Gruppo Campari Offers “Baron Samedi” as Their Latest Expression

Gruppo Campari has launched Baron Samedi, their new spiced rum in the US.

     Launched through the group’s Campari America arm, The Baron Samedi Spiced Rum is named after a notorious Voodoo figure in Haitian Voodoo culture during the 18^thcentury whose favored tipple was rum.   After the field tests of Baron Samedi Spiced Rum, "We’ll coming with what I think is a very distinctive proposition built on the voodoo storytelling available in the Caribbean.   So, let's see how that goes”,  Now it is being released  

     The spirit is made using Caribbean column still rum and Jamaican pot still rum that has been flavored with ingredients including vanilla, cocoa, cinnamon, clove and vetiver,  a grass native to Haiti.  Designed to be mixed with cola or ginger beer and also enjoyed as a shot, Baron Samedi has been bottled at 90 proof (45% abv).  “The Baron Samedi delivers an exceptional liquid and tells a different backstory to the nautical themes that dominate the spiced rum category today,” said Christine Moll, marketing director for rums at Campari America.

     “The compelling story, standout packaging, and delicious liquid complements our premium rum portfolio, which also includes the award winning Appleton Estate Jamaica Rum and Wray & Nephew White Overproof Rum brands.”   The brand’s bottle design features 13 hand-illustrated elements, with a portrait of Baron Samedi featuring as the 14^th element.

     The Baron Samedi Spiced Rum will be available in Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee and Wisconsin at an RRP of US$21.99.

Lemonade with an Adult Twist

     Ok it's finally summer and nothing quenches your thirst better than ice cold lemonade.  Well here is an adult lemonade with a couple of twists.  It combines the basic ingredients of lemonade with a few twists to the mix.  This will quench your thirst and after a few chill you out for the rest of the afternoon sitting in the chase lounge or relaxing on the aft deck watching the birds and the boats go by.

The Ginger Lemon Drop

• 2 oz. Brugal Blanco Especial
• ½  oz. Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao
• ¼  oz. Agave Nectar
• ½ oz. Ginger Liqueur
• Juice of ½ Lemon

 Add all ingredients into glass with ice.  Sugar the rim of the glass with "sugar in the raw" and garnish with lemon wheel.

Thoughts Upon Returning to Key West

     One thing I love about traveling out and visiting so many unique places is that I get to return to Key West.  This place is my home and as much as I like to travel and visit new and wonderful places I love to return home to the island and water that makes this place so special.

     I don't know if it is the views from the "back porch" of the boat or the people that make this place so fun and friendly.  I do know that this places makes me so very happy.   Just to bring it all into perspective, I just got back from St. Croix and had an especially wonderful time, but it was still great to be home.

Bacardi Tauts Cuba's 'Golden Age' as the Battle Heats up for Havana Club Trademark

     This battle seems to just keep going on and on.  It looked like it was over in 2011, but with the warming up of relations with Cuba and the reissuing the trademark back to Cubaexport and Pernod Ricard it looks as if it is ramping up to be a full scale battle of two rum giants.   Getting their brand back into the United States is critical for Havana Club if it is going to get back to the top of rum sales in the world.

     The rum war with Cuba, which makes its own Havana Club, heats up  Cuba still is registered owner of Havana Club trademark in the United States.   Bacardi claims it owns the mark and is backing it with a splashy new ad campaign   Cuba may have won the latest salvo in the trademark battle over who has the right to use the Havana Club rum brand in the United States, but that isn't keeping Bacardi from rolling out nationwide distribution of the iconic rum brand with a splashy ad campaign that calls you back to the island's "golden age."

     Bacardi, which contends it is the rightful owner of the Havana Club name because it purchased it and the rum recipe from the family that made the rum in Cuba prior to the 1959 Revolution, plans to kick off its new marketing strategy Wednesday with the introduction of Havana Club Añejo Clásico, a dark rum, and its "The Golden Age, Aged Well" advertising campaign in Florida.     Among the tag lines for the new campaign are: "Even a Revolution Couldn't Topple the Rum," and "The Freedom, The Decadence, The Dazzle, The Glamour. If Only Someone Had Bottled It."   Through the summer, the new dark rum, which is double-aged in oak barrels for one to three years, and Havana Club white rum, which are distilled in Puerto Rico and bottled in Jacksonville, will be introduced in new markets across the United States.

     Because of the interest in all things Cuban with the resumption of diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba, "it's a good moment to introduce a new generation" to the brand, said Fabio Di Giammarco, global vice president of rums for Bacardi. "It's an exciting time for us and the Havana Club franchise in the United States.   But with the recent resurgence of U.S. travel to Cuba, many Americans have already been discovering another version of Havana Club, the one distilled in Cuba and distributed worldwide by a partnership of Cubaexport and French spirits maker Pernod Ricard.

     While American travelers can now purchase a combined total of $100 worth of alcohol and tobacco products while visiting the island, the embargo against Cuba still precludes the sale of Cuban Havana Club or any other Cuban rum in the United States.   The day when the embargo is lifted and Cuban rum can be exported to the U.S. market is what makes the trademark so valuable. Bacardi and Cuba have been fighting over it for the past two decades in U.S. courts.

     Cubaexport, the Cuban rum company, and Pernod Ricard contend the "authentic" Havana Club rum is made in Cuba.   "Havana Club is the true spirit of Cuba: a genuine Cuban rum produced in Cuba from Cuban sugarcane," said Apolline Celeyron, a spokesperson for Pernod Ricard. "If the U.S. embargo on Cuban products is lifted, we'll be the first company to offer a true Cuban rum to our American neighbors." 

     But the tide turned in mid-January, when the patent office renewed Cubaexport's registration of the Havana Club trademark.   Now the two sides are back in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., fighting over ownership of the trademark, and Bacardi is reinventing its version of Havana Club.

     Bacardi has asked the court to reverse Cubaexport's trademark registration and declare Bacardi the rightful owner of the common law rights to the Havana Club name, said Rick Wilson, Bacardi's senior vice president of external affairs and corporate responsibility. Common law, he said, "for the most part is based on usage." So Bacardi's Havana Club is going national.   There will be new vintage-style packaging featuring the Arechabala family crest, which was used on the family's rum packaging and advertising beginning in1934, and a portrait of the company's founder.

Million Case Club: The Rum List

     Drinks International's annual league of million-case brands returns. Here is a list of the world's best-selling rum brands in 2015.   Globally, rum isn't the picture postcard it is perceived to be. In volume terms the category saw a 1% erosion in 2015, according to Euromonitor International.   Probably it was last year that provided the watershed moment when king of the beach, Bacardi, lost its deckchair to Diageo's local Indian brand, McDowell's No.1 Celebration.

     It was symbolic, but a year on and we can say with some certainty that the volume leader of rum is the one that looses the least volumes, not gains the most. This year both brands fell to under 18m cases. In India, a hugely volatile spirits market, champion rum McDowell's has kept things relatively stable, losing 3% of its liquid mass in 2015.

     White rum is the segment that is facing headwinds - and this is the very sand from which Bacardi built its castle. The ex-Cuban brand, which dropped 4% last year, looks like it may never hit the heights of 20m cases again. It doesn't seem to care.   DI spoke to Fabio Di Giammarco, vice president for Bacardi rum, about how the company is aiming for value, not volume: "In all major categories the premium and super- premium segments have developed tremendously recently but for some reason it isn't true for rum. The global leader in all those categories had something to do with it but the global leader for rum hasn't done much to premiumize its category - and I'm looking at ourselves in the past.  There is a huge opportunity."

     Indeed, with Bacardi now interested in building a premium category, not just a brand, rum will no doubt have a more prosperous future (Euromonitor International forecasts 5% growth by 2020). But in terms of brand volume, it will likely shed a few pounds to make a few pounds over the coming years. Tanduay, the Philippine rum currently in third place may end up taking second spot someday soon - and not necessarily because of its own volume growth.

 

     Outside the big three, spiced Captain Morgan has been growing volume just over the 10m case mark. This is thanks in no small part to its now diversified offering across segments. As they say, variety is the spice of life.

     Dropping down to Havana Club in fifth place we see a brand struggling to find new areas of growth. With the US market a step closer (after its longstanding battle with Bacardi over the Havana Club trademark and the softening of Cuba-US relations), the Pernod Ricard brand can start to dream of selling in the largest premium rum market, the US.

     One notable omission from this list is Brugal. Edrington failed to provide Drinks International with sales data for the brand.

Read More at http://www.drinksint.com/news/fullstory.php/aid/6253/Millionaires__Club:_The_Rum_List.html

Captain Wes Morgan Bottles Launch In Leicester

Diageo has launched commemorative Captain ‘Wes’ Morgan bottles.

Leicester City football club defied all odds

and won the Premier League last month.

     Diageo has given fans what they asked for with a commemorative Captain ‘Wes’ Morgan.   Captain Morgan will launch a total of 11,000 Captain ‘Wes’ Morgan bottles in Leicester featuring the defender and captain of Leicester City, Wes Morgan, following an “unprecedented number” of requests from fans.        Rhys Love, senior brand manager for Captain Morgan, said: “We had an incredible response from Leicester City fans when we unveiled the commemorative Wes Morgan bottle earlier in May to celebrate the club’s historic triumph with Wes Morgan at the helm.  “We’ve been working hard to respond to this demand, and are excited that fans will have the chance to buy one of 11,000 limited edition bottles in the Leicester City Football Club store and selected retailers around the city.”   The Captain ‘Wes’ Morgan bottles are available at select retail stores throughout Leicester, including Tesco, Asda, Morrisons and Waitrose, plus the Leicester City Football Club store.

     This is an incredible honor for the city to have won the Premier League Championship and the addition of the Captain Wes Morgan commemorative bottle is well deserved.

Read More at http://www.hinckleytimes.net/news/local-news/limited-edition-leicester-city-brand-11394439

The Complete Results of the 1st Annual St. Croix Rum Festival Judging

     The entries were only 25, but that is not too bad for a first time Rum Festival.  The entries were a group of really nice rums from all over the all over the Caribbean.   Our judges did a really good job of examining the rums and scoring them.   Now here are the result of that judging.

Medal Winners - 2016 St. Croix Rum Festival
Points Brand Name White Rums Gold 70.8 Cruzan Light Silver 60.8 Atlantico Platino Bronze 59.0 Mount Gay Eclipse Silver Aged Gold 86.5 Chai Rum Silver 76.0 Cruzan Dark Bronze 75.5 Mount Gay Black Barrel Aged 5 to 15 Years Gold 74.0 Flor de Cana 12 Year Silver 70.3 Mount Gay XO Bronze 68.8 Brugal XV Premium Rums Gold 85.0 Botran 18 Year Solera 1893 Silver 80.8 Brugal 1888 Flavored Rums Gold 73.8 Blue Chair Bay Coconut Spiced Silver 71.5 Blue Chair Bay Banana Bronze 66.5 Plantation Pineapple

Botran Celebrates 75th Birthday

     The origins of Botran stretch back to the early 20th century.   Outside of Central America, Botran could appear to be a relative newcomer appear among dark premium rums.  Managing director Frank Quinones said that brand began to look into the big international markets in the 1990’s.   Given the overwhelming perception among consumers that rum was just a party drink that people barely perceived as Caribbean and very likely called Bacardi.  This fact lead Botran to be part of a tough uphill job to becoming a part of the market.   Things have started to change, but very slowly.

     The origins of Botran stretch right back to the early 20th century when the family gave up distilling in Spain like so many others of the era and migrated to Guatemala. They began making rum on a small scale, but in the 1940’s the Botrans joined forces with four other family distillers to form the Industrias Licoreras de Guatemala (ILG).   For me it’s amazing they’re still together,” says Quinones. “Right now the family’s into its fourth generation, and it’s still surviving and thriving.”.     In July 2011, when its three-year distribution deal came to an end, Diageo bought a 50% stake in Zacapa rum from ILG for £150 million.   Quinones has no doubt Diageo’s involvement is helping to put Guatemalan rum on the map, but he points out the two brands are totally separate in the way they are produced and marketed.     Botran’s quality begins with the sugar cane grown in volcanic soil, adding a mineral richness to the syrup, or virgin honey.   As a vertically integrated company, it has its own plantations which supply the majority of its needs.

   It has even planted different varieties of sugar cane that are harvested at different dates to provide the master blender with more options.   Maybe one day they will go a step further and start producing varietal rums like wine.   “It’s possible,” says Quinones. “We’re not getting into that yet, but we have the capacity to do it, so we may do something in the future.”     The family’s Spanish roots inspired the use of a Sherry-style solera system and, while it’s not unique to Botran, their take on it is.   “We call it a dynamic solera process,” he explains. “The concept is all about blending the old with the new, and its ‘dynamic’ because the rum doesn’t sit still in one barrel for years.”    This is a maturation method of mind-boggling complexity.   The new spirit spends a while in American whiskey barrels before being tipped into a blending vat to marry with older rums.   It is then refilled into the Bourbon barrels that have been re-charred in the meantime. After a couple of years it goes back into the blending vat to mix with more old rum before the whole process is repeated, first with Sherry and then with Port casks.   Quinones admits it is very labor-intensive and costly, but worth it. One consolation is that because the warehouses are at a cool 2,300-2,400 meters in altitude, the angels’ share is fairly modest by rum standards. Were they down near sea level the company’s Botran Reserva, aged for up to 15 years, and the 18 year-old Botran Solera 1893 would have all but evaporated.

The St. Croix Rum Festival Has Been a Real Blast

Millennium Monument at the East End

     Time really flies when you are enjoying yourself some place.  The historic tour Friday and Saturday, the rum judging just after lunch and the Pre-Rum Festival Cocktail Party from 7 until 10 pm.  What a fun event this has turned out to be, not to mention the plus of hanging out in St. Croix. Sunday we head over the Fort Frederik for the Main Event, the Flavor of Rum Festival.

Heather, Mark, Tanya and Bahama Bob Judging the Rum

   The Tasting Competition went off well with the 24 rums that were submitted by Premier - Glazer Distributing in St. Thomas for judging.  The has some really fine expressions in 5 different categories to taste and critique.   The results have been calculated and the awards will be presented tomorrow during the Festival at Fort Frederik.

     The four judges spent a little over an our to evaluate the 24 rums.   The process went very smoothly with the crew from  Premier - Glazer Distributing doing the pouring and delivery of the rums to the judges.   The judges really enjoyed the experience and were somewhat surprised by how they rated many of the rums that they thought they were in love with in a blind judging.

Enjoyment of the Audience

     It was off the the St. Croix Rum Festival Pre-Party next.  This was a very nice cocktail party with some really great entertainment keeping the atmosphere upbeat and every one's feet moving all evening.   There was also a wonderful opportunity to sip some very nice rum expressions there while listening to the music.   The entertainment was very talented and had the attention of the audience.   The party never slowed from start to finish and a good time was had by all attending.

Fort Frederik 

    Sunday and time for the Main Event at Fort Frederik.  This is going to be fun, I'm a part of the judging panel to evaluate the Caribbean Food, Cocktail  and the most fun of all, the Bikini Contest.  By the end of the night I'm sure that I'll be totally worn out and ready to crash out at The Palms.

Food Display

     The event itself was a lot of fun, it was a cultural event for

Brazilian Dancers

the island sharing the foods, music and the rums of the Caribbean.  The musical entertainment was exciting and had a strong reggae flavor to it. Great and talented performers of dance and song kept the crowds tapping their feet all day long.   As the day was going to night the fire dancers brought the night to life with their spectacular antics.

Bikini Contest Winners

     The Bikini Contest was eye opening, but Christian Delpach, 19 time Flair Bartender champion and
I were in full agreement as to the winner and runner up.  Christian performed is flair show to the complete excitement of the crowds.  The winners for the Rum Barbecue was decided along with the results of the rum judging. and the winners rewarded.

     The music took us to thee close of the night for some really tired people that worked behind the scenes and made the entire event a success.

Even a Cloud or Two Can't Ruin a Wonderful Day

This is a beautiful island, but this week it has been partly cloudy every day.  It is like Key West in that you get rain for about 10 to 20 minutes out of nowhere and it goes away.  The real difference is that the waters are much deeper close to the islands and the deep blues of the water are so much more prevalent.  It is a very special place and I am enjoying the views and the beaches.

Day 2 a Historic Tour of St. Croix

     The second day was one that proved to be very informative and a lot of fun.   We started the day out at The Palms Resort where we boarded the safari and we were off to the "Easternmost" point of the United States.  As a resident of the "Southernmost" part, this was a lot f fun and quite beautiful.

     They have a Millennium Monument there that doubles as a sundial that tells time, or at least when it is noon anyway.   The view out over the ocean in combination with the statue it is a great place top stop and learn then follow it up with a nice sip of rum.

Looking toward the battery from the court yard of the fort

     From there we were off to Christiansted to see Fort Christiansted and the Scale House.  These are both a part of the  National Park Service of the United States.   The fort was built in 1749 and additions were made from 1835 to 1841.  This fort has the distinction of never having to fire a cannon in combat through its entire 267 year history.  It was place where it was because there are natural barriers to ship traffic in other directions and from the position on the point has the only entrance into the bay.  The privateers.and pirates were smart enough to avoid taking the forts artillery on.  It was also a strong deterrent for slave uprisings in the area as well.

The Scale House built in 1856 replacing the wooden one built in 1840

The shape of the ocean floor just off of Salt River Bay

     In the same area is the "Scale House" where all of the goods that were brought on to the island.  All items would be weighed before exportation of goods like sugar and rum.

   

Salt River Bay Entrance

    It is back on the Safari again and off to Salt River Bay.  This is another of the National Historic Sites that the National Park Service maintains.  The significance of this bay is that Christopher Columbus and local Indian tribe encountered each other just off shore.  Both sides had one loss of life each.  As a result of the dangerous coast with its shoals and reefs, Columbus' group lost the "Santa Maria, their largest ship.  In all, Columbus made 9 voyages to the area and was very much a part of the colonization  of the area.

Fermentation Tanks Bubbling out soon to be rum

The Rum full drinkable and very good as well

     Our Final stop on the tour was at the Cruzan Rum Distillery with a tour of the facilities.  We were taken through the area where the molasses is prepared and the yeast added before being placed into the very large fermentation tanks.  At the end of 8 hours the fermentation is complete and there is approximately 15% of the volume being alcohol.  It is taken to the stills next where the distillation process leaves the out put at 93% alcohol.  This reduces the rum to being a "neutral spirit".  

     The final out put of the stills is then filtered and put into use whiskey oak barrels for finishing.  The remain in the barrels from 4 to 12 years depending on which expression is being made from that barrel.  We got to visit the aging warehouse and see some of the barrels being emptied for final filtering and bottling.  We got the opportunity to taste the rum as it came out of the barrel as well.  Across the way barrels were being fill and sent back into the warehouse to begin the process again.

Pyrat XO at Christiansted

     It was a very interesting day here getting to know a bit more about St. Croix and Cruzan Rum as well.  This has to be the most historic of the Virgin Islands and a really beautiful place as well.  Each stop we got to taste a nice rum before moving on to the next stop, making the trip even more fun.  This is a Rum Festival after all.

Botran 18 Year Old Solera at Sal River Bay

Mount Gay XO at Millennium

     

Lookout St. Croix, Bahama Bob is Here

Fort Frederik Opened in 1760 and the site of the Rum Festival

     Today is the start of the St. Croix Rum Festival for me.  We will be judging rums, cocktails and I'm told even a Bikini contest.   What a deal, looks like a very busy schedule and I can hardly wait to get things started.

My Room

     I arrived at three in the afternoon and I was taken immediately to my room at Fort Frederik on the West end of St. Croix.  This is a fort built by the Dutch in the 1750's and opened in 1760 to protect the settlers from the pirates.  I was really scared, but they told me they were just kidding and later took me to The Palms, a great resort in the Christianstad area.
     If you are anywhere in the area, stop on by and enjoy the festive weekend of rum, food and fum at Fort Frederik in Frederiksted, St. Croix on Sunday and at the Palms on Saturday evening.   There more things happening that I can begin to tell you about so make sure you get there to experience them for yourself.

View from My Room at The Palms

     As usual I'll be keeping everyone filled in on all of the action every day on the blog and some other exciting things that happen during the week.   I know that I will have some time to explore the island and maybe get to stop by a distillery or two, time permitting.  Looking forward to getting into gear and enjoying this huge first annual festival.

New Six-Pack Rings That Feed Marine Wildlife

     I'm not a beer drinker personally, but I have a real problem with our oceans being littered with
plastic of any kind.   The damage it does to the marine life is one of the most serious problems that we have to deal with.  The healthy ecology of the ocean is so important to all of us, and I have to put a shout out to the Saltwater Brewery for caring enough to do something about the plastic six-pack ring.

     The project is the brainchild of the ad agency We Believers, which enlisted a team of engineers to create the rings and approached South Florida-based Saltwater Brewery about a partnership a couple of months ago. The conservation-conscious brewery, which is located in Delray Beach and works with charitable organizations including the Surfrider Foundation and Coastal Conservation Association, immediately jumped at the opportunity to combine its two passions, brewery President Chris Gove told Mashable.

     "We believed in it so much," Gove said. "It came about through a love for the ocean and truly caring for the environment."

      Created with a 3D-printed mold, the rings are made from wheat and barley leftover from the brewing process. Unlike plastic rings, which can entangle or suffocate sea life, the biodegradable rings won't harm animals if they're eaten, and won't harm the environment if they're not.

     With 500 units produced last month, Saltwater Brewery and We Believers said they're planning to bring the biodegradable rings to the mass market by the end of the summer or early fall and by 2017, the team hopes to expand production to other craft breweries around the U.S.   "We want this to be the zero waste, zero carbon footprint solution for the industry," We Believers co-founder Marco Vega said. "Instead of taking two years or getting through the loops of corporate America, let's get them out and take it to the next stage, little by little."

Kayaking on the North Side of Bahia Honda Key

     Kayaking just off of the mangroves to the north of Bahia Honda Key there are several areas of very shallow waters that contain oodles of very interesting life.   There is an area of jelly fish and other unusual living plants and animals that you rarely get to see except at low tide and in a kayak or paddle board.

     This week we headed west once we crossed under the Highway 1 bridge and entered into the Gulf of Mexico.  Traversing just off of the mangroves you immediately start seeing unique birds and marine life beginning to appear.  Several nurse sharks, crabs, yellowtail, parrot fish and mutton all swam by.  There are a number of unusual what I refer to as plant/animals, like the sponges that grow in these warm shallow zones.

     We went ashore at one place to find what

looked to be a desolate desert zone, where there were skeletons of trees that had been bleached by the sun and wind.  Even here there was very special and beautiful life moving about.  we saw signs of raccoons and birds that inhabited the zone.  There were butterflies and beautiful dragonflies that would light on the sparse number of flowers there.

  Right between the "desert" and the water we found a group of aloe plants flourishing.  This was a real surprise, as the less that 100 foot distance separated the these zones what a difference in what was found living there.

Aloe Plants

     The bird life through out the key is always interesting and
spectacular.  Looking a little closer, you see species that you don't see on a regular basis. Today we saw the usual Osprey, Tern, and Frigate Birds, but this little brown and golden colored bird caught my attention.  It had a beak that was made for cracking seeds, but nothing that had seen before in the keys.  Always great to run across something new that nature can offer you up as you glide through the habitat.

Bahama Bob's Gingerito

     Trying some new ideas of bringing in some different flavors into my cocktails, here is one that you might find to be refreshing for an afternoon soiree.     I love the way that the fresh ginger, sweetener and the lime all play on each other and leave you with a lingering spicy flavor.    

Bahama Bob’s Gingerito

1 ½  Oz.  Ron Cartavio Black Barrel

1 ¾  Oz.  Ron Cartavio Solera

¾  Oz.  Lime Juice

¾  Oz.  JM Sirop

6 slices of Fresh Ginger

 Muddle the three slices of fresh ginger in the bottom of a cocktail shaker until it is turned into a paste.   Add the Ron Cartavio Solera, lime juice, and JM Sirop, fill the shaker with ice and shake until well chilled and double strain through a fine strainer into an ice-filled rocks glass.  Float the Ron Cartavio Black Barrel atop the drink.   And garnish with slices of Ginger