Colorful and Crowded: Port Au Prince

     Haiti and especially Port Au Prince are the highest density populations in the world.   I have to think back to my visit there when I start complaining about how crowded Key West can be at times.  The crowds of tourists that are here for special occasions are only a short term event, not like the daily situations in Port Au Prince.   Life in Key West is just fine, what crowding?

Bahama Bob’s “Rhum Brooklyn”

     Taking an old classic recipe based around rye whiskey and converting it to a rhum cocktail requires an understanding of both spirits.  The Clément Rhum Vieux Select Barrel has a spiciness and fruity flavor similar to rye whiskey, but a purer flavor that brings the cocktail to life.   I really enjoy recreating classic cocktails that were originally based on some form of whiskey to rum or rhum, they most always have a richer and more full bodied clean flavor.  

     The unusual combination of ingredients, make this cocktail one that offers a complex and moderately dry drink that is best enjoyed in the evening.   It resembles a Manhattan, but with the addition of Maraschino liqueur and bitters. It largely fell into obscurity after the end of Prohibition, but it experienced a resurgence in the 1990’s.   Today it is again slipped into obscurity again, but none the less a very fine cocktail.   The Bahama Bob’s Rhum Brooklyn is a cocktail that lets the Rhum Agricole carry the load of the cocktail.   In a Manhattan the sweet vermouth is the prominent character, here the dry vermouth takes a more subtle role behind the dominant rhum agricole flavors.   The Luxardo Maraschino and Angostura Bitters roll in after the initial spice and fruitiness of the Clément Rhum Vieux Select Barrel and provide a lovely mixture of aromatics, and an unmistakable cherry and fruit funk.

   Bahama Bob’s “Rhum Brooklyn”

• 3 oz.  Clément Rhum Vieux Select Barrel
• 3/4  oz.  Dry Vermouth
• 1/4 oz.  Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
• 1/4 oz.  Angostura Bitters

     Combine ingredients with ice and shake until well-chilled.  Strain      into a chilled cocktail glass.  Garnish with an Orange Twist.

Clément Rhum Vieux Select Barrel: Wonderful for Sipping or Premium Cocktails

     As a result of my exploration of the aged agricole rhums of late, I came across theis Clement Rhum Vieux Select Barrel expression.  I was very pleasantly surprised by the depth of the flavors and the long lasting finish of this really flavorful rhum.

    While the production of most rums is unregulated, resulting in a veritable Wild West of methods and standards, rhum agricole is an Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée, an appellation with standards defined by the French authorities in the same way as for example, Roquefort .  Making  for greater consistency than can  usually be found among other styles of rums.    Only rhum from the French West Indies (mostly from Martinique) can be called rhum agricole.

     Clément Rhum Vieux Select Barrel has achieved the depth of flavor and satisfying mouth-feel in their Select Barrel Rhum Vieux Agricole.   The Clément distillers in Martinique choose only the finest casks to create this expression.   There is plenty of natural sweetness, balancing the earthiness of the grassy notes of the rhum agricole perfectly.  This full-bodied rum is very dry and slightly vegetal, the agricole process yields more flavors from actual sugarcane juice than molasses-based rums.   I enjoy the intensity of the sugarcane and the select barrel aging process.  That has given you these silky notes of crème brûlée and burnt sugar, cocoa, cardamom and cinnamon making this such a fine tasting expression.

Manifesto Of Madrid by The Recovery And Defense of the Rum Industry.

This is what rum is made from and nothing else

     In the past couple of years there has been a developing controversy over adding things to the rum.  The one thing that I have really liked about rum was that there were very few rules, the only real rule was that it was the be made from a derivative of the sugar cane.   The addition of flavors, spices and color would not bother me as long as the manufacturer would label the bottle letting us know what they have added.   A rum's flavor has a different appeal to different people, with some people liking sweet rum or flavored rum and others that prefer dry  unaltered
rums.  What I really have a problem with is the cheating on the very basis of what makes rum rum.

     While others look at the "Manifesto" put together in Madrid last May as being hypocritical, I am seeing it as a start that might lead to a resurgence of real rum.  Bourbon has very strict rules, but you are seeing the appearance of flavored bourbons, but the basis of the spirit is very much in tact.  This is where I believe the industry needs to get their act together.  The basis of rum must be sugarcane, and nothing else.  Rum is not suppose to be a neutral spirit made from just about anything that ferments, but rather a very special spirit based on sugarcane.

   

MADRID MANIFESTO FOR RECOVERY AND DEFENSE INDUSTRY RON On May 31 in the days of the V International Congress of Ron that was held from May 30 to June 2 in the capital of Spain, the rum sector both consumer and manufacturing joined around a manifesto, which includes the defense of this distillate, which can only be sugarcane.  This is the starting point from which this manifesto is born due to the use of alcohols are not sugar cane by other more profitable because their production costs. Alcohol sorghum, rice, beets, vinous, etc ... is used for mixing with cane alcohols, which produces consumer deception. This practice used, it is difficult to certify a product with this mixture of alcohol, today control mechanisms are insufficient to certify this practice to 100%. The first to sign this manifesto was the master Ronero of Havana Club, Don José Navarro, followed by the Director of the International Congress of Ron, Don Javier Herrera and so different company representatives Legendary, Distilleries San Bartolome de Tejina, Savio, Decanter de Caldas , Centennial, Saint James, Bold, etc ...

In the V Congress Ron Madrid was a success both brands and professionals, this year attended Santa Teresa, Havana Club rums of Venezuela DOC (Santa teresa, Ocumare, Diplomat, Veroes, Old Oak), Cubaney, Quorhum, exquisite, President, Unhiq, Magec, Fortin, Origenes, Cihuatán, Malteco, Malecon, Legendary, Pampero, Centenario, Saint James, Dillon, JBally, Bold, Marka's, Neat Glass, Lallemand, Tomsa Distil, Applic Etains, Cubers, DeltaGrup, Cocktail Shop, Don Q, Trois Rivieres, La Mauny, HSE, LONGUETEAU, Lambreo, New Growe, Caliche, 1423, Worthy Park Estate, Tiger, Cool Cup, BarBusiness, La Ronronería, Bacardi, Guajiro, Cocal, Aguere, Davidoff Coco Real, Finest Call, Monin, Sanz and Leblon.

Read More at http://congresodelron.com/ 

     This is a good start that needs to be follow up on and the industry needs to be policing themselves to keep the quality of the rum high and especially with the trend toward premium expressions there is the chance that producers could be offering spirits that look like premium aged expressions that have never spent much time in a barrel.   The French have a set of rules for their rhums, and it might be time for the rest of the rum world to get behind a set of rules and good product labeling.

Lemon Drop Daiquiri

     Sitting in a bar the other day, a group of ladies on a bachelorette party, sat down at the bar and ordered the classic vodka cocktail called a lemon drop.  Thinking about this as I watched the bartender fix them, I thought this mike make a really good and simple daiquiri.  I headed back to the aft deck bar on the boat and went to work.  It has actually turned out to be a really tasty and refreshing cocktail.  It is a sweet-tart citrusy refreshing cocktail that lends itself very well to the hot weather that has suddenly been set upon us.  This is a great addition to your summer cocktail menu.




Lemon Drop Daiquiri

• 3 oz. Matusalem Platino Rum
• 1 1/2 oz. Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao
• 3/4 oz. Fresh lemon Juice
• 1/2 oz. Sirop JM

Place all ingredients in a shaker filled with ice.  Shake until chilled and strain into a chilled cocktail glass that is rimmed with "Sugar in the Raw" and garnish with a lemon wheel.

Bar Brawl Breaks Out Because Someone Farted.

     This could only happen in Key West; where else would a fight break out over flatulence.   I guess it is the weather, still rainy from Colin and all.  This is the craziest excuse for a fight that I have ever come across.  When you mix alcohol with stupidity, you end up with this kind of happenings. 

     A bar fight at Sloppy Joe’s, one of Key West's most famous watering holes wasn't over a spilled drink or sleazy advance on someone's wife, but rather someone’s flatuation (fart) that led to the scuffle.  According to the police report, a fight broke out between two couples this week when someone, remained unidentified, allegedly broke wind inside Sloppy Joe's, on Duval St. Key West, FL.  "The argument was due to someone farting," police were told by Richard McBride, the man who went to the hospital for a dislocated shoulder after the Monday night scrap.

     Richard McBride, 53, and his girlfriend Sandra Stoner, 55, both of Naples, said they were caught up in a physical altercation after the argument arose "over a fart," Officer Igor Kasyanenko noted in his report.  The couple said they were drinking with friends at the bar when Stoner traded words with an unidentified woman before getting out of her seat and confronting her in "an aggressive manner," police said.   An unidentified man tried to pull the woman away as others began to step into the dispute, including McBride, who pushed the man, according to the police.   The man retaliated by striking McBride in the face and McBride responded by tackling him, Stoner told police at the scene.       The unidentified couple took off and police said they couldn't find them.  

Read More at http://www.keysnet.com/2016/06/11/508726/bar-brawl-breaks-out-breaking.html

Cuban Bartender Wins Havana Club Grand Prix

Bartender Amaury Cepeda has been crowned winner of the 11th biannual Havana Club Cocktail Grand Prix, held in Havana, Cuba.

     Amaury Cepeda of Taberba Yaybu Bar in his hometown of Santi Spiritus,Cuba, impressed the judging panel winning the two-day final with his cocktail “Cunyaya”; made with Havana Club 3 Year Old, Havana Club Essence of Cuba Island Fruit, honey, sour orange, and fresh sugar cane juice.   Thirteen finalists were tasked with creating “the next rum classic serve” by combining Cuba’s cocktail tradition, authenticity and local ingredients with their own personal experiences.  Cepeda’s winning cocktail was inspired by the traditions of the slaves brought to Cuba in 1515, and created after a five-day brand experience with seminars, workshops and masterclasses.   Of his win, Cepeda said: Of his win, Cepeda said: “Cuban cantineros must have all their senses in their cocktail; their heart, their soul and a profound respect towards bartending. I am very proud to have won the 11th Havana Club Cocktail Grand Prix and I am very looking forward to starting my collaboration with Havana Club. Above all, I am excited about having the opportunity to continue to better myself!”    He will now undertake a global rum project with Havana Club, where he will have the freedom to create his own rum, write a book on the spirit or even launch his own rum pop-up. 

     Second place went to Veilandas Povilas, from Lithuania, one of the few women present in the competition, who showed great charisma and skills during the two-day contest   Manan Krause, from Germany, won the third place while the People´s Choice award went to Danish Kleist Terkel.

     Havana Club International and the Cuban Bartenders Association organized this event that is held every other year, and has won steadily a reputation as a hard to win competition.

     The judging panel featured mixologists from the World’s 50 Best Bars including Hidetsugo Ueno from Japan; Renato ‘Tato’ Giovannoni from Argentina; Alejandro Bolívar from Cuba; and Thanos Prunarus from Greece; along with cocktail and tiki expert Scotty Schuder; winner of the 2014 competition, Andy Loudon; and renowned spirits writer, Dave Broom.

Read More at http://www.cubanews.acn.cu/cuba/5182-cuban-bartender-wins-havana-club-cocktail-grand-prix

This is Not What I Wanted to See

     This is not the view out the back of the boat that you want to see when you are out on a day of cruising and looking for that suntan.  It is a nasty looking thunderstorm that is approaching from the rear, an indication that it is time to head for the docks.  It is still a better day than one in the North, warm and wonderful, but a little scary though.

Is It Winter Time Again Already?

     This year has been the craziest weather year that I can remember.  We really didn't have a spring and summer only lasted about a week and it is tropical storms, winds and thunderstorms again.   The temps have gone from the low 90's back to the low 80's and the wind is howling around.  

   "El Nino" is a crazy man that has really messed up the weather in the northern hemisphere this year.   "The current El Nino, which started last year, is now considered one of the two strongest on record since climate scientists started keeping track in 1950, said Ron Miller, science and operations officer for the National Weather Service in Spokane."   "El Niño is an ocean phenomenon that mimics a really hot bathtub of ocean warming in the Pacific Ocean. It spurs ocean thunderstorms the size of Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Missouri combined. “These happen every day, 24 hours a day for three months,” Christopher Anderson, assistant director of the climate science program at Iowa State University says.   Now they say by August El Nino will die out and be replaced by La Nina, where the "bathtub cools down and produces  winter temperatures are warmer than normal in the Southeast and cooler than normal in the Northwest.  In other words it is another mess as we head into winter in 2016.

     Hurricane season has arrived and we have had our first tropical storm pass by, bringing a ton of rain to the gulf and central and northern Florida.  The major player in the 2016 Atlantic Hurricane season is likely to be La Niña.   Cooler-than-average waters are predicted to develop in the tropical Pacific (La Niña). These cool waters affect weather systems around the globe over time.  "Provided La Niña begins to develop late in the summer and strengthens during the autumn, we should see a corresponding uptick in the number of tropical systems in the Atlantic basin," according to Hurricane Expert

Dan Kottlowski. "However, it is not like flipping a switch and all of a sudden the Atlantic is buzzing with hurricanes."   The impact of La Niña may not be felt until the autumn.   During the first part of the summer, the warmest waters in the Atlantic basin are usually found from the western part of the Caribbean to the Gulf of Mexico and along the southeastern coast of the United States.   "While warm waters remain a concern, features that helped to breed Bonnie and Colin should retreat northward through midsummer," Kottlowski said. "Early season systems tend to gravitate toward fronts and ahead of plunges of cool air."

     It all sounds like more weather chaos for the rest of 2016 to me.  I just know that the oceans have been rougher than normal so far this year and are finally beginning to warm up enough to go swimming.   Don't mind me I just need a rum cocktail and head out on the aft deck and watch the rain and the 78 degree weather this morning.   

This Story Just Won't Die, More Twists and Turns than a Roller Coaster

A bill recently proposed by US lawmakers may further complicate Pernod Ricard’s ambition to launch its Havana Club rum brand in the United States.

     I can't believe that this story in the past month has made so many legal twists and turns.  Now we have the legislature getting involved attaching it to a financial bill to get it through.  This has got to come to a close soon, it is becoming ludicrous.  Come on people, make a decision and just stick with it.

If passed, a financial bill may further complicate Cuba-made Havana Cub rum in the US

At the end of last month, the House of Appropriations Committee released the fiscal year 2017 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bill, which stated a number of legislative provisions.   Among them was a provision that would prohibit “funds to approve the licensing of a mark, trade name, or commercial name that was confiscated by the Cuban Government without express consent”.

     The bill – which provides annual funding for the Treasury Department, the Judiciary, the Small Business Administration, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and other related agencies – is currently being considered by a subcommittee.

If passed, the bill may prevent Pernod Ricard from launching its Havana Club rum in the US. The brand is currently poised to launch in the market if a long-standing trade embargo between the Cuba and US is lifted.

     However, Bacardi markets its own Havana Club rum, made in Puerto Rico, in the US and so has launched a legal battle against its rival.  In February this year, Pernod Ricard confirmed the trademark for its own Havana Club rum, owned by Cubaexport, had been officially renewed in the US until 2026.   The following month, Bacardi asked a US district court to “strike” the Havana Club trademark from the official register in the latest move in a battle with Cubaexport over the rights to the brand name in the country. 

Read More at http://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2016/06/bill-may-challenge-havana-club-us-trademark/

Bahama Bob's Ti Thunderstorm

     While in St. Croix last week, I found that the mangoes were just beginning to ripen and I had the opportunity to enjoy a couple of them as a great munchy.  This got me thinking about using them in a cocktail.

     The Damoiseau 110 White Rhum is one of my favorite agricoles.   It has the big bold flavor that really brings a Ti Punch to life.  This is a variation on the Ti Punch, exchanging the lime for the lemon and adding the mango makes this a real winner.  Really fits what I was looking for to blend with the wonderful flavor of the mangoes.

Bahama Bob's Ti Thunder

• 2 oz. Damoiseau Pure Cane Rhum 110
• 3 pieces of Fresh Mango
• Juice of ½ Lemon
• ¾  oz. JM Syrop

In a cocktail shaker, muddle the mango,  lemon juice, and simple syrup. add ice and rum and shake until fully chilled.  Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a lemon wheel.

It's Official: Results of International Rum Conference Rum Competition

     The recently held International Rum Conference in Madrid, Spain has announced the results of the Rum Competition.  This year's very strong entry list of 332 rums make the winner's awards very meaningful.   The panel of judges did a very good job of evaluating all of these entries to come up with a set of winners in each of the categories.  Go on line and see the results.

See the Complete Results at http://www.congresodelron.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Official-Results-2016.pdf

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.