The Power That Mother Nature Possesses is NO JOKE

     This is a 40 plus foot boat that weighs in excess of 30,000 pounds was tossed into the mangroves is a matter of seconds as the waves from the area around the eye came aground here in the Bahia Honda Marina.

     People sometimes scoff at the power of the sea, but when she gets riled up, she can adn does a tone of damage and nothing seems to be able to stop her when she hits.

Stress Relief, a Day on the Water with Our Friends

     Finally, We got out on the boat for a trip to Bahia Honda and Little Palm Island.  The was a ton of damage to both of our favorite places and things are moving ahead in both places to get them back into operation.

Beautiful day on the Water

    For our "Camper" Lil Sanity, this is the first time back on the water since Irma.  The waters were off limits for a couple of weeks or so after Irma and it took a while for the marina to get its fork lifts going again and have the buildings checked for security by the structural engineers.  The wait is over and Marta and I and our friends Don and Patti made a day of being on the water.

South Shoreline of Big Pine

     Seeing the devastation from Sugarloaf to Bahia Honda was very sad.  The houses, trees, plants all gone where just 6 weeks ago was lush vegetation and beautiful homes.   The brown bushes and trees where the leaves were striped by the monstrous winds and tornado's that lashed through this area.

Little Bahia Honda Before

Little Bahia Honda After

     The little island to the south of the Bahia Honda Bridge is virtually gone, there is just one little stick of a tree left on it.

Captain Run Aground's Boat

Bahia Honda Marina Entrence

    The park is bald, with the exception of a few palm trees and other odd trees.  They say that the park

Little Palm Island Docks

will reopen by the end of October, and the marina hopefully by Thanksgiving.  A captain had brought his boat into the marina just as the storm was hitting and ended up on the sidewalk next to the moorings in the marina.

Little Palm Island Resort

     Little Palm Island is in a similar state of  devastation.  The buildings, docks and the grounds were a mess, but like Bahia Honda they were being restored.  There were workers cleaning up the mess and starting to rebuild the resort.

Believe it or Not, Fantasyfest is Ready to Begin in Key West

     Looking back six weeks or so you would never believe that Key West would be ready to invite

thousands of people down her to celebrate Fantasyfest Week, but here we are!!!  The place is ready and the party is going on as planned.   Today kicks the week plus off with Goombay Festival in Bahama Village and the party keeps going until a week from Saturday when it culminates with the Fantasyfest parade.  The schedule for the entire week is at the website.  www.fantasyfest.com/schedule  

 

    The Bahama Village Goombay Festival is a free family-friendly event! Held in Key West’s historic Bahama Village neighborhood, the lively Goombay is known for its island-style food, arts and crafts, nonstop live entertainment and dancing in the streets. Visitors can experience sights, sounds and flavors recalling Key West’s Bahamian heritage.

     “This exuberant street party showcases island arts and

crafts, music and food in the heart of Key West’s historic Bahama Village neighborhood. The festival’s main entertainment stage is located at the corner of Petronia and Fort streets on Truman Annex, and features nonstop musical entertainment ranging from gospel to reggae. This family friendly street party continues on Saturday! Noon to midnight; FREE.”

Bahama Bob is Giving it a Try, My Own Rum Blend

     Seeing that there are a lot of bars and mixologists that have been creating their own personal blend, I thought about it and here it is.  This is a blend of unflavored or spiced rums that I like for their flavors,mouth feel and color. 

     I spent a fair amount of time trying many, many rums is twos and threes to see how they worked together.  Then I started blending these groupings together and finally I got the flavor and color that I was looking for. 

     Once I got this blend together I put in the test tube and checked the proof, which ended up being 98 Proof ABV.  For me this is a good number to keep the flavor bold and the colors will be nicer after it spends time maturating in my three-liter cask on the aft deck to the boat.  I put up 2 ½ liters of my blend so I will have enough to be able to sample it from time to time as it matures.

     I’ll be sure and keep everyone abreast of how it is progressing from time to time.  I don’t really know how this is going to turn out, but everything that I have aged in these barrels on the back of the boat have yield very good results.

Bahama Bob’s Private Blend

• Panama Red
• Damoiseau Agricole
• Pusser’s Gunpowder Proof
• Doorly’s XO
• Mazan Guyana 2005
• Smith & Cross
• Cartavio Black Barrel
• Seven Fathoms Rum

I have put equal amounts of each of these rums into the blend.  Initially it had a very nice flavor and the color, a light mahogany hue.  Let follow this project and have some fun tasting it as it progresses.

Cruzan Distillery in St. Croix has the Rum Flowing Again

 

The Rum is Pouring out of Cruzan Again

Aging Warehouse With Barrels in Good Shape

   The Cruzan Rum distillery has resumed rum production following a temporary shutdown due to the impact of Hurricane Maria, the company announced Monday.  While the distillery suspended operations for approximately three weeks due to storm damage, Cruzan completed critical repairs and does not expect any supply disruptions in the marketplace.  Some of the company’s aging warehouses sustained damage, Cruzan’s maturing rum barrels were not impacted.   Previous investments to establish the distillery’s own power generation facility enabled the timely resumption of rum production. 

Cruzan Distillery on St. Croix

     “Cruzan’s roots are wide and deep in the United States Virgin Islands and Cruzan family have been engaged from the start in support of our employees and neighbors in the territory during this incredibly challenging time,” said David Hunter.   “Our first priority was to establish the safety and well being of our employees, and to help them get back on their feet. We airlifted in 35 restoration workers with necessary equipment and supplies to help get the distillery back up and running safely.   In partnership with our friends at Diageo, we teamed up to ship to St. Croix a container of relief supplies, including 90 generators and drinking water.  Thanks to the courage, character and commitment of our Cruzan team, led by Master Distiller Gary Nelthropp, our people are looking ahead and helping contribute to the long-term recovery of the U.S. Virgin Islands.”

Creating Your Own Personal Rum Blend

     For many years now I have played with different means of aging and blending rums to create new and fun rums.  After reading and interesting article of how some bars have made a priority blend for their customers from existing expressions gave me an idea.  People have asked me for years what was my favorite rum, and my glib answer has always been “the one I have in my hand”.  I think that it is time for me to put some of my skills together and make up a blend that truly suits my palate and share it with my closest friends.

     I have done some experimenting in this vein when I was at the Rum Bar in Key West.  I had my “Root Juice”, “Bark Juice” and Barrel Juice” that took high proof rums and let them age in different things in a gallon jug for the customers to try.  These became very popular among the clientele, but I think that it is time for me to get a bit more serious about blending a special expression to put my name on.

     For most of us like rum more than anything else, It’s the spirit with the widest range of characteristics, styles, that come to us from so many regions of the world. 

After tasting hundreds and hundreds of rums produced all over the world, I’m going to try and narrow it down to seven or eight that will generate different characteristics to fit my personal palate.  Arriving at the final recipe will take some time experimenting with many of my 300 or so rums, but when I decide on a final blend, I will be putting into my three-liter cask and let it age as a until it matures to the taste I’m looking for.

     This is something that anyone with a taste for rum can do, you just have to be willing to put in the time to work with all of the expressions that you have available to you and in what proportions you want them.

Skotlander Rum Being Aged in World War II Bunker

Prior Skotlander Rums  Aged Aboard Ships

     Skotlander Rum has become the first in the world to mature its spirit in a bunker last used during the World War II.  Niels Henrik Lindhardt, from the North Danish town of Aabybro  owns the building and was “excited about the spirit experiment from day one”.   Skotlander Rum will also slowly ferment the rum mash in the bunker for four weeks before maturing in the same location.  Owner of Skotlander Rum, Anders Skotlander, said that while the tropics are traditionally the part of the world associated with rum maturation, Denmark’s cold climate “offers us something different”.

     “Previously we have tried ageing rum at sea on an old schooner – the movement of the sea and the difference between summer and winter gave us a really interesting rum,” he said.  “Now let’s try the complete opposite – the rum is being kept still and the temperature in the bunker is 57 Degrees F night and day, all year round.”  “The rum will have to age for longer than normal in the cold and humid environment, but we believe that the slow maturation will reflect the Danish terroir and result in a very sophisticated rum. At least that’s what we hope – but we really don’t know.”  Skotlander has the Danish Food Administration approval to store 10,000 liters of rum in the bunker.   The first batches should be available in 2018. 

     Spirits producers have experimented with different maturation methods for as long as spirits have been made.  Everything from putting the spirit into an oak bottle to sending the spirit into space and everything in between.  The solera method is one of the earlier methods to reduce the maturation time, and a method that is still in use today.   Today there are a number of companies placing the casks onboard ships and sending them out to sea or even submerging the casks below the sea.  There is one company that has learned how to alter the rum chemically to accomplish in a very short period of time to do what the barrel takes years to accomplish.

     All of these methods and many more have yielded different results, providing the unique flavor that the producer is looking for.  Do they all work, well, that is a subject of long debates among spirits producers.  One thing for sure most all of the methods have helped the producers to sell their spirits.

A Present From the Marriage of the Sun and the Rain

     Sometimes from the dark and gloomy grows an arc of beauty.  Just after the storm passed, this beautiful rainbow appeared in the skies over Key West.  I love this place, everywhere you look, something of beauty will appear if you keep your eyes open to it.

Boy Can Mother Nature be a Bitch

Tree Damage in Key West

     Just a little over a month ago Irma hit Florida, Harvey nailed Texas in August and now Northern California is being wiped out by a fire storm.  2017 will go down as a year of natural disasters of epic proportions.   

Wind Destruction from Irma in the Keys

     The final report just came out on the damage in the Florida Keys.   There were some 675 structures destroyed, 465 were on Big Pine Key, the assessment says. Eighty-one were on Cudjoe Key. Houses also were crushed on Big Coppitt Key, Geiger Key, Little Torch Key, Lower Sugarloaf Key, Ramrod Key, Stock Island, Rockland Key, Sugarloaf Key, Summerland Key and Scout Key.  Twenty-three houses were destroyed in Key Largo and 10 on Conch Key.  The assessments were done by county staff going house to house, looking at the exteriors. Inspectors did not enter the buildings.  The report says 583 structures had “major” damage and 2,739 sustained “minor” damage. Overall, 10,009 houses were “affected” by the Category 4 Irma that landed Sept. 10 and 3,884 were not affected in the unincorporated areas.

Fire in Northern California

     In Northern California, in just one week, and none of the fires under control there have been some In Santa Rosa, the hardest hit by the fires, officials said they were stunned by the scale of the destruction. An estimated 2,834 homes were destroyed in the city of Santa Rosa alone, along with about 400,000 square feet of commercial space, Santa Rosa Mayor Chris Coursey said in a news conference Thursday afternoon.  Flames left entire neighborhoods and commercial districts in ruins and even destroyed the city’s newest fire station, on Fountaingrove Parkway.  

Harvey Brought Flooding

     14 were Killed in all of Monroe County by Irma and there have already been 31 killed by the fires and 81 by Harvey.  These are really scary events that have been happening on both ends and the center of our country. in August, September and October this year. The damages are in the hundreds and hundreds of billion dollars and the personal losses can't be calculated.  It has been a rough 2017 for a lot of people.

Castro's Takeover of the Bacardi's Cuban Interests in 1960

     I ran across this story that told of the take over of the Bacardi empire in Cuba in 1960.  I found it to be very interesting and thought you might enjoy reading it as well.

How Bacardi Was Exorcised from Cuba by Fidel Castro

Bacardi House in Santiago de Cuba

There is the rum, Bacardi, which we all know. There is this exotic country, Cuba. The drink was born centuries ago in the sugarcane plantations of the beautiful island country.  

Will the Soul Ever Return to the Body?

As the era of Fidel Castro teetered towards its end, that was the million dollar question resonating in the hearts of rum aficionados around the world.

There is the rum, Bacardi, which we all know. There is this exotic country, Cuba. The drink was born centuries ago in the sugarcane plantations of the beautiful island country.

But the happiness did not last forever. The day came when the soul had to leave the body with much anguish.

The revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, who stormed to power dethroning the Cuban dictator, Fulgencio Batista, saw red in letting private industries run free in a communist country.

But don't assume that the rapport between Castro and Bacardi had never been sweet. When Castro was fighting against Batista, the patriotic Bacardi’s who were deeply engrossed in Cuban social and political institutions cheered him on.

But the relationship turned sour after the honeymoon, after the fall of Batista, after the Castro regime formed its government.

Fidel meant business, and his business was to smother all capitalist ventures. In one swift move, he nationalized all sugar mills and other private initiatives in Cuba. Bacardi felt the heat of the red.

Bacardi Building, Havana

The company was now left with few friends and options.

On October 14, 1960, Cuban national radio announced the doom message, the takeover of a company built painfully by a family. The announcement was followed by national marines crashing into Bacardi's office.

Everything was against Bacardi but for one mistake the communist authorities made. Their marines stormed into the wrong building, the wrong city - Havana.

Meanwhile, at Santiago de Cuba where Bacardi's headquarters and production plant was situated, all was calm outside. Inside, the loyal staff of Bacardi was busy with serious business. A few minutes later, the job was finished; the officials walked out one by one, with a tense smile. They had successfully destroyed the genetic code of Bacardi rum - the last of the yeast cells, that particular breed found 150 years ago from the roots of a sugarcane plant which made Bacardi, Bacardi (only those specific yeast cells could build the unique taste of the drink after a feast on sugar).

Bacardi Rum Factory in Santiago de Cuba

The company had earlier slipped enough strains of the variety out of Cuba to Puerto Rico, where it was going to set up the company for future operations.

You can read the rest of the story at:

http://www.news18.com/news/lifestyle/food-1539763-1539763.html

Bahama Bob's Fall Chillaxer

     A we head into fall, the weather is beginning to cool off and it is time to look at some different cocktails for the season.  Watching the leaves turning in the north brings to mind a different kind of fruity er and slightly sweeter cocktail.  Give this oe a try, I think you will find it to be quite satisfying.

Bahama Bob's Fall Chillaxer 

• 2 oz. Richland Rum
• 1/2 oz.Sweet Vermouth
• 1/2 oz. Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
• 1/2 oz. Pierre Ferrand Dry Orange Curacao 
• Dash of Fee Bros. Grapefruit Bitters

 Place all ingredients into a shaker filled with fresh ice and shake until chilled.  Strain into a rocks glass filled with fresh ice.

What's This "Drunk as a Sailor" Stuff All About?

     The expression, “drunk as a sailor” has an interesting history.  Back in the late 1600’s and the early 1700’s, it was well known that alcoholic beverages of different types were dispensed aboard the ships that traveled the oceans.  This was mainly because it was easier to keep alcoholic beverages than water.  Water kept in barrels would go rancid rather quickly, where alcoholic beverages would keep better. The men aboard were first given ale, wine, cognac and or rum rations some were given as much as four pints of ale or one bottle of wine daily. Or does it just refer to a sailor’s habit of over-drinking once they get to a seaport and find the nearest bar?  Actually, the truth was both.   Months aboard on the sea back in the days of sailing ships led to boredom, which also leads to drinking, there were many factors, but they all yielded the same result, a “Drunken Sailor”.

     The beer and wine proved to be to susceptible to spoilage, but by increasing the amount of alcohol and the volume of hops in the ale, they would last longer.  It was discovered that rum would improves with the more time it stayed in the barrel, so rum became a natural choice.  Rum was also available at many different islands throughout the Caribbean. The majority of the rum that the sailors received was about 55 to 60% ABV.  The way it was tested for “proof” was to pour some on gun powder and lit.  If the gunpowder burned that was “proof” that it was strong enough, actually by today’s proof standards about 109 proof.  In 1850, the British Navy decreased its traditional daily ration of rum of ¼ Imperial pint to a "tot", which was one-eighth of an imperial pint or 70 ml of rum at 95.5 proof (54.6% ABV), given out to every sailor at midday in 1850.   It’s amazing that more sailors weren’t too drunk to complete their duties.

     Too often the fresh water became filled with bacteria and, kill the bacteria, they took to mixing rum with the water.  This was a common practice even on land, rum was the cheapest alcoholic beverage around and did a great job of purifying the drinking water.  The rum could then be diluted by adding water, sugar, lime juice and spices, which got to be known as “Grog”.  This allowed the rum to purify the water as well as provide a “feel good” drink for the sailors and reduce the drunkenness. 

Always a Clean Finish or How Don Q is Going Green in Puerto Rico

Roberto Serralles

     Puerto Ricans have long been known for their love of rum, and particularly their love of Don Q.   More than two-thirds of the island’s population drinks this particular rum, which is distilled, manufactured, and distributed world-wide from Destilería Serrallés headquarters in Ponce, Puerto Rico.   Not only known for quality products, in the last decade the Serrallés family has made strides in implementing sustainable technology and reducing their foot print on the environment.  This issue has been reverberating throughout the spirit-making industry.

     Many of these green initiatives came directly from Roberto Serrallés, a sixth-generation distiller who left Puerto Rico to become a teacher, but wound up back at his family’s distillery.   “I wanted to teach; that was my calling in life,” says Roberto Serrallés, “I knew I wanted to teach at the university level, which requires a PhD, and that’s part of why I ended up in Environmental Sciences. As I was writing my dissertation, I got a call from Felix Juan Serrallés, Jr., my father and company president and CEO.  He said he needed help with the distillery’s wastewater system, so, I was initially hired on as a contractor and worked on this wastewater treatment system for years that we now have up and running.”

     Rum, and spirit-making in general, produces a lot of wastewater. “When you distill rum, wastewater ends up being five times the volume of the spirit produced”.   “We want to take that wastewater and reuse it, turn it into some form of energy, Serralles explains.   I see this as an extension of the process of rum-making, which begins with molasses, a byproduct of sugar making.”

     The Serrallés family began as sugarcane farmers, and rum-making naturally evolved as a way to utilize the leftover molasses.   “We took a waste stream and turned it into something value added,” says Serrallés. Eliminating wastewater runoff into nearby waterways also aligned with a perspective on environmental stewardship that Roberto learned during his PhD studies.  “Some of my guiding principles come from the field of industrial ecology, specifically Marian Chertow, who teaches at Yale. Part of her work looks at the lack of waste in naturally occurring systems and suggests we should mimic that in industry.”  “There is no waste in nature, and that is an ideal system. So, how do we find a use for all our outputs?”  This mission has led to significant changes at Destilería Serrallés over the last decade. Serrallés focused his work on the system the distillery uses for wastewater treatment, which several other distillers now emulate.  It captures carbon dioxide released during the fermentation process and distributes it to local soda producers, reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

    Wastewater from the distillation process has a myriad of uses, finding its way into compost, biofuel, and irrigation water. Don Q has also has completely eliminated wastewater discharge into nearby oceans.  “They came to us and wanted to establish a partnership and we were thrilled.    We monitor the water in Puerto Rico, and we also do work protecting coral reefs, which are very sensitive to changes in water temperature and nitrification.  These potential impacts from wastewater discharge at nearby distilleries. Keeping wastewater out of the ocean keeps helps keep reef systems healthy.  In the future, Serrallés hopes to continue developing sustainable technologies for Destilería Serrallés, and encouraging the implementation of those methods industrywide. “Sustainability is not a destination,” he says. “It’s a commitment to a continual process. We are trying, and it’s about trying to be better every day.”

     This is a great conceptual project, especially when you consider that rum came about as a means of disposing of the waste molasses from the sugar making industry.

Jack-O'Blast from Captain Morgan is Back This Fall

     Captain Morgan Jack-O'Blast is returning this season! Captain Morgan Jack-O’Blast, the intensely delicious pumpkin spiced shot, is back on shelves nationwide.  Jack-O’Blast is a fall-inspired shot that blends Caribbean rum with favorite seasonal flavors – including fresh pumpkin, cinnamon and other autumnal spices. Best enjoyed as a chilled shot, Jack-O’Blast can also be served as a drop shot or in a number of seasonal drink recipes.

     The pumpkin spiced rum (60 proof, 30% ABV) with a suggested retail price of $15.99 for a 750 ml bottle and is currently available nationwide for a limited time this fall.

Lonely Sailor Arrives

     These days there are very few boats out on the Gulf.  Today I spotted a sailboat as it was arriving here at Sunset Marina.  It looked alone and had a relatively calm sea surrounding her as she came in.  It is a good sign to see boats back out on the waters, especially after a month of locating and marking all of the sunken and free floating vessels that broke away or were sunk by Irma.  Makes for a pretty picture in my mind anyway.

Week Four, Debris is the Biggest Issue

Debris on Eaton Street

     As week complete week four post-Irma, the debris removal was the most noticeable activity.  Lots of trucks and scoop tractors are going from street to street removing the debris from the edges of the roads.  This has revealed sidewalks, parking spaces and other important items.  It also is allowing the cable TV and telephone people to get to their lines and begin restoring them to many homes that have been without for about a month.

Chunks of Broken Floating Docks

   Pieces of floating docks are being removed from the waterways around Key West and repair to the docking systems are being taken care of.  Hauling these old pieces of the docks is going to be a monumental task to remove them.

Shel Silverstein House in Key West

    As debris is removed it has revealed the damage to the late Shel  Silverstein's historic house.  There is a lot of damage that has been revealed at the downed trees are being removed.  Ernest Hemingway's House looks to have only suffered damage to the landscaping, from an outside view of the house driving by.
Silverstein's

     More and more of the businesses are opening up and the ones that have been open for awhile are beginning to get busier.  More tourists are beginning to show up filling the hotels, restaurants, bars, and tour buses and trains.  All of these are signs of Key West coming out from under the mess caused by Irma.  I feel like in a few more weeks we will be getting a feeling of "normality" in our lives.

     Even up the keys where the damage was  horrendous, the are signs of recovery peaking their head up.  Still a long way to go, but progress can be seen.

Isla de Tesoro Rum The Favorite of the Late Fidel Castro

      “Santiago de Cuba is considered one of the best rums in Cuba”.   Cheaper bottles are aged from three to five years, but rum aged 20 to 25 years also is available, and the price goes up accordingly.  Among the most expensive bottles for sale are Isla de Tesoro (Treasure Island), available in a special ceramic jug and packed in a wooden chest, made to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the city of Santiago.  Isla de Tesoro sells for about $747, which was produced in a limited edition, and the favorite of the late Fidel Castro.  “This is a rum that you won’t find everywhere or even all over Cuba.”  Cuban rum brand Isla del Tesoro, once produced for revolutionary Fidel Castro, has been made available in the UK through distributor Spirit Cartel.   “It’s a rum for connoisseurs and aficionados. In my opinion, no rum collection is complete without a bottle of ‘El Caballo’s’ personal rum.   We can all be a little Fidelista even if we are not communist.”

     For 50 years Isla del Tesoro, or ‘treasure island’, was distilled for Castro’s personal consumption; gifted to visiting international dignitaries and senior members of Cuban government. Until recently the rum was not commercially available, and even now production is limited.   The original recipe for Isla del Tesoro was created from a collection of rums appropriated by the Cuban State from rum-producing families fleeing the Revolution. They were discovered in 1959 ageing in a cellar nicknamed the ‘Cathedral of Light Rum’.

The Original Bacardi Rum Factory

      There’s also a Bacardi connection to the rum factory in Santiago. It’s the old Bacardi factory, which was expropriated by the Cuban government on Oct. 15, 1960, along with the company’s Santiago headquarters. The day before, the Bacardi sales office in Havana was nationalized.  Bacardi, which is now headquartered in Bermuda, had made rum in Cuba since 1862.

     The rum is presented in an individually-numbered ceramic decanter encased in a handmade wooden chest.   A map accompanies the bottle, depicting the location of Isla del Tesoro, now called Isla de la Juventud.  Charles Marshall, Spirit Cartel, said: “Isla del Tesoro is truly the stuff of legend. We feel it’s our own little revolution and certainly a piece of history, just getting our hands on the UK distribution for the rum.   “The romance surrounding this rum, contributes to the myth that it has come to represent the Cuban people’s soul: pure and full of spirit, whilst maintaining a real sense of dignity and elegance.

Diplomático Rum Launches a New Limited Edition Distillery Collection

Diplomatico Distillery Collection

      Venezuelan rum company Diplomático brand is set to release two expressions in a new limited-edition range.   Designed to showcase Diplomático’s “diverse” distillation processes, Diplomático is to launch Single Batch Kettle and Single Barbet Column expressions.  The range, which launches with Single Batch Kettle and Single Barbet Column rums, is a result of Diplomático’s unique style of merging different distillation methods to produce a wide range of complex distillates.

Single Batch Kettle Still

     Single Batch Kettle was made with a batch kettle still that was brought to the distillery in 1959.  The batch distillation method was originally employed in Canada for the production of American whiskey. The “complex” and medium-bodied expression is made from sugar cane honeys, and is aged in American white oak barrels.

Double Barbet Column Still

     The Barbet Column distillation system, originally created in France was also brought to the distillery in 1959. The Barbet column is made of 100% copper, a type of metal that facilitates to the elimination of undesirable sulphur compounds that form during the fermentation process.   Described as having a “strong fruity” profile, Single Barbet Column expression is aged in American white oak barrels and uses high-quality sugar cane molasses.

José Rafael Ballesteros, CEO

     José Rafael Ballesteros, Diplomático’s CEO, said “The Diplomático brand name has become familiar to lovers of fine dark spirits, few are aware of the history of the company behind the brand, Destilerías Unidas S.A. (DUSA). DUSA’s distillery was originally created in 1959 by local rum producers and Seagram’s International, at that time the largest distiller of alcoholic beverages in the world.   We recognize that the rich distillation heritage left by Seagram’s is at the heart of Diplomático’s elaboration process today.”  “We are excited that the Distillery Collection gives rum lovers the chance to explore the history and distillation know-how of Diplomático, and what goes in to making our rums so special.”

Tito Cordero

     Due for official launch at this October’s Bar Convent Berlin, The Distillery Collection showcases Diplomático’s diverse distillation processes. Over the years, Diplomático has developed a unique style of merging different distillation methods to produce a wide range of complex distillates. The Distillery Collection highlights these distillation systems with two new expressions, a Single Batch Kettle rum and a Single Barbet Column rum.  A variety of distillates, with their distinctive aromas and taste profiles, characterizes Diplomático rums and allows the Maestros Roneros, Tito Cordero, to create one-of-a-kind blends. The Distillery Collection, on the other hand, offers rum aficionados the opportunity to discover these single distillates in their purest form, featuring each rum’s individual personality.  Given the unique sensorial profiles of these individual expressions, it is recommended to savor them neat.

 Both expressions are available at a suggested price of $81.00.

Bacardi names Mahesh Madhavan CEO Effective Immediately

Mahesh Madhaven and Mike Dolan

    Mahesh Madhavan has officially taken over from Mike Dolan as CEO of Bacardi, at the same time as announcing changes to the senior leadership team.  As announced in March, Bacardi’s current Asia, Middle East and Africa president Madhaven will take over from Dolan as chief executive, effective immediately.

    As part of his leadership succession plan, Madhavan has announced two internal appointments. John Burke has been promoted to the role of global chief marketing officer and Ignacio del Valle as regional president of the Latin America & Caribbean region.  Burke and del Valle serve as members of the Bacardi Global Leadership Team and report directly to Madhavan.

     Burke has spent more than two decades in various leadership roles within Bacardi. Burke will provide leadership and strategic direction for Bacardi’s global marketing organisation. He has had diverse experience working in country operations, regional and global sales and marketing.

Mahesh Madhaven

     Del Valle is responsible for leading commercial operations in the region for the company’s portfolio of premium spirits. For more than 15 years he has served on the regional leadership team in commercial and production roles. Del Valle succeeds Constantino Spas who has decided to pursue opportunities outside of the company.

“With more than 20 years at Bacardi, in different roles in different geographies, Mahesh has a tremendous track record of success. He inherits a business that is in great shape, with a healthy balance sheet, revitalized brands, and an engaged team of employees.

“Mike and Mahesh have worked closely to carry out the succession smoothly, and the Board is delighted with the progress they achieved,” said Facundo L. Bacardi, chairman of Bacardi Limited.  Madhavan will be based in the company’s global headquarters in Bermuda.