Rum Point Grand Cayman

     After a visit to "Stingray City", it was off to Rum Point for some lunch and an adult rum beverage before heading back to Georgetown.  Reminds me a lot of hanging out in the keys on the boat for the afternoon.

Havana Club Announces the 2019 Tributo Rum Expression

     Pernod Ricard-owned Havana Club has unveiled its 2019 Tributo bottling, a blend that includes rum aged in Cognac casks.  Tributo 2019 was created by three generations of maestros del ron Cubano – masters of Cuban rum – including don José Navarro, primer maestro del ron Cubano; Asbel Morales, maestro del ron Cubano; and Salomé Aleman, the first and only female maestra del ron Cubano.

     Each master selected a rare and extra-aged rum base that was deemed representative of their individual styles, which were first left to mature in the 1970s, 1990s and 2010s.  These rum bases were blended with a rum that has been matured for more than 25 years in French oak barrels.  A total of 2,500 bottles of Havana Club Tributo 2019 have been created at 40% ABV.

     The rum will be available in more than 20 markets from March, priced at a suggested price of $455 per 700ml bottle.  Tributo 2019 is said to have notes of oak and dried fruits on the nose, with flavors of vanilla, dried fruits and toasted almonds on the palate.  Morales said: “Once again, the Havana Club Tributo collection praises the richness and variety of styles that form the base of the authentic Cuban rum category.

     “Each rum in the Tributo range uniquely focuses on a different element of the production process, from our ancient rum bases to cask experimentation and the 2019 edition continues this story by honoring the craftsmanship of three of the maestros del ron Cubano.”  The 2018  Havana Club Tributo edition was a rum finished in smoky whisky casks.  Pernod Ricard first launched the annual limited edition Havana Club Tributo Collection in 2016.

Ron Del Barrilito Reveals its New Two Million Dollar Visitor Center

  

     Puerto Rico’s oldest rum brand, Ron del Barrilito, has opened its visitor center at Hacienda Santa Ana in Bayamón.  Almost US$2 million has been invested in the visitor center. Guests will be able to enjoy guided tours that will also delve into the history of the Fernandez family, which owns the company.  Visitors will also learn about the wider history of Puerto Rican rum, and will be able to taste different expressions of Ron del Barrilito and create their own cocktails using the rum.

     Hacienda Santa Ana started out as a sugar plantation when it was established in the 1700s. It wasn’t until the early 1800s that rum production commenced.  Luis Planas, Ron del Barrilito master blender, said: “The new visitor center is a monument to the arsenal tradition of the oldest rum in Puerto Rico.   “Tradition that has survived almost intact, transferring from generation to generation, the deepest secrets of its original recipe and its elaboration process, which was first crafted by Don Pedro Fernández and perfected by mother nature through the aging process, which is much more than what it takes to age traditional rum.

     “I feel great satisfaction in ensuring that the visitor will have a very intimate encounter with the product and will be able to understand why we have been recognized as the world’s finest sipping rum.”

Trinidad's Port-of-Spain as Seen From the Mountain

     Port-of-Spain, the capital city and primary port for Trinidad and Tobago.   Located on the west coast of Trinidad on the Gulf of Paria, in the southeastern part of the West Indies.  The Gulf is all that separates Trinidad from Venezuela.

     This is a view of the Port and the Gulf of Paria on a rainy day.  The view is from the mountain resort that we stayed in while visiting the House of Angostura Distillery.

Wealth Solutions Releases 20 Year Old Rum from Closed Caroni Distillery in Trinidad and Tobago

     This is a great event for the people of Trinidad and Tabago in addition to the rum lovers of the world.  The once state operated Caroni Distillery will live on in more than legend with the release of these vintage rums.

     Feel the rhythm of Caribbean carnival with glass of Caroni rum in your hand!  The Caroni Distillery was located on Trinidad and its home country is known, among the others, from music and carnival.

    With these three editions they plan to pay tribute to three music genres which were created or developed on this beautiful and exotic island. The label of each edition presents different character referring to particular type of music, carnival dancer, parang singer, and man playing on traditional steelpan. In addition, the colors of the labels and boxes refer to the colors of flag of the Trinidad and Tobago, because Caroni was a state distillery.

Read More at http://en.wealth.pl/our-projects/caroni-2/   

Warehouses at the Brugal Rum Distillery Burned and the Fire Injured Two Employees

     A fire that broke out at the Brugal rum distillery in the Dominican Republic last week has injured two employees.  The fire broke out on the morning of Thursday 14 February in one of the Puerto Plata site’s warehouses.  The Brugal warehouse is located on the Puerto Plata-Imbert highway.

     During attempts to put out the fire, 12 firefighters and two Brugal employees were “affected in different circumstances” and received medical attention instantly. Some firefighters were affected by smoke inhalation.  Employee Francis José González suffered a broken ankle after being hit by a forklift and will undergo surgery.      “Thanks to the rapid action of the firemen and rescue workers, their professionalism and the operation followed to prevent the flames from expanding, the fire was controlled, impacting only one of our warehouses.”

     The fire at the warehouses of the rum distillery Brugal in Puerto Plata since 11 am Thursday, More than 40 fire trucks and two helicopters were used to douse the flames.  An extensive blaze is leveling the warehouse of the rum distiller Brugal & Compañía, located in northern Puerto Plata province.  The blaze was completely extinguished two days later on the morning of Saturday 16 February. The company said more than 50% of the debris has been removed.   Fire Department firefighters and Civil Defense rescuers are at the scene of the inferno to douse the flames and provide assistance.  There are no reports of fatalities but one person was injured thus far.

Read More at https://dominicantoday.com/dr/uncategorized/2019/02/15/rum-factory-fire-still-not-controlled/

The San Pedro de la Roca Morro Castle

     A few years back I was fortunate enough to visit Santiago de Cuba for a week and The San Pedro de la Roca Morro Castle on the southeastern coast of Cuba.  The view from the walls over looking the sea were simply breath taking.

Originally designed by Battista Antonelli in the late 1600's.   Antonelli's design was adapted to the situation of the fortress on the steep sides of the promontory reaching into the bay. It was constructed on a series of terraces; there were four main levels and three large bulwarks to house the artillery. Supplies would be delivered by sea and then stored in the large warehouse, which was cut directly into the rock, or transported up to the top level which housed the citadel. Construction of the citadel took 62 years, starting in 1638 and finally being completed in 1700,

The Premiumization of Rum Comes With a Price

     Last week, I spent two days in Miami at a rum congress with some of the most influential rum producers in the world.  Two of the most prolific topics was the Geological Indication  and Transparency within the category.  With the move by the category to more premium and super-premium expressions, this has to to happen if the category is going to be taken seriously.

     Transparency has been a buzz word in the spirits world for quite some time, and as consumers become more inquisitive and knowledgeable, secretive operations are vulnerable to backlash.  Rum has so far avoided the public wrath inflicted on categories such as gin and whisky, but as its premiumization’s trajectory accelerates, distillers are under greater pressure to speak about their production methods openly and honestly.    Alexandre Gabriel, master blender of Plantation Rum, feels that any rules for rum production, “must first and foremost promote transparency, while not killing the diversity that makes rum so special”. He also believes, “The work of putting together a Geographical Indication must be a careful process and it must be done in a way to explore and research collectively the heritage of a particular country in rum making.  It is also something that needs to be keep in mind is that rum is a vibrant spirit and that has to continue and Geographical Indication should not stifle that.”

Richard Seale:  Foursquare Distillery

     Richard Seale, master distiller and blender at Foursquare Distillery, says transparency is “essential to creating a super­-premium category” and identifies two ways to achieve premiumization – through adding ‘perceived value’ or ‘intrinsic value’. ‘Perceived value’, he says, is created through “packaging, misleading solera age claims and the addition of sugar syrup”, which creates the “illusion of quality”. But ‘intrinsic value’ is based on “genuine artisanal distillation and genuine age”, and is an ethos largely associated with the whisky category.

“This is how we must build the premium category of rum,” he says. “It is more than just to premiumize – it is how we premiumize that matters and will determine our ultimate success. A consumer can and should buy on taste, which is subjective, but what the consumer has to pay should always be based on intrinsic value.”

     Richard Seale finds that the “terrible myth that rum has no rules, but rather, the problem is that our rules are not recognized”. He says the United States and European Union, both key rum markets, do not recognize the specific regulations from rum­-producing nations, which he calls a “genuine disgrace”. Seale also says the EU fails to properly enforce its own regulations for rum, which prohibits the use of neutral grain spirit and flavorings, among other things. “This lack of enforcement has helped make rum a dishonest category, and has prevented the category from having the confidence in its integrity that is necessary to develop the super­-premium class,” he says. Seale urges the European Union to recognize rum’s Geographical Indication Is in the same way it recognizes Scotch whisky, but he also says that the United States is a “vastly greater problem”.

Caribbean Rum Producers Move to Protect Intellectual Property

     Caribbean rum producers met in Barbados recently to discuss how best to protect the intellectual
property behind regional rums.  The attending members of the West Indies Rum & Spirits Producers Association (WIRSPA) heard from several experts, including Francis Fay, head of geographical indications in the European Union Commission and Bernard O’Connor, a well-respected international attorney on intellectual property and author on geographical indications.

     The half-day panel discussion examined the establishment of geographical indications (GIs) for rums from individual countries. Several in the grouping — Barbados, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Guyana – are close to or have already established national GIs for their products. Participants also discussed ways to protect and advance the reputation of the authentic Caribbean rums produced by WIRSPA members.

Speaking at a reception and tasting of member brands, Komal Samaroo, chairman of the grouping and head of the Demerara Distillers conglomerate, observed that while the industry was one of the oldest in the region, its future potential was considerable. Already the largest agro-based export earner after minerals for CARICOM/CARIFORUM states, it is also its premier export product with an international reputation for quality.

     Protecting this heritage and developing the opportunity, said Samaroo, called for careful management

of the intellectual property intrinsic to the value of the product. The panel discussion and the view of the international experts were that a participatory approach based on broad consensus was a key factor in successfully realising the potential of the industry in the global market.   Also speaking at the event, minister for agriculture and food security for Barbados, Indar A. Weir, gave his government’s commitment to supporting the industry, to achieve its full potential in the international market.

Read More at https://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/2019/01/31/caribbean-rum-producers-move-to-protect-intellectual-property/

Fort Matthews Grenada

    The Ruins of Fort Matthews just above St Georges, is a real testimony to the suffering that the people of Grenada went through in the American Invasion of 25 thru the 29 of October, 1983.  What was thought to be the fort was in fact an asylum, the fort was further to the south.

Which Alcohol is Consumed First Has No Effect on Hangovers

     Research published by two leading British and German universities has debunked the myth “beer before wine and you’ll feel fine; wine before beer and you’ll feel queer”.  A study has found that the order in which alcoholic drinks are consumed has no effect on hangovers.  The research, carried out by the University of Cambridge and Witten/Herdecke University in Germany, aimed to discover how the order in which alcoholic drinks are consumed can affect the next morning’s hangover.

     To test this, 90 volunteers aged between 19- and 40-years-old were recruited and split into three groups. The first group consumed two and a half pints of beer followed by four large glasses of wine. The second group consumed the same amount of alcohol, but in reverse order. Subjects in the third control group consumed either only beer or only wine.

     A week later, participants in the first and second study groups were switched to the opposite drinking order. Control group subjects who drank only beer the first time around received only wine on the second study day, and vice versa.  After each day of drinking, participants were asked about their hangover and gave a score for how they felt from 0-56, based on factors including thirst, fatigue, headache, dizziness, nausea, stomach ache, increased heart rate and loss of appetite.

     Dr Kai Hensel, a senior clinical fellow at the University of Cambridge and senior author of the study, said: “Unpleasant as hangovers are, we should remember that they do have one important benefit, at least: they are a protective warning sign that will certainly have aided humans over the ages to change their future behavior. In other words, they can help us learn from our mistakes.”

Read More at https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2019/02/order-in-which-alcohol-is-consumed-has-no-effect-on-hangovers/

Diageo ‘Very Focused’ on Putting Some Life Back in the Captain Morgan Brand

     Diageo is “very focused on getting the energy back into Captain Morgan” after the rum brand’s half-year sales declined.   In the group’s results, net sales of Captain Morgan fell by 4% making it the only one of Diageo’s ‘global giants’ to decline during the final six months of 2018.   More broadly, rum was Diageo’s only spirits category to decline in the period, falling by 3%. This was largely attributed to Captain Morgan’s performance in the US, which decreased 9% and “lost share in a declining category”.

     Speaking at a Diageo roundtable last week, CEO Ivan Menezes said “rum has been tough for us”.  He said: “The spirits sector is so dynamic in the US.  “Even vodka brands that are on trend are doing really well. Rum is a more muted category. It’s been tougher. Captain Morgan, as a result, is not performing well.  “We’re very focused on getting the energy back into Captain Morgan so there’s a lot of work going on that.

     This is not a surprise to me, Rum is only growing in the areas of premium and ultra-premium expressions.  The consumers in the United States are looking for a better spirit, not something they can bury in a mixer and barely be able to tastes it.  Finding the sales of lower end spirits are slipping is not a surprise to me.  Many of the makes of the mass “mixing expressions” are working to bring premium ones to the market in order to produce sales gains. 

     Consumers of “brown spirits” are not the ones that generally mix it with colas or other sugared mixes that bury the flavor of the spirit.  Rum drinkers are following in the path of quality that they are willing to pay extra for that can stand alone with a little water or ice if anything at all.

An Unusual Sight, A Mangrove Blossom

     During a recent visit to Grand Cayman, I visited the Queen Elizabeth Botanical Garden.  It was an absolutely wonderful experience that allowed me to see some very unusual plants, birds and reptiles.  The one thing that really stood out in my mind ws this mangrove blossom.  Living in Key West, I'm surrounded by mangroves, but this is the first time that I ever saw one in bloom.  They are not a spectacular blossom, but it was great to actually see one blooming.

Zaya Gran Reserva Rum Issues a New Formula and Age Statement

     Trinidad and Tobago-made rum Zaya Gran Reserva has been relaunched with a new age statement of “aged up to 16 years”.  The new expression is said to have notes of vanilla, caramel, cocoa, apple, banana and cherry, leading to a “heavy, velvety smooth finish”.  Zaya Gran Reserva Rum is bottled at 40% abv or 80 proof and has a new packaging design to indicates the new formula.  The bottle has a new slimmer, sleeker design including a longer neck to allow, that adds an ease of pouring along with a cork closure.

     The label incorporates the brand’s home, Trinidad and Tobago, which is also known as the ‘land of the hummingbird’.  The design features this phrase and a gold hummingbird on a medallion, which sits between the neck of the bottle and the label.  The teal accents on the bottle and label are an adornment that gives a hint to the tropical waters on which the island lies.

      Zaya Gran Reserva is available from select retailers across the US and online, including Shop Wine Direct, for an suggested retail price of $29.99 for the 750ml bottle. It is being imported by Infinium Spirits.

     I find it interesting that it was able to get the label for the United States, where regulations require the age statement on the bottle be that of the youngest alcoholic component in the blend.

I Thought That I Had See Everything in a Bar

     I was at the “Hog’s Breath Saloon” on Duval Street on Sunday enjoying some great music when the people from IV’s in the Keys came in and set up 4 IV’s and hooked 4 clients up to them.  I’d thought that I’d seen everything that I could see in a bar, but this was a new one for me.  I had to ask what it was all about, and I was told that it was a method of hangover prevention and / or cure. 

    “No need to suffer the residual effects of excessive alcohol consumption.  Don’t let a night of overindulgence ruin the rest of your weekend or vacation!  We have the cure!   Before you get carried away with the party, here is an idea that could possibly help with your recovery the day after.  The IV Restores Hydration, Decreases Inflammation, Delivers An Energy Boost, Relieves Stomach Pain, Relieves Nausea & Vomiting and Boosts Immune System”, according to IV’s in the Keys website.

     Not being one to judge, I guess that this has the possibility of working.  I’ve seen many racers get hooked up to IV’s after a long race to assist with dehydration and exhaust inhalation, so why not for a hangover.  It is a wild and crazy world out there, and this may be just what we need in our local saloons, have a cold one and get hooked up to and IV and then carry on like a crazy person for the rest of the night.  Why Not?

A Day at the Marquesas Keys

     Just to the west of Key West lie the Marquesas Keys, a beautiful low-lying mass of water and land that is filled with so many interesting sights.  You will find everything there from Cuban refugee chugs to pure white sand beaches and statuesque tree carcasses that stand at the edge of the beach like monuments to the natural almost untouched life that surrounds these keys. 

Havana Club Launches Fashion Line with Daily Paper

      Pernod Ricard-owned rum brand Havana Club has partnered with Dutch urban fashion label Daily Paper to launch the Capsule Collection clothing line.  The Cuban rum brand partnered with Daily Paper for the eight-piece fashion line, which includes black and gold-themed t-shirts, hoodies and hip flasks. A limited edition bottle of Havana Club 7 Años featuring the Daily Paper logo will also be released.    Seminal rum brand Havana Club and streetwear force Daily Paper have collaborated to launch a limited edition streetwear collection and exclusive competition for young creatives. The distinct collection pays homage to the Cuban heritage of Havana Club, infused with the distinctive aesthetic of Daily Paper. The collection was launched on 26th January 2019 at an exclusive event in Belgium.

     According to Nick Blacknell, global marketing director for Havana Club International, “Daily Paper is a young and dynamic urban fashion brand and they have built their lines around their African heritage.     “Before we undertook the collaboration we had to ask ourselves if it was legitimate for Havana Club to undertake. Havana Club has always had a strong tie to music and street culture, this is a street movement and Havana Club has always been a street brand, it was born on the streets of Havana.”   The collaboration  launched last week at an event in Antwerp, Belgium, which also saw the two brands unveil the Cuban Links talent contest, which has been named in honor of the chunky gold chains that feature predominantly in the Capsule Collection.

     The contest will support, nurture and recognize emerging creative talent across the fields of design, photography and music. Three winners from the contest will travel to Cuba to be mentored by industry experts as they create new apparel pieces and a media campaign to promote the Havana Club x Daily Paper collection.

Alongside the Capsule Collection, Pernod Ricard has also introduced a “refreshed style” for Havana Club to reflect the “raw and authentic culture of the streets of Cuba”. The brand’s new style is centered around experimentation with the Havana Club logo, which includes new print designs, over-branding and logo dissection.  

     Blacknell added: “As part of this launch we have also gone to great lengths to refresh our drinks offering, with a shifting focus from the Mojito and onto the Daiquiri and new cocktails such as the Cancha, a cocktail created with Havana Club, honey, lime and soda.”

     The Havana Club x Daily Paper Capsule Collection is available to purchase from the Daily Paper website now.

See More at https://havana-club.com/en-ww/hot-news/daily-paper-x-havana-club

Pusser’s 15 Year Old Rum Gets a New Recipe

     Navy-inspired Pusser’s Rum has updated the recipe for its 15 year old expression and increased the price of the bottling following supply chain issues.  The 15-year-old blend is now made from a combination of aged wooden pot still and column still rums. The column still rum used in the bottling is now sourced from a distillery in Guyana.  The brand has also updated the packaging for the expression to reflect the higher retail price commanded by the new recipe.

    Gary Rogalski, Pusser’s CEO said: “We decided to re-package the 15-year-old blend for two reasons: first, the cost of the raw wooden pot still 15-year-old component had increased significantly, and secondly, the column-stilled component of the blend previously supplied by Trinidad Distillers was no longer available to us when they made the strategic decision to stop exporting their aged rum stocks.  “We replaced the component supplied by Trinidad Distillers with a similar rum from Guyana, which was again significantly more expensive. This required an increase in the consumer price on what is arguably the best rum in the world; so we thought it deserved a bottle, label and display box more in sync with its ‘crown jewel’ stature.”

     The new Pusser’s 15 Year Old expression is said to have aromas of demerara sugar, molasses, dried fruits and spices on the nose. It is described as being full-bodied and round with a “warm, smooth, long and memorable” finish.

     Pusser’s has produced 3,000 cases of its 15-year-old rum, with 1,000 being distributed in the US, Europe and the UK respectively.

It is Really About the Shades of Grey

Just to the west of Key West lies a little key called Boca Grande.  The beaches are so beautiful and interesting to see.  I really love the way that the old and the new blend together on the edges of the key.  Enjoy the diversity of this little piece of heaven.

An Old Town Portland Bar Sues Its Bartender for $115,000 for Drinking on the Job

     An Oregon bartender whose drinking on the job prompted his employer to have its license temporarily revoked is being sued for $115,000 in lost earnings, The Barrel Room wants Jorstad to pay up: roughly $5,500 per day for the 21 days they can’t sell alcohol. The lawsuit claims that bartender Gunnar Hokan Jorstad was drunk on the job last January while serving customers at the Barrel Room in Oregon.  Jorstad has also been penalized and his service permit suspended for 18 days,  a permit issued by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission to employees who serve alcohol in restaurants, taverns, nightclubs, bars, lounges, private clubs, and similar businesses.    

     Commission spokesman Matthew Van Sickle elaborated, saying a police officer noticed Jorstad in a highly intoxicated state outside the bar about 10 p.m. Jan. 13. Five hours later, police were called to remove Jorstad from the bar as he neared the end of a shift that started at 8 p.m., Van Sickle said.

     This is a question I was often faced with here in Key West while bartending here.  It is technically illegal to be drinking while working behind a bar in Florida as well, but I’ve never seen it enforced here.   I would thank the customer for the offer and tell them I was bound by law not to be drinking behind the bar.  My comment to them is that I could not make sure that they didn’t get into trouble if I was as drunk as they were.  It seemed to work, because my customers didn’t get mad over it. 

     Oregon obviously has stricter laws relating to drinking behind the bar than many other states and enforces them.  The reason for both the bar and the bartender being penalized would appear to me anyway, that the bar management as well as the bartender were not paying attention to what was happening on the premises.

Read More at https://www.oregonlive.com/news/2019/01/portland-bar-sues-bartender-for-115000-for-drinking-on-the-job.html

Fire at Mount Gay Rum Distillery Burns 150,000 Gallons of Alcohol in a Storage Tank

Barbados Today Photo

     A fire broke out at the Mount Gay Distilleries in Barbados yesterday, with the blaze burning 150,000 gallons of alcohol in a storage tank before being brought under control by the local fire services.  The Rémy Cointreau-controlled rum brand confirmed that there had been a blaze at its St Lucy site on January 16th.  The Barbados fire service received a call at 2:18 pm local time after reports of an explosion.

    Deputy chief fire officer Henderson Patrick told local media: “Arriving on the scene we discovered that it was an alcohol tank that was involved in the fire. The tank normally holds around 300,000 gallons of alcohol and we were informed that it was about half-full”.   “There is enough satisfaction in the operations that we are conducting because the tank itself is contained within a bund wall, which is intended to prevent the escape of potentially polluting substances and designed to hold the contents of the tank in the event that it is ruptured.”  However, he said in the case of a violent rupture, other buildings could be put at risk.   In extinguishing the fire, the firefighters ruptured the roof of the tank to allow the flames to escape before applying alcohol resistant foam.

     Patrick added that two people were sent for medical attention as a precaution. While an investigation is currently ongoing as to how the fire broke out, he suspects that individuals working near the area may have contributed to the blaze.  Mount Gay confirmed that the fire was out.  “Earlier today a fire occurred at our distillery home in St. Lucy, Barbados. We’re happy to announce that there were no serious injuries and the fire was extinguished”.

     As it related to the cause of the fire, the Deputy Fire Chief said it would take time to gather all of the pertinent information. He, however, indicated that two people were working near the tank at the time, “and that may have contributed to the incident.”

    

In recent years, Mount Gay Rum, which began operations in 1703, has been expanding its range of premium expressions using its reserves of aged spirits. In 2018 it released the first bottling of its Master Blender Collection – a limited-edition, peat-smoked rum called XO, a blend of column and pot still rums that have been matured for eight to 15 years in American oak barrels.  In 2015, it acquired a 134-hectare plantation in Barbados in order make its single-estate, “terroir” rum.

https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2019/01/fire-at-mount-gay-rum-distillery-burns-150000-gallons-of-alcohol/ 

I Just Love Key West After a Rain

     Here in the tropics, the almost daily occurrence of a rain shower is part of living, but when the sun comes back out afterwards, it is always so beautiful and everything looks so refreshed.

100 Years Ago Yesterday, The Volstead Act Was Ratified by Congress

Andrew Volstead

     One Hundred Years ago yesterday, the Volstead Act, named for the Minnesota representative Andrew Volstead, was ratified by the United States Congress.   The 18^th  Amendment led to the complete prohibition of “intoxicating liquors” in the United States.   There were seven states that had not yet ratified the 18^th Amendment by that date, but the ¾ majority had been reached.  Seven more states would ratify the amendment between 17 January and 25 February 1919 and New Jersey passed it in March 1922. Connecticut and Rhode Island both rejected the amendment.

     In October 1919 Congress passed the Volstead Act – named after Judiciary chairman Andrew Volstead who supported the bill – which allowed for Federal enforcement of Prohibition.  Having ratified the amendment and introduce the Volstead Act, Congress announced that full Prohibition would be implemented on 17 January 1920.

     The 18^th Amendment had grown out of decades of temperance activity and lobbying in the US.  One of the prominent temperance leaders was Protestant, mid-Western spinsters following  Carrie Nation, who became a prominent figure in the movement.  She famously led women into saloons and smashed them up with hatchets and hammers while singing hymns and quoting the Bible.  It is interesting that Carrie Nation died in 1911, but the movement she becan was driven by many “God fearing men”.

     Volstead of course was one but there was also Neal Dow and Wayne Wheeler, the head of the Anti-Saloon League.   Then there were political campaigners who saw in the ‘liquor barons’ and companies the pervasive hand of capitalism striving to keep the working man sedated with cheap drink.   Remember that the 18^th Amendment did not actually ban the consumption of alcohol merely the manufacture, distribution and sale of them, but it was aimed as an effective method to put an end to consumption.

 Drinking became an underground network, so it fell under the control of criminal organizations who reaped enormous gains from the Volstead Act. With the increasing power of the mob came a rise in violence, racketeering and bribery. Civil, police, judicial and political corruption filled the veins of the American system with appalling results.

     Finally In December 1933 Utah became the 36^th state to ratify the 21^st Amendment which repealed Prohibition as it would gradually be rolled back across the country. Not every county in every state repealed their own local limitations or prohibitions on drinking but it was no longer a Federal business and the re-ignition of breweries, distilleries and wineries and their various distribution and sales arms brought an incredible windfall in much needed taxes into the nation’s coffers.  The 18^th Amendment remains the only statute in the history of the US to have ever been repealed.

Soggy Dollar Rum Sponsors Songwriting Tour

     Caribbean rum brand Soggy Dollar will sponsor the 25-date Hit Makers & Rum Chasers songwriters tour across the US.  Kicking off on 29 January at City Winery in Nashville, the brand’s partnership with the tour hopes to “authenticate the off-the-grid island vibe” associated with Soggy Dollar.  The Caribbean rum brand has been inspired by the Soggy Dollar bar in the British Virgin Islands, which is the home of the Painkiller cocktail.

     Soggy Dollar owner, Jerry O’Connell, said: “The Soggy Dollar has a devoted subculture seeking the ideal of living life off the grid.  “So many of our guests who visit the beach bar every year and live what’s referred to as ‘the Soggy Life’ have asked when will we be able to get this rum back home? So we’re thrilled to be able to bring our rum and a taste of that laidback island lifestyle to cities across the US as a Hit Makers & Rum Chasers tour sponsor.”

    Ty Bentli of Westwood One’s The Ty Bentli Show will MC the first show in Nashville, which will feature a number of songwriters including JT Harding, Jon Nite, Bridgette Tatum and Justin Ebach.  A selection of Soggy Dollar signature serves will be available during each date of the tour, and events will also include a silent auction and an island-inspired dinner menu created by Mat Vacharat, owner and head chef at Lucky Chops.

     All proceeds from the tour will support music and arts initiatives for school children in the United States and US Virgin Islands.

Sandals and Beaches Plan to End the Usee of Styrofoam at All of Its Resorts

     Sandals Resorts is planning to eliminate all styrofoam from its 19 Sandals and Beaches-branded resorts across the Caribbean, the company announced this week.  The company said the elimination of styrofoam was particularly important in the Caribbean, with its abundant marine life.       Sandals and Beaches resorts will eliminate all Styrofoam from their resorts in the Caribbean starting Feb. 1, 2019. Sandals operates 19 resorts on seven islands including the Bahamas, Grenada, and Turks & Caicos. 

      “As we enter the New Year, it’s incredibly important to our Sandals family that environmental sustainability remains a key priority,” said Adam Stewart, Deputy Chairman of Sandals Resorts International. “After eliminating plastic straws, stirrers, laundry bags and gift shop bags last year, we’re choosing to eliminate Styrofoam from our resorts. We’re proud that many of the islands in which we operate are also making this shift to ensure that future generations can enjoy the beauty of the Caribbean.”

     According to Environment America's Wildlife Over Waste campaign, scientists have found plastic fragments including Styrofoam in 86 percent of all sea turtle species, 44 percent of all seabird species and 43 percent of all marine mammal species.  All Sandals and Beaches Resorts are certified by the EarthCheck benchmarking and certification program, with nine resorts currently holding Master Certification. The company is the only hotel chain in the world to have all of its resorts certified.

To learn more about Sandals Resorts Internationals' commitment to sustainability, visit https://www.sandals.com/all-inclusive/eco-friendly-resorts/.