Dreaming of Getting Off or the Islands Again.

     It has been over a year since I've bee off of the island and basking in the Caribbean sun on a different tropical island.  I still have to wait until May, before we take off for a week in Grand Cayman and hanging out with so many friends there.  By the way, I don't count the day trip to Havana, it was over before I really knew that it had begun.  I had a great time, but it was a quick "wham - bam - thank you - ma'am" type of trip.   I can't wait to behanging out on those beautiful Beaches and feeding the Frigate Birds.

Looking at the Way Havana Has Cleaned Up Since 2012

2012 Downtown Havana

2018 Old Havana

     One of the really interesting things about wandering through
the streets of Havana and down into the historic districts is seeing how the locals actually live and interact with the tourists in Havana.  You hear about the abject poverty, but I don't see any more of this in Havana that I do in Miami.  Yes there are what look like homeless on the streets that are trying to hit you up for a hand out, but there no more of them than I see everyday here in Key West.

2012 El Capitolio

2018 El Capitolio

     I find most of the neighborhoods to be very clean and well kept.  The Cuban people are a great group and are proud of their heritage.  A lot of the media coverage seems to be as slanted as the media in the rest of the world.  With the return of tourists to Cuba, there is a noticeable change in the "eye-appeal" of the city with many of the old buildings that were dirty and falling down 5 years ago are totally restored today.  El Capitolio, and the National Theater are two examples of what I'm referring to.

2012 National Theater

2018 National Theater

What is a Refining or Spirits Run at the Distillery?

Output of a refining or spirit run

     A few weeks back, I covered the stripping run and why it is done, today we are going through the reasons for the refining run and why the two run process seems to be preferred by most rum makers.

     Why should I do a stripping run before a spirit or refining run?  The stripping run allows you to significantly reduce the volume of product that needs to be distilled during the spirit or refining run, significantly reducing distillation time.   It will also produce a better tasting alcohol.   For example, if we start with 300 Gallons of Wash we can strip this down to 60 to 90 Gallons of “high wines” and then run a single spirit run this will take much less time and makes it easier to make clean cuts giving you the spirit the flavor and texture that you are looking for.

     Stripping Run temperatures are very different from Refining Run Temperature.  In practice, most distillers collect high wines until the stripping run temperature reaches 208 to 212 degrees F or 98 to 100 degrees C. Remember you don’t make any cuts during this distillation the primary goal is to strip off the water, yeast and other solids that are a part of the wash.  In the refining or spirit run you begin by bringing the temperature in the boiler up slower and getting a better separation f the components that are coming off the still.

Reflux column helps with the refining or spirit run

     The purpose of the spirit or refining run is to give you a very clean final product that you can cut at exactly the right time and yield a higher proof clean product.  You can make your cuts at whatever point meets your personal needs and this will have an effect on the final proof of the spirit.  Some people like to let the cut wait until there are some tails in the blend and others rather have pure hearts with no tails.  This is the choice of the distiller, and yours if you are making the decision.  That is why the stripping run is done hot and fast, while the refining or spirit run is done with less heat allowing for more reflux action in the still and yielding a much cleaner and better tasting final product called the hearts.  Heads are discarded and the tails are retained to be added to the next stripping run giving you a chance to recover the remaining alcohol that is left behind during the refining or spirit run.

     All that is left now is to proof it down to the % ABV that you want to put your spirit into the barrel at.  Allow a suitable amount of time in the barrel and you are ready to set the final proof and bottle it.

Maggies Farm Rum Offers $1 to Animal Rescue Charities in the Area of Sale

Rescue a Dog Like This One

     Since February 1st, 2018, for every bottle of Maggie's Farm core rum sold, either White, Spiced, Single Barrel, or 50/50 Dark rums, $1 will be donated to animal rescue charities in the area of the sale.  The Story is denoted on labels for all bottles now rolling out into our current distribution markets. The monthly bottle sales to each market will be tallied and the funds donated directly to non-profit, no-kill animal shelters in the areas of distribution, whether in Pittsburgh, Washington DC, Baltimore, Delaware, Philadelphia, Nashville, or New York.  This includes all future markets as well.   Multiple, different charities in the areas of each city will be chosen each month with the best effort of spreading the donations around to benefit as many as possible.

   As Maggie's Farm continues to experience growth in production and sales, a desire to give back has come to fruition. With this ability, and without any product price increases, owners Tim and Layla Russell have decided to assist charities close to their hearts. "These are ones that benefit finding long-term homes for lost, neglected, or abused pets." As Layla has stated, "Family pets can be our greatest companions and truly depend on us, and in exchange provide us their unconditional love."

     This is a great idea for giving back to the community that support the rum company and a great way for you to help out in your community as well.

Canadian Rum Sets Sail Around the World

     When it comes to aging rum there are as many ideas about how to make it happen as there are types of rum in the world.  Here is one that I have played with a bit as I have a couple of small casks on my boat that have spent the past year plus rocking and rolling with the boat even during Hurricane Irma.  I really interested in seeing how this is going to work out for The Ironworks Distillery.

Ironworks Distillery Rum Being Loaded Aboard the Picton Castle

     The Ironworks Distillery in Nova Scotia has loaded four casks of rum onto a tall ship to mature during the boat’s final round-the-world voyage.   Four casks of the Lunenburg-made rum will spend 15 months travelling around the world aboard the Picton Castle, before being bottled as part of a one-time release in May 2019.   Lynne MacKay, co-owner of Ironworks Distillery, said: “We are very excited to be working with the Barque Picton Castle on this project. We know that rum ages well in an oak barrel and if that barrel is riding the ocean, it will be even better.

     “The idea that our customers will be able to enjoy a Lunenburg-made rum knowing it has sailed around the world on a Lunenburg-based tall ship is quite simply very cool.”  The Picton Castle has made six round-the-world voyages over the years, but this will be the ship’s last adventure with captain Daniel Moreland.

     “This fine cane elixir from Ironworks Distillery, which makes a rum as excellent as any of the very best in the Caribbean, will be snug and secure in the cargo hold for all of our trade wind passages across the South Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans before hoisting it back ashore at our wharf in Lunenburg at the end of the voyage,” said Moreland.   Rum fans will be able to track the progress of the Picton Castle online, where they can also find reports from the ship’s crew as well as the captain’s log of the voyage.

What Every Girl Wants for Valentine’s Day

     It’s also not chocolates, flowers, or teddy bears. I know why these things start to look like a good idea: You’re at checkout at CVS and you see a Valentine’s Day–related article, and boom! You remember it’s February, which means that either you have just enough time to pull something together to try and impress her, or you messed up really bad. You forgot Valentine’s Day and she said nothing, which is worse than a fight. Just so you know, it’s the 14th; It’s always on the 14th.

     Sitting on the couch talking, and your girlfriend said, clear as a bell: no gifts for Valentine’s Day. But does she really mean no gifts? As in, no gifts no gifts? Was she even talking about Valentine’s Day?  It’s too hard to remember, It was a really or just showing you a way out in case you forgot.   But she has to want something. All girls do, right?   Or is it not right anymore to assume that a woman would want a gift for Valentine’s Day?  Then comes the question, is she getting you something?   Your stress is appropriate, Valentine’s Day is a holiday designed to make men look inadequate. But there is a cure-all—something that every woman wants.

      There are very few things I’d recommend giving to all women.  Cash is a seriously controversial gift, not to mention it is very cold.   Here is some advice that works for every couple.   In the seminal film The Break-Up, there is a scene where Jennifer Aniston, who is, bizarrely, dating Vince Vaughn, yells at him, exasperated, “I don’t want you to do the dishes. I want you to want to do the dishes.” “Why would I want to do dishes?”  No one wants to do the dishes. That means she doesn’t want to do the dishes either.  She does, however, want the dishes done. It’s of value to her to have the dishes done.   He doesn’t care that she values that.   She’s upset that she’s with someone who doesn’t want to do the work of being in a couple, and if she always has to ask him to do something, it doesn’t “count.” She’s still in charge of making sure the dishes get done, even though you volunteer to do them with being asked to.  This doesn't have to apply to only dishes, but almost any chore that she does on a regular basis.  If you do the laundry or grocery shopping without being asked it will be noticed and greatly appreciated.

     This doesn’t seem like much, but it will get a very welcomed reaction from your Valentine if you make the effort before being asked.

Vermont Bartenders are Petitioning to Change Rules on House-Infused Spirits

Bahama Bob's Barrel Juice, an Infused Rum

     Here in Florida, we have it pretty good as far as the freedom to create cocktails, even with the infusion of things into existing liquors.  All we have to do is use fully taxed and legal spirits.   I guess in Vermont, this is not the case.  There is a petition going around to get the rules changed.

     A petition circulated by local bartenders that seeks to amend a state liquor regulation has gained more than 400 signatures in 24 hours.   The petition is an effort to change a Vermont Department of Liquor Control regulation that prohibits adulterating or tampering with alcohol after its manufacture. In practical terms, this means a bartender cannot infuse spirits with ingredients, flavors, herbs or spices — a common practice that is part of mixing a craft cocktail.

     "Cocktails are cuisine," said Stewart Dunoskovic, a bartender at  Leunig's Bistro & Cafe who signed the petition.  "A bartender is not unlike a chef in what they do. Anything that restricts what we can do with those products, restricts what you get to drink at the end of the day."  This is not good for tourism in Vermont, because limiting the ability of the barmen will lead to people going places where these rules don’t exist, like New Hampshire, Main, or Massachusetts.

Moving Back on to Sanity Too is Getting Closer

     After nearly 2 months of living on Lil' Sanity, our camper there is a light at the end of the tunnel to when we will be able to return to living on Sanity Too.  There is still some work to be done, but hopefully by the end of February she will be back in the water and we will be able to return to our "normal" living quarters and begin the return to living like before Irma.  She is already beginning to look whole again after the bottom work has been completed and the new swim platform arrived last week.  We've bee two months on the "camper" and ready to be able to wander around in a house with some space.

Drinking Alcohol in Moderation Can Clear Brain Waste

     It always seems to come back to the old adage, a little is great, but a lot can ruin you.  Like so many other things in this world anything in moderation can be a benefit.  I’ve always felt that alcohol has always been believed to have medicinal value, but overdoing it can kill you.

     If you're partial to a drink or two, you will love the results of a recent study; researchers have found that a "low" intake of alcohol may help to cleanse the brain.  In a mouse study, scientists from the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) in New York found that drinking the equivalent to around 2.5 alcoholic drinks per day could reduce brain inflammation.  It was also found to increase the function of the glymphatic system, which is responsible for removing waste products from the brain.  High alcohol exposure, however, was found to impair glymphatic function and increase brain inflammation.

     Lead study author Dr. Maiken Nedergaard, of the Center for Translational Neuromedicine at URMC, and colleagues recently reported their findings in the journal Scientific Reports.  It should come as no surprise that excess alcohol intake can harm health. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) report that alcohol is a contributor to "more than 200 health conditions" and causes around 3.3 million deaths across the globe each year.  Increasingly, however, research has suggested that a little alcohol may do us good.

Read More at https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320824.php

Top Selling Spirit Categories in the United States

        The Spirit Industry report is out and a huge surprise for me is the fact that Rum is #2 in a strong whiskey driven spirits year.  The strong sales of all of the spirit categories is impressive.

1.   Vodka

Volume sales: 71.34m cases

Percentage change: +2.2%

Value sales: US$6.22bn

Percentage change: +3%

The unmoved – and seemingly immovable – spirits leader in the US market is vodka. Growth remained subdued in 2017, but almost 50m cases separate it and its closest volume rival: rum. It’s growth is also all-the-more impressive considering the category continues to face creeping challenges from ‘trendy’ up-and-coming spirits.

2.   Rum

Volume sales: 24.64m cases

Percentage change: -0.4%

Value sales: US$2.32bn

Percentage change: -0.3%

Rum may be the second largest spirits category in the US, but it failed to record volume or value growth in 2017. Some of the largest rum players have struggled to keep up with other spirit types in a move upmarket, and it could be argued that the category has failed to achieve the same boost from the cocktail renaissance as that experience by gin and Bourbon. With American whiskey hot on its heels, might rum slide down the leaderboard in 2018? It remains to be seen.

3.   American Whiskey

Volume sales: 23.15m cases

Percentage change: +6.4%

Value sales: US$3.36bn

Percentage change: +8.1%

Americans’ enthusiasm for their domestic whiskeys – including Bourbon – continued unabated in 2017. The Distilled Spirits Council notes that there was strength across all price points in American whiskey – quite an achievement in this age of pervasive premiumization. The category also added 300,000 cases to sales of its flavored expressions, while rye whiskey proved to be the fastest growing spirit sub-category of 2017, with growth of +16.2% to US$175m, and 900,000 cases.

4.   Canadian Whiskey

Volume sales: 17.54m cases

Percentage change: +2.4%

Value sales: US$1.99bn

Percentage change: +2%

Canadian whisky may not quite be a household name internationally, but it has a dedicated consumer base in the US. The category is tantalizingly close to hitting sales of US$2bn, which it is sure to surpass this year if the current growth trajectory continues.

5.   Tequila and Mezcal

Volume sales: 17.2m cases

Percentage change: +8.5%

Value sales: US$2.7bn

Percentage change: +9.9%

Tequila is one of the hottest categories in the spirits world right now, and the US is its biggest market. The Distilled Spirits Council notes that the fastest rate of growth can be seen at the higher end of the spectrum – which is also evidenced by rampant acquisition activity in recent years. Just last month, Bacardi bought pioneering super-premium Patrón in a deal that values the company at US$5.1bn.

6.   Cognac and Brandy

Volume sales: 13.72m cases

Percentage change: +5.4%

Value sales: US$2.28bn

Percentage change: +7.5%

Cognac and brandy producers hailed solid gains in 2017, though the rate of growth in the states was slightly slower than the global picture. Last month, trade body the BNIC revealed that Cognac exports reached their ‘highest levels’ in 2017, growing by 11% in volume and 14% in value, largely thanks to rebounds in the emerging markets.

7.   Gin

Volume sales: 9.87m cases

Percentage change: -0.6%

Value sales: US$895m

Percentage change: +2.2%

Talk of the ‘gin boom’ is rife in the international spirits industry, but, surprisingly, the category’s volumes struggled in 2017 – could consumer thirst for the juniper spirit be waning? Super-premium craft players are the most likely cause of a 2.2% value gain, edging gin sales in the States close to the US$1bn mark.

8.   Blended Scotch

Volume sales: 7.17m cases

Percentage change: -3.3%

Value sales: US$1.39bn

Percentage change: +0.4%

Volume sales of blended Scotch whisky took a hit in 2017 – perhaps due to the challenge for consumer mindshare posed by its American and Irish cousins. However, value sales marginally increased, indicating premiumization continues to run through the category.

9.   Irish Whiskey

Volume sales: 4.25m cases

Percentage change: +11.3%

Value sales: US$897m

Percentage change: +12.8%

Irish whiskey is one of the US drinks market’s biggest success story and experienced the fastest rate of growth in terms of both value and volume sales of any spirit category in 2017. Of course, the success of Irish whiskey is inextricably linked to the soaring sales of category leader Jameson, but the sector is also receiving a boost from innovative new super-premium players that are piquing consumer interest.

10.  Single Malt Scotch

Volume sales: 2.11m cases

Percentage change: -1.2%

Value sales: US$771m

Percentage ch ange: +1.1%

It was a mixed picture for single malt Scotch in 2017 – while volumes declined, values increased, indicating consumers are drinking slightly less single malt expressions, but choosing more expensive varieties when they do.

This Calculator Translates Your Weekly Alcohol Intake into Burgers and Donuts

      The Liverpool City Council has launched a new online tool to show residents the true calorific impact of their drinking habits.   The Drink Less Feel Good campaign, which launched on Monday 5 February, allows people to see how much they are drinking in junk food-terms as part of the council’s initiative to get locals to cut down.

     The study carried out by the council found that most people consider their high levels of drinking “the norm,” while measuring alcohol in units leaves many confused about their own intake.  

     The council said that focusing on calories instead will give residents a better sense of what their alcohol consumption actually means in terms of their own health.  Three pints of beer contain roughly 510 calories, the equivalent of two burgers, while three large glasses of wine (630) calories translates to eating three donuts per week.  Director of Public Health, Dr, Sandra Davies, said: “Over time, we have seen people drinking alcohol as part of everyday life and becoming an entrenched behavior as they often use it to unwind at the end of the day and when socializing at the weekend.

Go to this website and give it a try.  http://www.drinklessfeelgood.com/

     The tool, which asks users to enter their age and gender before detailing how many drinks they enjoy on each day of the week, also charts how much people drink compared to the rest of the UK population.

“When we’ve asked people about alcohol units it is clear that they find it really hard to equate it to the amount that they drink, and that they don’t realize that alcohol contains empty calories with no nutritional value at all.   Councilor Paul Brant, Cabinet member for adult health, said: “We’re not asking people to give up alcohol altogether – we’re giving you the tools to know whether or not you are having too much, and if so give them hints and tips to drink a little less.”

I took both of the tests and I found the result quite interesting.  This site provides an insight into what your drinking is doing to you to your body and makes some good recommendations .  It is worth the 15 minutes it takes to do the test.

Valentines Day is Just Around the Corner

With Valentines Day just around the corner it is time to start to get your cocktail for the night going.  Here is an idea that with a little imagination will start you valentines evening off just right.  It is a relatively simple cocktail to make that won't take up the entire evening creating it.



Bahama Bob's Valentines Day Special

• 2 oz. Pilar Blonde
• ¾ oz. Honey syrup
• Juice of 1/2 Lemon
• 2 Fresh Strawberry

Add all ingredients to a shaker except the second strawberry, it will be the garnish. Muddle, add ice and shake until chilled and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a strawberry.

Rum Appears to be Set for Impressive Sales Growth in 2018

The rum is pouring off of the line for you

     Revelers in need of festive spirit are reaching for rum in record numbers, new figures show, suggesting the pirate’s tipple of choice is primed to mimic the ongoing resurgence of gin.   Rum reached nearly $1.4 Billion in the United Kingdom for the nine months to the end of September, according to the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA), which expects the annual figure to top $ 1.4 Billion for the first time before the first salvo of fireworks ushers in 2018.   Rum is slated to hit this $1.4 billion watermark just a year after gin, the phenomenal success story of the alcoholic drinks industry in recent years.  While rum may be chasing gin in the sales stakes, building a domestic champion is a challenge few have attempted.

     The English Spirit Distillery, housed in a 19th-century barn, employs 15 people making rum from scratch using sugar cane molasses distilled in bulbous copper pots.   Founder and master-distiller Dr John Walters said the business was the first in the UK, and still one of just two along with Scotland’s Dark Matter distillery – to make rum this way.

     “The challenge with any spirit is to present it in its naked form with access to all of its benefits and faults,” said Walters. “With rum, you need a lot of expertise.”  Importing molasses is costly – Walters gets his from Venezuela, while the tarry syrup is messy and hard to handle.   Nonetheless, the effort is paying off. Sales of his three brands, led by flagship Old Salt Rum, were 40% higher than 2016, leapfrogging vodka sales in the process.

     Ian Burrell, the self-styled Global Rum Ambassador, thinks others may follow Walters into rum-making but not in great numbers.  “I can definitely see that happening but it will take time,” he said. “You can make a craft gin within a couple of days but with rum to get your consumer to pay a premium, they want to see it aged.   “You need to stick it in a barrel for a few years to get some character and flavor. Imagine buying a car, and as soon as you get the keys, you’re told you can’t have it for a few years until it’s ready? It’s a waiting game.”  But Burrell is confident that, as far as consumers go, the moment in the sun has arrived for his favorite spirit.

     “Rum cocktails are some of the most popular ones ... mojitos, daiquiris. And there’s a rise in tiki-style drinks too, Mai Tai’s, Pina Coladas etc.  “They not only use rum in abundance but may use several in one cocktail.”  He is also predicting an upsurge for spiced rums, usually made using imported spirits and infused with spices and other ingredients such as fruit peel.

     With a little bit of luck, and the recent excise tax cuts the same will be in store for the United States.  I would love the see rum catch up and maybe even surpass the whiskey sales here in the United States.

New Excise Tax Cut Worth a Half-Billion to Alcoholic Beverage Producers

Drum Circle Distillery in Florida

     In its annual economic briefing yesterday, the Distilled Spirits Council reiterated its support for the recently passed package of tax cuts, which includes a two-year version of the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act.  The act equalizes federal excise tax on spirits, wine and beer for the first 100,000 gallons produced annually.  Under the legislation, distillers will pay $2.70 per proof gallon for their first 100,000 gallons produced in the calendar year.

     “This historic tax cut will enable distillers to invest back in their businesses and communities, generate jobs and support agriculture and growing spirits tourism,” according to Kraig R. Naasz, president and CEO of the Distilled Spirits Council.  “Ensuring that the tax cut is continued beyond the two-year period will be a top legislative priority for the council in the coming years.”  The Senate passed the $1.4 trillion package of tax cuts in December It marked the first time that the United States government had reduced taxes for spirits producers of all sizes since the Civil War.

Westerhall Sugar Plantation Boiling Pots

     Sugar is made from raw sugar that has undergone a refining process to remove the molasses. Raw sugar is sucrose which is extracted from sugarcane.  The sugar syrup is concentrated by boiling in pots like those pictured below and then cooled and seeded with sugar crystals, causing the sugar to crystallize out.  The remaining molasses at the Westerhall Plantation in Granada would be taken to the distillery where it would be fermented and distilled into rum.

Where Did the Still Come From?

Very Early Clay Still

     Stills of various types play a huge part in out lives.  They make it possible for us to separate
selected components from a mixture by making use of the different temperatures that liquids turn to vapor.  It would be hard to have things like gasoline, solvents and "Booze" without them.

     The first indications of distillation was The Ancient Indian Subcontinent during the Common Era or Before Christ, where there have been some clay retort pots unearthed in Taxil and Charsadda in the area that is Pakistan today.   These Gandhara stills and were only capable of making weak liquors. This style of still was found in Rome, Egypt and China,

Classic Late 1700's Caribbean Rum Still

   Alcohol distillation comes from Arab chemist Al-Kindi in the 9th century in Iraq.  The process later spread to Italy, where it was described as the "School of Salerno" during the 12th Century.    Serious beverage distillation in China didn't get underway until the 12th and 13th centuries during the Southern Song Dynasty.   Fractional distillation was created in Qinglong Herbei Province, China in the 12th century.  Distilled beverages became commonplace during the Yuan Dynasty in the 13th and 14th centuries in China.

Modern Multi Column Still

     German writer, Hieronymus Braunschweig wrote the book "The Art of Distillation" in 1500.  Today there have been many many improvements in the stills, but the principles of distillation haven't changed since it was discovered during the "common era".  Today our stills are very efficient, but the separation of elements of a liquid into the components is still the same.

     Today we have every type of still from the very basic pot still to very sophisticated column and hybrids of the two available to us for making the finest spirits.