Pirates, Privateers and Buccaneers

The South Carolina State Museum is currently hosting a traveling exhibit "Pirates, Privateers and Buccaneers". The exhibit includes a pretty cool "Rum Bar" display with a few large RUM barrels; nice!

Rumrunners, Moonshiners and Bootleggers

Currently watching "Rumrunners, Moonshiners and Bootleggers" on History Channel. Enjoy seeing Gary Regan telling stories. My favorite part is when they cover Capt. Bill McCoy ("The Real McCoy") and his off-shore "Rum Row". It was a floatilla of ships hauling massive amounts of Bahamian RUM that offloaded onto "contact boats" to run the spirits to shore. McCoy, and others, efforts forced the rapid expansion of the US Coast Guard. Fun!

Celebrate National RUM Day Today!!!!

Today, August 16th, is National RUM Day and The Rum Trader hopes everyone will join him in celebrating the world's greatest spirit, RUM.

Break out the good stuff! Light RUM, Dark RUM, Gold RUM, Spiced RUM, Enfused RUM...it doesn't matter. Mix up a batch of Mai Tais, Zombies, Hurricanes, Navy Grog, Planters Punch, Cuba Libre...heck, I suggest you have one of EVERYTHING!. Neat or on the rocks, sip some Mt. Gay XO, Angustura 1919, Appleton Rum 21, Pyrat, Brugal, Flor de Cana, Goslings, Barbancourt, Lemon Hart...the list is endless.

So much RUM for one glorious day! I hope each of you, from this day forward, will join The Rum Trader by celebrating this "nectar of the gods" every single day.

Montanya RUM

Per my usual routine I did a Google news search on RUM and came across an article about Colorado based Montanya RUM. I've never heard of this stuff but it sounds very interesting as it is mountain aged and is a domestic rum. I need to find a bottle of Montanya for research purposes. Montanya markets two RUMs and encourage people to use their RUMs in more exotic cocktails.

- Montanya Platino Light Rum
- Montanya Oro Dark Rum

Cruzan 9 Spiced RUM launched

I missed this story a few weeks ago but I thought I would mention it here.

Cruzan 9's Blend of Aged Rum Infused With Nine Spices Offers Consumers a Premium Option

DEERFIELD, IL--(Marketwire - July 12, 2010) - Beam Global Spirits & Wine, Inc. [Fortune Brands, Inc. (NYSE: FO)], the leading American spirits company, and Cruzan® Rum, the legendary rum of St. Croix, today announced the newest addition to the Cruzan portfolio, a new spiced rum called Cruzan 9. With its unique blend of nine all natural spices, Cruzan 9 remains true to its heritage of premium craftsmanship, while confronting rum fans with a bolder, more dramatic spirit. The recipe is handcrafted by the Nelthropp family, who has been making rum on the island of St. Croix for generations. Made with Cruzan's award-winning aged rum, the result is a higher quality -- and more authentic -- spiced rum. Cruzan 9 will begin shipping to distributors in July and available to consumers at retail in August.

"Beam Global Spirits & Wine has a reputation for developing higher quality brands that shake up a category," said Amy Weisenbach, brand director, Cruzan Rum. "Spiced rum is one of the fastest growing distilled spirits, yet consumers didn't really have an option if they were looking for higher quality. The industry is full of gimmicks and pirates when it comes to spiced rum, but Cruzan 9 offers a 'real' rum experience."

Tasting Notes, Aroma and How to Enjoy Cruzan 9

80-proof Cruzan 9 has a bold and smooth taste and a rich amber color.
Nine spice blend includes vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, mace, allspice, pepper and juniper berry.

Taste -- involves complex layers of vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, warm spice and toasted woodnotes with an intense finish that is slightly dry.

Aroma -- a robust blend of vanilla, sweet caramel and dried spices.
Cruzan 9 is best enjoyed with cola or by itself over ice.

In addition to representing the blend of nine spices, the name Cruzan 9 is a nod to the island, referencing its nine districts. Named for the people of St. Croix (Crucians), Cruzan Rum is synonymous with the spirit of St. Croix and the unpretentious and authentic rum life. The Nelthropp family, who has called St. Croix home for eight generations and runs the distillery to this day, handcrafts each of its rums with all natural ingredients and a five-column distillation process. Cruzan touts one of the cleanest rums in the industry with its low levels of fusel oils, a by-product of the distillation process which, if not removed, can taint the smell and taste of the spirit. Its quality is also linked to the aging process, with most Cruzan rum varieties being aged a minimum of 14 months and up to 12 years.

"Cruzan 9 embodies the spirit of St. Croix," said Gary Nelthropp, Cruzan master distiller. "We've balanced the blend of spices to create something that will be new to many spiced rum drinkers, but will feel very familiar to the people of St. Croix, who enjoy the bold flavor and kick of classic spiced rums."

Cruzan 9 Recipes

CRUZAN 9 AND COLA
1.5 parts Cruzan 9
6 parts cola
1 lime wedge
Add Cruzan 9 and cola in an ice-filled pint glass. Garnish with lime wedge.

9 NOVA
(based on the classic Bossa Nova cocktail)
1 part Cruzan Light
1 part Cruzan 9
.5 part DeKuyper Apricot Brandy
1 part fresh lemon sour
3 parts pineapple juice
Shake all ingredients with ice and pour into a hurricane glass. Garnish with a pineapple wedge and a dusting of fresh ground nutmeg.

Pricing and Availability
Cruzan 9 is available at the SRP of $15.99 for a 750 ml bottle.

In addition to Cruzan 9, the Cruzan portfolio also consists of Cruzan® Aged Light Rum, Cruzan® Aged Dark Rum, Cruzan® Single Barrel Estate Rum, Cruzan® Black Strap Rum, Cruzan® 151 Proof Rum and 10 flavored rums infused with extracts, such as vanilla, coconut, guava and black cherry. For more information about Cruzan Rum, and for additional cocktail recipes created with the full line of rums, visit www.cruzanrum.com.

Bacardi Test Marketing Seven Tiki Rum in Myrtle Beach, SC

Not many cool things come to South Carolina (where I live) so I'll admit that I was excited to see Ben Arnold Distributors selected to test market Seven Tiki RUM in Myrtle Beach, SC.

A friend of mine spoke to a MB liquor store owner about his store's huge Seven Tiki display and how the spirit was selling. He said it was flying off the shelf so I hope that means good things for new RUMs coming to my backwards state.

Malibu Cocktails - No Shaker Needed

Pernod Ricard has launched a new line of Malibu RUM ready-to-serve cocktails in a pouch. They're trying to create a viral campaign that is funny and pathetic at the same time. Hopefully the drinks are better than the campaign.

First up is the Porta Party Pro.

Next they've got the Shaker Shaper.

The videos show ridiculous cocktail mixing inventions that are supposed to demonstrate the utility of Malibu's three pre-mixed drinks: Caribbean Cosmo, Rum Punch, Tropical Mojito.

The RTS drinks come in "Convient eco-friendly 1.75L pouch with leak-proof nozzle" and are 15% alcohol.