Beer Festival is over and the final scores have been tallied.  Here are the results for the 2013 CAB Rum Tasting Contest.
The international panel of judges have put forth a lot of time and effort evaluating all 65 of the rums that were submitted to the tasting, now here are the final results.

White Rum

GOLD - Westerhall 12 Degrees Rum (Westerhall Estate Ltd, Grenada)
SILVER - Appleton White (Appleton Estate, Jamaica)
BRONZE - Clarke's Court Superior White Rum (Grenada Distillers Ltd, Grenada)

 

Overproof Rum

GOLD - Clarke's Court Pure White Rum (Grenada Distillers Ltd, Grenada)
SILVER - Westerhall White Jack Rum (Westerhall Estate Ltd, Grenada)
BRONZE - Westerhall Jack Iron (Westerhall Estate Ltd, Grenada)

 

Flavored Rum

GOLD - Blue Chair Bay Coconut Rum (Fishbowl Spirits, USA)
SILVER - Clarke's Court Mojito Rum (Grenada Distillers Ltd, Grenada)
BRONZE - Siesta Key Spiced Rum (Drum Circle Distilling, USA)

 

Rum Punch

GOLD - VSRP Rum Punch (Cutters, Barbados)
SILVER - XM Estate Royal Mango Rum Punch (Banks DIH Ltd, Guyana)
BRONZE - Angostura Rum Punch (Angostura Distillers, Trinidad & Tobago)

 

Gold Rum

GOLD - 4th Umpire (Aone, Barbados)
SILVER - Westerhall Superb Light (Westerhall Estate Ltd, Grenada)
BRONZE - Ron Abuelo Anejo (Varela Hermanos, Panama)

 

Aged Rum (5 - 9 years)

GOLD - Westerhall Vintage Rum (Westerhall Estate Ltd, Grenada)
SILVER - Borgoe 8 Year Old Rum (SAB, Suriname)
BRONZE - Captain Bligh XO (St Vincent Distillery, St Vincent)

 

Aged Rum (10 - 14 years)

GOLD - XM Royal 10 Year Old Rum (Banks DIH Ltd, Guyana)
SILVER - XM Special 12 Year Old Rum (Banks DIH Ltd, Guyana)
BRONZE - Cockspur VSOR Rum (West Indies Rum Distillery, Barbados)

 

Aged Rum (15 years and over)

GOLD - Borgoe 15 Year Old Rum (SAB, Suriname)
SILVER - XM Supreme 15 Year Old Rum (Banks DIH Ltd, Guyana)
BRONZE - Ron Matusalem 15 Solera Rum (Ron Matusalem, Dominican Republic)

 

   

  This tasting contest is a competition between the best rums in the world. The blind tasting competition took place in a closed room session with an expert judging panel. The panel sampled over 60 rums and made their decisions based upon four criteria; Appearance, Aroma, Taste and Overall Impression. This year the judging panel included the editors of 'Got Rum' Magazine Luis & Margaret Ayala in conjunction with members of the Rum XP including Dave Russell, Mike Streeter, Bob Leonard, as well as Carl Kanto, Philip Ils, Paul Senft and Jonathan Collymore. 

 

   This year we had a really fun group of people that not only got to enjoy evaluating all of the rums, but had an opportunity to travel around the island together and visit many of the incredible sights of Grenada, "The Spice Island".    I'm looking forward to returning next year to spend more time on the island and enjoy so much more of the event.  ;o)

 

 

Sunday and a Walk in the Flowers

    I love Sunday mornings, especially when I stumble across a beautiful flower in bloom with the sun shining on it just perfectly.   The beauty of a single bloom that is strutting its stuff among the green of the leaves is such an eye opening experience, one that leaves me smiling every time.   For those of you who are snow bound today, enjoy this touch of spring time while you are waiting for the flowers to return in all their crowning glory this spring.   ;o)

Making Rum the Old School Way

     While in Grenada last week, I did have a chance to travel northwest to St. Patrick's Parish and visit the River Antoine Distillery, a step back in time to watch a factory that is still operation as it did in the late 1700's.  This 228 year old Rum Factory is like no other that you have ever visited. The power for the operation come down from Lake Antoine via the River Antoine and an aquaduct to the C. Fletcher and Company of London and Derey water wheel at the Factory.   The wheel provides all of the power for the cane press and the conveyor system that brings the cane up to the pressing unit.   The system is as reliable as the flow of the water.

    
     The press is another of the very old pieces of equipment still in operation at the factory.  It is driven by the water wheel through a series of gears and chains that turn the harvested sugar cane into juice.  The spent cane hulls are then hand lifted into small rail cars and pushed over to the dumping area and allowed to dry in the warm tropical sun.  Later the hulls also known as "bagasse" are used for the most part as fuel to boil the cane juice and fire the still, but some is also used as fertilizer for the crops on the estate.

  After the cane is pressed, the juice flows by gravity to the copper boiling cauldrons where the syrup is thickened and concentrated.  This is a process that is accomplished first by gravity then is hand ladled from the coolest cauldrons to the hottest one.  The syrup is then pumped on to the fermenting tanks in the next room.




     Fermentation in the tanks of cane syrup / molasses picks up natural yeasts from the air and fermentation begins.  It takes fro 8 to 10 days, depending on the weather at the time for the fermentation to bring the alcohol content up to 13 to 15 percent. 

     The  wash is then pumped into one of the wood and bagasse fired "Ventdome Potstills" where the rum is distilled until it reaches the ABV (Alcohol by Volume Percentage)  desired.  The rum is tested in a hygrometer, if the ABV is at the desired level then it is pass to bottling and the process is concluded.  If not, then it is pumped back into the still for further distilling. until desired ABV is reached.

     There was some Coca production being done in days gone by on the estate when the cane was not available for making rum.  You can still see some of the drying tray rails along side of the tasting room.


     River Antoine Distillery is a year round operation, but it is the favorite rum of the region of Grenada in which they operate, and they sell 100% or their product locally as well as to the visiting tourists.   I bought the T Shirt, that says "Don't Say Rum, Say Rivers".   There is an extreme loyalty that the "Rivers" drinkers have for their rum and it can be seen in the rum shops and taverns around the north region of Grenada.

   If given the opportunity to visit this wonderful "old school" distillery, do pass it up, take a taxi, a bus or a car, but make it up and see how rum was made in the 1700's.  There are daily tours and tastings at the distillery and estate.