Interesting Distilleries to Visit in the Caribbean

 River Antoine Distillery - Grenada

     You will find Rivers Rum 'up north', near the beautiful (but treacherous) north east coast. Not  far from Tivoli, not far from Lake Antoine. The place dates from 1785, though there may have been distilling activity there even further back, but this is a distillery that runs all year. 

     A bit of a contradiction: the concentration of sugar in cane is at its highest during the dry season (Jan to May), but the water wheel which powers the cane press is obviously more likely to work when there is plenty of water in the river, during the rainy season (June - Dec.)   The simplicity and antiquity of the place is what makes River Antoine so interesting.. Bundles of cane are crushed twice, then placed in the island's only railway truck which is trundled along the island's only railway line for the very short trip to a tip. Here the cane dries in the sun and, now known as 'bagasse', is used as fertilizer for the cane fields.

Foursquare Rum Distillery & Heritage Park - Barbados

     Hidden in the southern countryside region of Barbados, on a former sugar plantation of about 8 acres, sits the Foursquare Rum Distillery and Heritage Park. This working rum factory that Richard Seale masterfully operates is world renown for its rums, producing a wide range including the flavorful brands like  Doorly's, Old Brigand, E.S.A.Field and many more. Foursquare Rum Distillery is the proud winner of the Rum Distillery of the Year in November 2016 at the IWSC in London, UK.  

     This working rum factory, the Heritage Park with its historic buildings, colonial architecture and folk museum, offers a step back in time and a tribute to the important role that sugar and rum has played in Barbados' history.

Cayman Spirits - Grand Cayman

 

     Opened in June 2013, our new Cayman Spirits Company Distillery is Grand Cayman’s largest 
Distillery, and the only source of handcrafted spirits in the islands. We’d love to show you around.  Come get a behind-the-scenes look at our unique approach. Inside the custom-built 5000 square foot facility you’ll see our 1200 gallon Vendome copper pot still, the 30 foot tall Gun Bay Vodka tower, and our original Christian Carl pot still we use to perfect Seven Fathoms Rum.

     

St. Lucia Distillery - St. Lucia

     St Lucia Distillers Group of Companies emerged from a tradition of the on-site, house-special rum production that was a common feature of the West Indian sugar plantation.   By the late 1950s, two distilleries remained, one at Dennery, the site of the Barnard family plantation, and the other Geest-owned at Roseau, the location of the now St Lucia Distillers Group of Companies.   St Lucia Distillers Group of Companies was formed in 1972 when the two distilleries amalgamated.    The Barnard family bought out the Geest shares in 1992 and in 1997 sold shares to Trinidad-based Angostura Ltd.  In 2005 the Barnard family, planters and rum distillers for over a century sold to CLICO, with third generation rum-maker Laurie Barnard staying on as Managing Director.

St Lucia Distillers Group of Companies, in the thirty nine (39) years since its inception, has grown from producing a single-label mass-market rum to a portfolio of premium rums and liqueurs.

St. Nicolas Abbey – Barbados

 

St Nicholas Abbey has always been a sugar plantation house. The exact origin of its name is not known but rumored to have been named after George Nicholas, husband to Berringer's granddaughter, Susanna.  Berringer was killed in a duel with his neighbor, Sir John Yeamans, who then married Berringer's widow and claimed the abbey as his property.  The abbey was no longer a functioning plantation after 1947.   Sugar has been grown on the plantation since 1640 and there is still the evidence of the mill and sugar making edifices. Sugar was processed on the property until 1947.  Since 2006, the abbey is owned by local Barbadian architect, Larry Warren. Warren has restored the abbey as well as the rum making distillery on the sight.  YoWarren is currently developing a small private railway system on the property, the St. Nicholas Abbey Heritage Railway, to be completed by the end of 2018.  St Nicholas Abbey is currently a well-preserved museum, successfully recreating 18th-century plantation life.  There is a rare 1930s film of life on a sugar plantation that is available for viewing in the museum. Listed by the Barbados Tourism Authority as one of the "Seven Wonders of Barbados.   The property has attracted several thousand visitors a year.

     This is only five of the ones that I have visited. Id will have to cover so many of the others that I have visited over the years.

Rum is Not Just For Cocktails: It is Great for Sipping as Well

     In any number of cocktails are the most popular way to drink rum.  That’s perfectly acceptable, but why are you are just limiting yourself to a mixed cocktails?   Great rum is like other great brown liquors, they need to be sipped.  Aged rum like aged whiskey, needs to be sipped to appreciate all the nuances it offers. But navigating the category and all its different expressions can sometimes be as complex like a premium aged rum’s flavor profile.

     Keep it simple by starting with a product that sums up everything there is to love about aged rum.  You don’t need to start out with a $100 bottle of premium rum.  There are several  fine rums for $15 to $25 that are great to begin you journey through premium rums.  Brands like Doorly’s, Mount Gay, Abuelo, Flor de Cana or Diplomatico  are good starting places .  These are very different tasting, and you will be able to take a direction for your palate.  

     These aged rums have a subtle and luxurious flavor profile, with a perfect balance of caramelized vanilla, oak and fruits, in every sip.   That alone is not what makes it an ideal sipping rum.

     Caribbean Aged rums are a great place to start, they get their irresistible flavor from being aged under the tropical sun for 5 to 10 years. That may not seem all that long, but aging happens more rapidly in the tropics.  Location and climate influence rum’s maturation process as much as time does. The warm tropical climate speeds up evaporation, resulting in 8 to 10 percent of the liquid being lost to the angel share every year. By comparison, that number would hover around 2 or 3 percent if the same rum were aged in colder climates.

   

     Rum experts aren’t satisfied with knowing how long a rum has been aged. They need to know where it’s aged to really understand its true maturation level. The investigation continues from there, examining what kind of wood is used in the barrels and whether or not the aging process was continuous.  These rums are a great place to start your journey, because they are not expensive, you will have the opportunity to try different expressions and find where your palate takes you.

Virgin Island Governor Says No To any More Rum Deals Like the Diageo and Cruzan Ones

Cruzan Plant on St. Croix

     U.S. Virgin Islands Governor, Kenneth Mapp said on Wednesday night that he refused to do business with two rum companies, because the companies wanted an agreement similar to Diageo USVI’s and Cruzan Rum’s, and that was something the governor said he was not willing to do.  The response to Mr. Johnson’s revelation that Mr. Mapp had turned down rum companies came during the governor’s Virgin Islands Political Consortium interview on Wednesday, held at Government House, where the governor fielded questions on a number of matters of importance to the Virgin Islands.

     “We don’t have any interest because we’re not in the business of giving away the revenues of the treasury and then putting the burden on the citizens that live and work in the Virgin Islands and conduct business here”.   Mr. Mapp, though expressing no intention of revisiting the deal, has nonetheless spoken vehemently against the agreement, contending that the administration of John de Jongh gave up too many concessions, which he contends has cost the local government dearly.

     Internal Revenue Matching Fund, known as the rum cover-over funds that the territory receives annually from the U.S. Treasury, hover between $225 million to $250 million, most of which go towards paying the territory’s bondholders. Of the remaining funds, Diageo USVI and Cruzan Rum receive the lion’s share for promotional fees and molasses subsidies, as per the government’s agreement with the companies.   That does not benefit the USVI, and he would not offer any other rum company a deal that mirrors the current. He also reminded that the local government paid $250 million to build the Diageo plant.

Diageo Plant on St. Croix

     This year, the governor said the rum-cover funds to be received from the federal government jumped from $227 million to $251 million. He said the rum revenues to the general fund this year will be $24 million, $20 million of which will go to the rum companies, while $4 million will remain with the local government.  

     “The molasses subsidy on rum is 16 cents a gallon by the rum company, and the people of the Virgin Islands pay the difference. It takes one gallon of molasses to produce one gallon of rum. When the Diageo deal was ratified in 2008, one gallon of molasses was $1.68, so when you took out the 16 cents, the people of the Virgin Islands paid $1.52 for molasses. You multiple that by Diageo’s 9 million gallons of rum, and that’s about $13 million a year in rum subsidy,” Mr. Mapp explained. “Today in 2018, a gallon of molasses on the spot market to produce one gallon of rum is $2.98. Diageo pays 16 cents, and the people of the Virgin Islands pay $2.82 for that gallon of rum… So when you bring rum companies to the territory under that regimen, we, with the rum companies that exist today, could find ourselves going to the general fund to take money out to pay to the rum companies.”

     I can understand his position, things are tight enough there in St. Croix and to add more negative cash flow to the territories is not something of a real benefit.  They have had some issues with Diageo as well during its tenure on the island.

Read More at https://viconsortium.com/business/governor-mapp-says-he-refused-new-rum-companies-because-they-wanted-similar-deal-to-diageo-cruzan-rum/ 

Plantation Brings Back Jamaican Funk in Their Newest Rum

     The latest Plantation expression is being created using liquid distilled at Jamaica’s Long Pond and Clarendon distilleries, Plantation Xaymaca Special Dry has been ‘double-aged’ – first in Bourbon barrels in Jamaica and then in Cognac Ferrand casks in south-west France.   According to Maison Ferrand, Jamaica’s authentic pot still rum is famous for its aromas and flavors of black banana and flambéed pineapple, locally called “rum funk”.

    According to  Alexandre Gabriel, founder of Maison Ferrand, said: “With Xaymaca Special Dry, I wanted to dive into the iconic culture that is unique to Jamaican rum. I wanted to work with these complex flavors of overripe exotic fruits with an almost animal intensity.   “We can still find certain white rums with this famous ‘rum funk’. I think, however, that this great terroir expresses itself perfectly in an aged rum. That is why we are launching Xaymaca Special Dry – a tribute to this ancestral culture of rum.”

In 2017, Maison Ferrand acquired West Indies Rum distillery,  a Barbados distillery that became co-owner of National Rums of Jamaica, which owns the Clarendon and Long Pond distilleries.  “The access to these two emblematic distilleries, with their retort stills that look like ancient pachyderms, is the realization of a dream. It allowed me to dive into this ancestral tradition and create a rum that I had wanted for a long time.”

     Plantation Xaymaca Special Dry will launch in the US this month at an RRP of US$24.99.  Bottled at 43% abv with no added sugar, the expression’s Xaymaca name refers to the title Jamaica’s first inhabitants, the Arawaks, gave to the Caribbean island.  

     A fire at the Long Pond Distillery earlier this year destroyed 65,000 liters of newly made rum and 92  fermentation vats.   The distillery’s pot stills and muck pit had not been affected and that his team hopes to start distilling light pot still rums again very soon.  No one is sure when” distillation of high-ester rums will resume.

Bahia Honda, Still as Beautiful as Ever

     After a little more than a year,   It was a great though a rather short visit on Thursday and Friday, but looking forward to being able to keep visiting on a regular basis again.  It never ceases to amaze me how the evening never seems to be the same, but beautiful none the less.

Bahia Honda Marina is back in Operation

     After a year of restoration, Bahia Honda Marina has it doors open to overnight boats.  All of the
amenities like electricity and water are back in operation and you can spend the night here in all of the comfort of the pre- Irma enjoyment.

      This week was the first time that we were able to return for for an overnight stay here since Irma a little over a year ago. The marina is in full operation with electricity and water for the first time since Irma hit a little over a year ago.

     The past day and a half has been so great fr Marta and I, because it was the first time that we have been able to be out on Lil Sanity since Irma.

     The sunset was awesome and we got a chance to take the kayak out for the first time in over a year.  Things are finally back to a somewhat normal for us.

Introducing Soggy Dollar Rums

     One visit and you get it.  There are few places in this world that are as freeing as White Bay.  Surrounded by the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean, white sand beaches and palm fronds dancing in the tropical breeze.  Wake to the unmistakable beauty of the perfect sunrise.  Chart a course of worry-free sun-filled thoughts listening to the perfect song as the sun fades on another perfect day.  What a great idea to offer two rums that possess all the warmth and fun this island offers.

     Soggy Dollar Dark Rum is triple distilled with natural cane sugar molasses and aged in oak casks to bring you a smooth rich flavor and deep golden color with notes of vanilla and caramel.

Haitian Clairin: Haiti's Traditional Rhum

Commercial Clairin Vaval

     Clairin, a traditional rum made in Haiti, the spirit is beginning to appear in the United States.  Clairin is a regional spirit that is unregulated in its home country, Clairin occupies a distinct place the spectrum of rums   It even stands apart from other sugarcane distillates like rhum agricole or Brazilian Cachaca.    Caribbean rum culture is well known, but little is said about Haitian Clairin, despite the country housing more than 500 local distilleries. This booming doing it yourself distilling scene makes Haiti home to some of the most diverse rum production in the world. 

     To make Clairin, sugarcane is hand-harvested and carted to the press. The resulting juice is moved to tanks where it ferments for the most part spontaneously.  There is no certification for Clairin, but it is largely organic because there is commercial farming or pesticides used in these remote villages.  Natural inoculation of wild yeast from the plant requires longer fermentation than commercially produced yeasts.   Longer Fermentation time allows for more complex flavors and there are no two batches of Clairin that taste the same.

     Single distillation also helps, retaining flavors that would be lost from further refinement. Clairin is also an unaged spirit much like the Cachaca once was in its local origins in Brazil.

In this world of unlicensed distillers, unlike commercial bottling sold by regulated producers, raw material varies between Clairin distillers, as does the quality of the spirit.   Bad Clairin can simply lack character, though in extreme scenarios, if poorly made, could contain poisonous levels of methanol.  To be productive and make the leap to a commercially successful operation, many of the methods and facilities will have to be improved to get a consistency to the product.

Blackheart Premium Spiced Rum Has Been Named the Official Rum the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)

     The world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, Ultimate Fighting Championship  announced a new marketing partnership agreement with Blackheart Premium Spiced Rum, in which the distilled spirits brand will serve as the organization’s first-ever “Official Rum of UFC” in the United States. Blackheart Premium Spiced Rum is owned by Heaven Hill Brands®, America’s largest independent family-owned and operated distilled spirits company.

     “We’re thrilled to have Blackheart Premium Spiced Rum join us as an official partner,” UFC Senior Vice President of Global Partnerships Paul Asencio said. “UFC takes pride in aligning itself with top tier brands that offer exciting products and Blackheart Premium Spiced Rum is a great fit alongside our other partners.”  “As Blackheart Rum continues to outpace the category in growth, we are always looking for ways to elevate our presence through engaging, innovative experiences with fans.

     As part of this collaboration, Blackheart Premium Spiced Rum will have a branded presence inside the world-famous Octagon® and at UFC VIP Experiences during key events throughout 2018-2019, beginning with UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: EDGAR vs. KOREAN ZOMBIE. The event, which takes place on Saturday, November 10, at Pepsi Center in Denver, will be the focus of attention as it also marks UFC’s historic 25th anniversary celebration. The fast-growing Spiced Rum brand will also be integrated across multiple UFC-based social and digital platforms. 
“We are thrilled to step into the Octagon as the Official Rum of UFC. As Blackheart Rum continues to outpace the category in growth, we are always looking for ways to elevate our presence through engaging, innovative experiences with fans,” said Hannah Venhoff, Heaven Hill Senior Brand Manager. “The alignment with UFC expands our involvement in MMA and further supports the spirit of the brand.”

     Starting in September, UFC and Blackheart Premium Spiced Rum will be featured on co-branded retail point of sale materials in locations across the U.S. and in various digital and social media co-branded promotions. For more information, please visit BlackheartRum.com.

We Will Never Forget September 11, 2001

     Here is a look at the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001   Nineteen Men hijacked four fuel-loaded US commercial airplanes bound for west coast destinations. A total of 2,977 people were killed in New York City, Washington, DC and outside of Shanksville, Pennsylvania.  The attack was orchestrated by al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

     At the World Trade Center (WTC) site in Lower Manhattan, 2,753 people were killed when hijacked American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 were intentionally crashed into the north and south towers, or as a result of the crashes.  Of those who perished during the initial attacks and the subsequent collapses of the towers, 343 were New York City firefighters, 23 were New York City police officers and 37 were officers at the Port Authority. The victims ranged in age from two to 85 years. Approximately 75-80% of the victims were men.

     At the Pentagon in Washington, 184 people were killed when hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the building.

     Near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, 40 passengers and crew members aboard United Airlines Flight 93 died when the plane crashed into a field. It is believed that the hijackers crashed the plane in that location, rather than their unknown target, after the passengers and crew attempted to retake control of the flight deck.

As of July 2018, 1,642 of the 2,753 Victims at the World Trade Center have been positively identified, according to the medical examiner's office.

This is the order of things as they occurred on September 11, 2001, 8:46 a.m. ET, American Airlines Flight 11 (traveling from Boston to Los Angeles) strikes the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York City.  At 9:03 a.m. ET - United Airlines Flight 175 (traveling from Boston to Los Angeles) strikes the south tower of the World Trade Center in New York City.  At 9:37 a.m. ET - American Airlines Flight 77 (traveling from Dulles, Virginia, to Los Angeles) strikes the Pentagon Building in Washington. The South Tower collapses in about 10 seconds at 9:59 a.m. ET.   Moving on to 10:03 a.m. ET, United Airlines Flight 93 (traveling from Newark, New Jersey, to San Francisco) crashes in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Finally at 10:28 a.m. ET - North tower of WTC collapses. The time between the first attack and the collapse of both World Trade Center towers is 102 minutes.

    This is only the losses on that day, but when you factor in all the lives lost chasing bin Laden all over the world and the woes in Afghanistan, and Iraq that were so closely related to the events on September 11^th, 2001. Since then there have been memorials to all of those that lost their lives as a result of the events of this day.  Like most Americans, I have a vivid recollection of that day and watching the coverage of the events as they played out.  Never forget those who lost their lives as a result, and be vigilant for others that might try them again.

One Year Ago Today, Hurricane Irma Makes Landfall in the Florida Keys

     Sept. 10, 2017. Hurricane Irma has made landfall on Cudjoe Key in the lower Florida Keys.Sep 9, 2017  Hurricane Irma makes landfall at Cudjoe Key in the lower Florida Keys as a Category 4 storm with 130 mph sustained winds. A 106 mph gust was reported at National Key Deer Refuge in Big Pine Key. The storm headed north-by-northwest at 8 mph. 

      Sept. 10 by 2 p.m. Irma weakens to Category 3 storm with 120 mph winds. But a life-threatening surge of 10 to 15 feet of water was forecast, with residents of Naples and Marco Island told to move away from the water.   Sept. 10 at 3:35 p.m.  Irma makes landfall again in Florida on Marco Island as a Category 3 storm with 115 mph wind. A 130 mph wind gust was reported by the Marco Island Police Department.

     Sept. 10 by 6 p.m.  Irma winds down to a Category 2 storm with sustained winds of 110 mph. But a gust of 142 mph was reported at Naples Municipal Airport. A tide gauge measured a water 2.2 feet above mean higher high water, which represented a 7-foot increase in the previous hour and a half, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Bahia Honda Marina is Open and in Full Operation Again

This Was the View a Month After Irma

    After nearly a year since Hurricane Irma, The marina at Bahia Honda is back in full operation again.  This has been a place that Marta and I have enjoyed for many years.  We were able to stop by there just after the hurricane hit, but the damage had made the marina unusable.  Today it is back in Operation again and I hope to be able to visit it in the next week or so.

Looking Forward to Returning to This View.

Barrilito Releases 5 Star Expression Rum

     Renowned Ron del Barrilito Two and Three Stars, Edmundo B. Fernandez, Inc. announced the worldwide launch in the coming weeks of Ron del Barrilito Five Stars.  This is the first collectible edition of rum presented by Ron del Barrilito in more than 138 years, establishing a new era of the supreme quality of Puerto Rican rums.  Approximately 2,500 bottles will be produced of this first edition and consists of a blend of aged rums in "Oloroso" white oak casks for up to 35 years, handmade with the same craftsmanship and tradition that has prevailed in this Puerto Rican brand since 1880. The first 200 bottles of Ron del Barrilito Five Stars will be presented in a wooden chest, handcrafted by Puerto Rican artisan Gil Rodríguez. Inside the chest will be an elegant, numbered bottle, maintaining the elements of the original label that have distinguished Ron del Barrilito, the oldest rum in Puerto Rico.

     Established in 1797 in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, by the Fernández Family.  Hacienda Santa Ana started as a sugar cane plantation, and as many family-owned sugar cane plantations, they produced their own rum for personal consumption. In 1880, Pedro Fernández began to market the family rum under the name of Ron del Barrilito, which today, more than 130 years later, still uses the same artisanal craft, family recipe and aging process that has made it one of the best rums in Puerto Rico and the world.   Master Blender, M. Luis Planas, an industry veteran with more than 35 years of experience in crafting rums. "Ron del Barrilito is much more than a fine aged rum; this product is recognized and praised by rum and cognac connoisseurs worldwide as a true Puerto Rican treasure," says Planas.

     Ron del Barrilito is a premium-quality rum, awarded and recognized by experts as one of the best rums in the world.  This rum is handcrafted since 1880 using its original recipe.  It has two products: Ron del Barrilito Two Stars, which is aged for three to five years, and Ron del Barrilito Three Stars, aged for six to ten years.   Edmundo B. Fernández, Inc. is the parent company responsible for the production, bottling, and distribution of Ron del Barrilito.  

Bacardi Releases Ginger Flavored Rum

Bacardí is capitalizing on the consumer demand for flavored spirits by launching a new golden rum infused with sweet and spicy ginger.  The new expression, Bacardí Ginger, has been created by the Maestros de Ronero, who shape and craft all the products in the Bacardí portfolio.   Bacardí Ginger “offers a high-quality flavored rum offering for spirits drinkers who are excited by innovative new tastes and experiences”.

To allow the distinctive flavors of ginger to shine through, Bacardí suggests pairing the new expression with mixers such as cola or lemonade.  Bacardí’s representatives said: “There is a real opportunity within the golden rum segment, which is growing faster than white, dark or spiced rums.”  “We know that spirits drinkers are looking to experiment with new and interesting flavors and we have introduced Bacardí Ginger as a response to this demand. We are excited for people to try this distinctive new flavor!”

Damoiseau Rhum and the Venerable Old Fashion Cocktail

     With its beautiful warm amber color, Damoiseau V.S.O.P. Rhum has a moderately off-dry body and is characterized by its exotic bouquet and aromas of dried fruits and spices.  This makes the perfect base for this very special cocktail based upon the classic Old Fashion. 

Bahama Bob’s Rhum Old Fashion

• 2 oz. Rhum Damoiseau V.S.O.P.
• 1 bar spoon Sugar in the Raw
• 2 dashes Old Fashioned Bitters

 In a mixing glass, place the sugar and bitters and ice.   Mix for 20 seconds, add the Rhum and stir again for 15 seconds. Pour into an Old Fashion Glass.  Make a brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg mixture on a plate. Moisten the rim of the Old Fashion Glass with an orange zest then dip into mixture.  Garnish with Maraschino Cherry and an orange zest floated on the surface.

There Are a Lot of Questions as to How the Legalization of Pot Will Effect the Premium Spirits Industry

Cannabis Crop Awaits Legalization

     Although the impact of legal, recreational cannabis use on alcohol sales remains uncertain, the WSWA’s decision to take a position on marijuana legalization ultimately has little to do with the trade. By supporting and encouraging regulation of intoxicants like cannabis and alcohol, the WSWA hopes to put the health and safety of the consumer first.

     There is no evidence that the increasing legalization of cannabis will result in market share loss for premium spirits, the CEO of Pernod Ricard has said.   Speaking at a roundtable event in London, CEO Alexandre Ricard said the group is monitoring the situation, and has been doing so for some time.  However, there is currently no evidence to show that cannabis will cannibalize spirits consumption, Ricard said.   “We have been monitoring the situation for one clear reason: we want to understand if legalization of cannabis may or may not have an impact on consumption of premium spirits,” Ricard explained.

     “We do not have evidence of any cannibalization or market share loss to cannabis.   “It’s too early to have a clear idea. We are looking to have clarity on whether it will impact or maybe not impact premium spirits. So far, the answer is no.”   The largest liquor producer in the world, Diageo is said to be monitoring the legalization of cannabis in North America very closely and that so far its legalization has not negatively impacted its business.  Earlier this week, the drinks giant was been noted as being in talks with several cannabis producers in Canada, but declined to comment on the rumors. 

     Drinks companies are already making moves into the new sector. US drinks group Constellation Brands has been reported to have funneled some $4,000,000,000 into Canadian cannabis producer Canopy Growth Corporation, signifying the biggest investment in the cannabis industry to date.  Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits has opened Great North Distributors, a wholly owned Canadian subsidiary that will be the exclusive representative for cannabis.

     This is an interesting question that only time will show the true results upon the spirits industry.

The Height of Hurricane Season is Upon Us

     After last year and Hurricane Irma, the keys are a bit skittish over the appearance of even a tropical storm in the immediate area.  Tropical Storm Gordon passed just to the west of Key Largo yesterday morning as it heads to the northwest toward the Gulf Coast.  Here in Key West we have calm seas and a lot of clouds as it passed over on Monday.  A stray shower now and then and some wind gusts were all that we say as Gordon went through the keys on its way.






     As of 8:30 a.m. EDT September 3,, Tropical Storm Gordon was located at 25.1 N and 80.7 W, or about 20 miles west of Key Largo, Fla., and about 35 miles southeast of Marco Island, Fla. Its maximum sustained winds remain at 45 mph as it moves to the west-northwest at 17 mph. The minimum central pressure of was at 1009 mb or 29.80 inches of mercury.   Further strengthening is anticipated over the next few days, with Gordon as it sets its target on the central Gulf Coast. Landfall looks to be late Tuesday night or early Wednesday.

     Well it finally let us know that it was passing, last night about 11 pm, it hit us with a huge thunderstorm with all of the wild lightning and thunder.  Most of the day was sunny and nice until this came by and gave us a spectacular show.

Happy Labor Day

I just want to wish everyone a wonderful and fun Labor Day.

     Labor Day in the United States is a public holiday.   More than a century after the first Labor Day observance, there is still some doubt as to who first proposed the holiday for workers.   Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a co-founder of the American Federation of Labor, was first in suggesting a day to honor those "who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold."  But Peter McGuire's place in Labor Day history has not gone unchallenged. Many believe that Matthew Maguire, a machinist, not Peter McGuire, founded the holiday. Recent research seems to support the contention that Matthew Maguire, later the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, N.J., proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York. What is clear is that the Central Labor Union adopted a Labor Day proposal and appointed a committee to plan a demonstration and picnic.

     The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. The Central Labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later, on September 5, 1883.  In 1884 the first Monday in September was selected as the holiday, as originally proposed, and the Central Labor Union urged similar organizations in other cities to follow the example of New York and celebrate a "workingmen's holiday" on that date. The idea spread with the growth of labor organizations, and in 1885 Labor Day was celebrated in many industrial centers of the country.

     The first state bill was introduced into the New York legislature, but the first to become law was passed by Oregon on February 21, 1887. During 1887 four more states — Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York — created the Labor Day holiday by legislative enactment. By the end of the decade Connecticut, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania had followed suit. By 1894, 23 more states had adopted the holiday, and on June 28, 1884, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories.

Key West Hermit Crab

     I love wandering many of the mangrove uninhabited keys that surround Key West.  I run across so many species of wildlife in my travels an I love to photograph them as I find them.   This picture is of a rather large hermit crab that I ran across on one such island.  Very colorful guy he that made his home in an abandoned Conch Shell.

What Country Drinks the Most Alcohol?

     There is a misconception about how much Americans, British or even the Continental Countries drink per capita, but we don’t even get a honorable mention it that contest. If you live in Moldova or Belarus, you are among the champion drinkers in the world.

     Those two countries drink the most alcohol per capita worldwide, according to data collected by the Global Information System on Alcohol and Health. We analyzed the results, which aggregate both recorded and "unrecorded" alcohol consumption, such as moonshine or homebrewed beer, and plotted all into a political world map.

     The countries that drink the most alcohol are, located in mostly colder-climate locations. Alcohol laws play a significant role in consumption, of course, as does religion.  The 10 countries that drink the most alcohol, in liters per capita, ranked:  Moldova (17.4), Belarus (17.1), Lithuania (16.2), Russia (14.5), Czech Republic (14.1), Romania (12.9), Serbia (12.9), Australia (12.6), Portugal (12.5) and Slovakia (12.5).

     The 10 countries that drink the least alcohol, are the ones that are for the most part in the Muslim World where the consumption of alcohol is strictly forbidden by their religion.  Here is their consumption in liters per capita, ranked:  Egypt (0.3 ), Niger (0.3), Bangladesh (0.2), Comoros (0.2), Saudi Arabia (0.2), Yemen (0.2), Kuwait (0.1), Mauritania (0.1), Pakistan (0.1)and Libya (0).

The Thump Keg What It Does and How It Does It!

Mid 1700's Caribbean Double Thump Keg Pot Still

      While generally associated with the backwoods whiskey still, the thump keg, or “doubler”, is a very old design element that probably arrived with the early settlers and was incorporated into the stills they built on arriving in North America. Indeed, some older European stills made use of what appears to be chambers that functioned as thump kegs, so the principle was surely well known to colonists from the British Isles and the continent. The thump keg is one of the most clever and iconic design elements of the traditional hillbilly still whose purpose, briefly stated, is to distill the output of the pot still a second time, without having to run the distillate through the still twice.

 

Flow Diagram of Double Thump Keg Pot Still

    An ordinary pot still, without a thump keg, is capable of distilling a wash to a “low wine”, which will be about 40-50% alcohol. A second, or even a third, distillation is needed to achieve the high alcohol content necessary to make high-proof whiskey, rum or other spirit.   Most European distillers still use swan-neck pot stills and will have both a “beer stripper” to distill the wash to the low-wine state, and a second “refining still” to rectify the low wine to a high-proof spirit. In the hillbilly still, the thump keg serves the same purpose as this second, refining still.

A Glass Double Thump Keg shows How Gases Heat and Boil Contents
 of the Keg, Distilling the  Contents 

     The thump keg does this in a very clever manner, utilizing waste heat from the still pot for its

function. Many shiners in fact prefer to use a wooden barrel for the thump keg, precisely because it loses less of this useful heat than would a metal one. As the hot vapor comes out of the still, it exits the arm into the low wine that placed at the bottom of the thump keg.  The low wine vapors condense as the bubble into the keg making a thumping sound periodically erupting out of this pipe that creates the characteristic bumping noise giving this piece of equipment its name.   This hot vapor continuously heats the low wine to the boiling point of alcohol, thus distilling it a second time, and producing a much higher-proof product than could otherwise be obtained in a single run through a pot still.  Many of the distillers will add another thump keg to the system allowing the vapor to distill a third time before entering the condenser to turn it back to liquid.

     Some, including traditional moonshiners and the connoisseurs of single-malt, pot-distilled Scotch whiskeys, would probably argue that this separation is a bit too good, and that the column strips out too many of these tasty cogeners, producing a bland, albeit strong, spirit. They would maintain that properly-managed pot still set up with a thump keg can deliver just the right amount of these compounds to create a full-flavored, robust spirit that indeed has tastes rather than being a neutral spirit like vodka.   To what extent this is true and how much is folklore is debatable, but it is inarguably the case that the flavor-changes between cuts that are less sharply pronounced and more of these flavors will be present in the final product. 

     In the Discovery Channel series, “Moonshiners”, former shiner Tim Smith maintains that his old family recipe, made in a modern distillery and distilled using a column still just doesn’t taste the same, and even invests several thousand dollars to install a high-tech thump keg to replace the fractionating column.