Mount Gay Eclipse and Bacardi Oakheart

Although I have not posted very much to this blog recently it does not mean that I have stopped buying RUM. I just got back from my local liquor warehouse with these two additions. A specially wrapped, blue label bottle of Mount Gay Eclipse and two mini-bottles of Bacardi's new Oakheart Spiced RUM. I'm always leary about Bacardi RUMs because of their mass-produced nature but I since this one is new I thought I'd at least buy a couple of minis.

Puerto Rico gets new RUM distillery

Puerto Rico's RUM production has taken a severe hit in the past year with Captain Morgan moving it's production facilities to US Virgin Islands. The estimate loss to the country is $140 million/year.

Club Caribe Distillers, LLC plans to open a new distillery in Cidra, PR that could help offset some of that loss.

The company plans to produce up to 10 million gallons that will include Club Caribe (silver rum), Black Roberts (spiced rum) and Carlos Rum (gold rum). The plan is to distribute to the US market.

New rum distillery to open in central Puerto Rico

By DANICA COTO, Associated Press – Jul 6, 2011

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A new rum distillery will open in a former pharmaceutical plant in central Puerto Rico, helping to offset the loss of Captain Morgan rum from the island, economic officials said Wednesday.

The Club Caribe LLC distillery is scheduled to open in early 2012 in the mountain town of Cidra and will produce 2 million gallons of rum its first year as part of a 20-year deal, said senior vice president Alberto Rivera.

The local company is affiliated to Cc1, a Puerto Rican company that distributes Coca-Cola products in the U.S. territory.

Club Caribe expects to employ 25 people and invest $10 million in machinery and equipment as it moves into the old GlaxoSmithKline factory.

"We're going to have a significant production of rum on a global level," said Jose Perez-Riera, Puerto Rico's economic development secretary.

The distillery eventually will produce up to 10 million gallons of rum, both to sell in bulk and as private labels including Club Caribe, a white rum; Black Roberts, a spiced rum; and Carlos Rum, a gold rum, Rivera said.

The company will target the U.S. mainland market.

"Vodka is the most consumed liquor in the U.S., but that is changing," Rivera said.

The anticipated production of 2 million gallons next year will eventually generate $20 million in revenue for the island, said Jorge Junquera, deputy executive director of the Puerto Industrial Development Company, a state corporation that promotes business on the island.

The type of affiliation that Club Caribe Distillers, LLC, has with Cc1 is unclear, and a spokeswoman for the company did not clarify the relationship.

Puerto Rico is expected to lose $140 million next year as a result of the lucrative production of Captain Morgan rum moving to the neighboring U.S. Virgin Islands.

In January 2009, liquor company Diageo PLC signed a long-term lease to build a Captain Morgan rum distillery in the Virgin Islands in exchange for a portion of the territory's excise-tax revenue, estimated at $2.7 billion over 30 years.

The distillery opened in late 2010 on the island of St. Croix and is expected to generate more than $100 million a year in revenue for the next 30 years.

"We are losing a mountain of money with Diageo's departure," Junquera said, referring to Diageo terminating its rum production contract in Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico has argued that its neighbor unfairly lured away business by using revenue from a tax levied on every bottle produced in the two Caribbean territories.

All but 25 cents of the $13.50 in federal excise taxes levied on per proof gallon of rum produced in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands goes back to the local governments to spend on infrastructure and public services.

After the loss of Captain Morgan rum, Puerto Rico pursued several deals to help generate revenue.

In November 2010, legislators voted to increase the amount of money spent on promoting the island's rum industry from 10 percent to 25 percent of federal excise taxes.

In February, the government awarded Bacardi a $95 million grant to renovate its production plant in exchange for maintaining a minimum level of production for the next 20 years, which translates into more than $230 million in yearly revenue through excise taxes.

Puerto Rico's rum industry employs about 4,500 workers and generates $400 million annually, more than 70 percent of which comes from Bacardi.

Blackwell Fine Jamaican Rum

A new Jamaican RUM, Blackwell Fine Jamaican Rum, will be washing up on US shores this summer. They recently announced a distribution deal was in place. I wonder how many years I'll have to wait until I find it in my home state of SC? Maybe I'll get lucky and it will be available @ DrinkUpNY.com!

Blackwell Fine Jamaican Rum Announces Distribution in the United States With Classic & Vintage Division of Domaine Select Wine Estates (DSWE)

NEW YORK, July 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Music industry legend and founder of both Island Records and the award-winning Island Outpost hotel group, Chris Blackwell, is proud to announce the United States launch of Blackwell Fine Jamaican Rum.

Highly sought-after, yet previously only available in Jamaica, Blackwell's eponymous rum will be available in the United States starting in July 2011. Domaine Select Wine Estates (DSWE) has been named the exclusive importer in the U.S. as Blackwell Rum joins their Classic & Vintage Portfolio. Blackwell Rum will be exclusively distributed in NY and NJ by DSWE's Merchants wholesale division.

Blackwell Rum perfectly captures the essence of Jamaica in beverage form. Referred to as "black gold" among those in-the-know, the rum is the brainchild of Chris Blackwell and advertising industry guru Richard Kirshenbaum, with whom Blackwell has partnered. Raised in Jamaica, Blackwell hails from one of the island's oldest rum producing families. Meanwhile, Kirshenbaum has steered leading beverage brands, including Hennessy, Moet & Chandon, Dom Perignon, Grand Marnier, Guinness, Don Julio, Ciroc Vodka and The Tuscan Wines of Ruffino, among others.

"It is with great pleasure that we announce our partnership with Domaine Select," said Chris Blackwell. "We searched for a well respected industry distributor that has both a stellar reputation and an entrepreneurial spirit, and we have found the perfect partner in this regard with Domaine Select."

"We are thrilled with the addition of Blackwell's Fine Jamaican Rum to our Classic & Vintage Collection," says Paolo Domeneghetti, Founder & C.E.O. of Domaine Select Wine Estates. "With a family history in the rum trade that dates back to the 17th century, we believe that Chris Blackwell himself, together with his unique rum, represents the integrity and rich authenticity that makes this product a natural fit with our portfolio."

DSWE will begin immediate roll out of Blackwell Rum through its distribution network, in major markets across the United States this summer.

Vegas cocktails for Summer

Interesting article interviewing various mixologists around the Las Vegas strip asking them for their best summer cocktail.

I'll have to try this recipe at home:

PINEAPPLE SURPRISE

- 1½ ounces Cruzan pineapple rum
- Juice of ½ lime
- ¾ ounce simple syrup
- 5 to 6 mint leaves
- 1 ounce strawberry puree

Shake all ingredients together, strain over a collins glass full of ice and top off with soda water.

-- Recipe from Martin Garcia, Beso/Eve

Pink Pigeon Spiced Rum Lands in the UK

Article covering UK distribution launch:

The Indian Ocean Rum Company and Berry Bros. & Rudd Spirits have announced the UK launch of Pink Pigeon, the first super premium, spiced rum from the Island of Mauritius...

...Pink Pigeon spiced rum is named after the rare and endangered bird (of the same name) found on the island of Mauritius.

As part of the conservation effort, Pink Pigeon is a contributor to the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation.

PRODUCED BY MEDINE DISTILLERY CO. LTD.
BOTTLED BY MEDINE RUM LTD, BAMBOUS, REPUBLIC OF MAURITIUS.

Allsorts Liquor Scented High Lather Soap Bars -- Prohibition Spiced Rum

This is kinda fun.

Description from posting:

Trivia: Apr 7, 1933 - At the stroke of midnight on April 7, 1933, Prohibition was history,*" the news release reads. "After thirteen years as contraband, “intoxicating liquors” were once again legal. The night before has come to be known as New Beer's Eve and we Chicagoans invite you to kick off Prohibition month with a celebratory round on us

Scented with fresh forest grown Cinnamon, Cloves and citrus blends of essential oils The Spiced Rum Vegan High Lather Bar will fill your shower with an zesty blend of East Indies spices. Made with the finest, sustainably sourced/fair wage, organic plant oils; these bars were produced using the most ethical considerations for the bio-sphere, it's creatures and your family.

We invite you to purchase this bar for your family and we've purposely priced (call it self subsidized) our Allsorts Organic Vegan Soap Bars to demonstrate the value of organic products and as special thank you to our Facebook and Twitter friends who support our carbon neutral goals by voting with their dollar bills. By supporting the use of sundries that do not contain dangerous chemicals and toxins; you promote a healthy lifestyle and begin your own life's adventure by getting a better understanding of what we put down our drains and into our planet.

Each bar is wrapped with an adventure for the curious or student of Chicago Prohibition Era history. Open the wrapper to reveal a detailed adventure that will lead you to the intersection of vice and victim: 13 unlucky years unveiled as you travel through the city's "noble experiment" and witness the creation of The Chicago Outfit and American Organized Crime.

Stay tuned to our exclusive feeds, twitter.com/EthicallyEngnrd or facebook.com/EthicallyEngineered, as we roll out the next bars: Gin and Tonic + Whiskey Sour.

And don't forget to leave feedback or follow our social mantra: see it. share it. tweet it. post it.

Kōloa Rum Company Expanding

Kōloa Rum Company announced a significant expansion of its brand in two very important markets: California and Canada

"Kōloa Rum Company announced a significant expansion of its brand distribution with the appointment of Western States Beverages as its exclusive distributor throughout the state of California and Marram Fine Wines Ltd. servicing the four Western Provinces of Canada, (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia). According to Bob Gunter, President of Kōloa Rum Company, “Our Agreements with Western States Beverages and Marram Wines provide us with an excellent opportunity to enter these two very important markets. Their focus on emerging boutique spirits brands, enthusiasm for our products and aggressive approach to targeted sales and distribution match our growth strategies precisely."

"Kōloa Rum Company produces premium, artisanal, single-batch Hawaiian Rum at their distillery in Kalaheo, Kaua`i and operates Hawaii’s first and only distilled spirits Tasting Room & Company Store on the grounds of Kilohana Plantation, near Lihue. The Company’s multiple award-winning portfolio of Premium Kaua`i White, Gold, and Dark Rum will soon be complemented by the addition of their Kaua`i Spice Rum, Kōloa Ready-to-Drink Mai Tai and related cocktails."

Read More

Coral Reef Restaurant (Sacramento, CA)

"Perhaps this excerpt from the menu's 'mission statement' is the definitive word on the Coral Reef: 'To those discriminating persons who are connoisseurs of good food and properly mixed cocktails … we welcome you.'"

Here's an enjoyable article series celebrating the Coral Reef restaurant formerly of Sacramento, CA. The restaurant was a city landmark from late 1940s-1990s but it sadly closed for good in 1994.

Reliving other's memories of their celebrations, dining and drinking at this lost Tiki treasure was quite enjoyable. The author managed to interview the Coral Reef's long time bartender and he shared some of their best cocktail recipes.

So take a moment to read the article, jot down the cocktail recipes and make some Coral Reef memories for yourself; I know I will!

Brugal Dominican White Label Rum

I'll admit up front that I like Dominican Republic RUMs quite a bit. They typically are premium quality with understated, smooth as silk flavor. Brugal Anejo happens to be a personal favorite. So I was very excited to sip on Brugal's White Label.

The vintage label on Brugal White RUM tells you it is ALL about tradition. From its "Founded in 1888" declaration, its green hewed bottle, its old script lettering and its eight early 20th century gold medals earned, Brugal lets you know that this rum has stood the test of time. Its long tradition proudly lets consumers know what to expect. Brugal's White Label has a light coconut/sweet floral aroma and a crystal clear color. For an 80 proof RUM it has a stronger initial burn than I anticipated. It has an understated from start to finish with hints of coconut, sugar and charcoal. Its remain is as fresh and sweet as one would expect from a well made Dominican Republic RUM. White Label over ice is a mellow sipper but nothing overly special. It is probably better suited for Tiki drinks. My last taste test is mixing my RUM with Coke Zero. This proved that a light RUM like Brugal White is easily lost when mixed. Brugal White Label has a long tradition as a light and mellow white RUM perfect for cocktails. 6 of 10.

CayRum

I really enjoyed this story of a father & son who took a family RUM cocktail recipe and started their own company. CayRum mixes aged Dominican Republic RUM, ginger and honey. It doesn't sound like something I normally would enjoy but I'd love to try it if I have a chance.

Cockspur Five Star Fine Rum

Barbados is the birth place of RUM. Cockspur Five Star Fine RUM was established in 1884. Five Star is a three year blend that carries on the fine tradition of Barbados RUM distillation. Made from rich molassas, it's double distilled in copper pots with natural underground springs water.

Five Star is an 80 proof young RUM that has a fine winter-wheat hew. The cork sealed, old style, bubble neck bottle proudly boasts a royal green-breasted gamecock. Being a proud University of South Carolina Gamecock, I've enjoyed Cockspur Five Star at many a tailgate party.

The presentation of Cockspur Five Star is clean with strong legs. It's warm aroma carries a rich creamy butterscoth, slightly burnt carmel sweetness. Yum!

Drinking this one neat reveals a slightly sweet and spicy, middle-aged RUM that has a dry, lightly oaky flavor. Putting it over ice brings out more of the oak flavor and better reveals it's light butterscotch heart.

This RUM is almost too good to mix with my standard Coke Zero but it's too young to consistently drink straight. The oaky, dry spice flavor makes for an interesting mix with the sweetness of the Coke Zero. After a few sips I noticed a buttery, bananas foster linger that I was not expecting. Good stuff. 7.5 of 10

"The Rum That Invented Rum" - Mt. Gay's Latest Ad Campaign For Sailors

The NY Times had an interesting article covering Mt. Gay Rum's new advertising campaign "Sailing Spoken Here" targeting sailors.

"The microsite is lightly branded, in keeping with a belief that overcommercializing an online destination will only discourage computer users from visiting."

"The intended audience for the campaign are those who “are so passionate about sailing that they organize their lives around it,” says Daniel Cabaleiro, international brand director for Mount Gay at Rémy Cointreau, who is based in New York."

"Rémy Cointreau 'believes this category will become premium,' he adds, as have liquor categories like Scotch whisky, tequila and vodka, 'and we already see signs of that.'"

"The reason is that 'rum can be a very elegant and complex spirit,' Mr. Cabaleiro says, “not just a base for a busy cocktail.'"

Bundaberg Rum Commercials

I found the series of television commercials for Bundaberg RUM on YouTube to be quite humorous. I thought I would share them here and ask the question...how can I get some Bundaberg RUM here in the United States?

Westerhall Plantation Rum

Westerhall Plantastion RUM is a light, young RUM distilled from fermented molasses in Grenada, West Indies. Most Westerhall Plantation bottles come with a black wax seal unfortunetly mine did not. $24.99 for 750ml.

At 86 proof, Westerhall is slightly higher alcohol content than most other RUMs. Even without the wax seal I really like their bottle. It's got an "old world" feel including a Grenada island map, north star, sailing ship, etc. My bottle also included a batch number (8001) which, though meaningless to most, was a nice touch.

It's light honey color matches its honey, citrus and light carmel aroma. I was a bit worried about drinking it straight since it's only aged three years but it proved to be fine neat or on ice. The higher alcohol content meant it packed a strong spicey burn but the linger of orange/citrus and lemon grass made it more interesting than your average young RUM.

It's understated tones resonated when mixed with Coke Zero and was delightful. The orange/citrus, lemon grass with notes of vanilla, carmel and very subtle oak and pepper were very enjoyable. I liked this RUM a lot. 7.5 of 10.

Ron de Jeremy - The Adult Rum

It seems that aged Porn star Ron Jeremy is launching Ron de Jeremy RUM in the near future. You can pre-register for a bottle on their website.

From their website:

"Drink of a LEGEND

Ron de Jeremy Rum is and exceptionally well-balanced 7-year old premium rum from Panama. It has an inviting light amber color with very attractive copper hues. The aroma is that of carefully aged rum, with a harmoniously balanced orchestra of oak, fruit and spices. It opens up smoothly, showcasing a high level of craftsmanship. The oak comes through robustly and satisfyingly, yet gently enough to allow hints of vanilla and raw sugarcane to reveal them selves. The finish is elegant and long.

Ron de Jeremy Rum is hand crafted by another legend, 72-year old Cuban-born Master Distiller Francisco "Don Pancho" Fernandez. Don Pancho inspected his best barrels to hand pick the ones worthy of becoming Ron de Jeremy.

Ron de Jeremy sips perfectly, neat or savored over the rocks, and mixes beautifully to make superb drinks.

ENJOY RESPONSIBLY"

Sailors Rum - Spice Caribbean and Coconut

I finally got around to finishing off my Sailor's Spice Caribbean RUM and Sailors Coconut Caribbean RUM. I didn't realize exactly how long I've had these two bottles until I started researching the brand. Apparently William Grant & Sons Distillers Ltd. killed this brand two years ago (about the same time it start distributing Sailor Jerry's Spiced RUM)...yikes! These two bottles got shoved to the back of my cabinets for a reason...neither are any good. That could also explain why the brand is no longer around; just a guess.

Sailors Spice Caribbean RUM:
Its light golden color appears very watered down. The initial nose had a strong carmel tone with a light alcohol note but it disappeared quickly leaving a musky, skanky, burnt oil smell. Drinking it straight reveals a very peppery, vanilla flavor. Over ice the burnt oil aroma was less noticable and the peppery/vanilla remain. I didn't have my normal Coke Zero so I subbed Diet Coke. Yuck! I litterally wrote "Oh, bad! Yuck!" upon tasting this. I can see why this RUM was pulled. It has a horrible skunky, crude oil smell. It retains it's peppery flavor and peppery linger but the smell is aweful. Nothing good here...2 of 10.

Original Sailors Coconut Caribbean RUM:
This clear spirit maintains a light coconut, light peppery aroma with a slight alcohol hint. Drinking this straight reveals a candy sweetness with a nice, light coconut remain. This RUM is so sweet it tastes like a liquer. I was hoping ice would settle this RUM but it still is extremely sweet and sugary with only a slight hint of coconut flavor. Lastly, with Diet Coke, this RUM is completely lost. For the first time during a tasting I dumped my drink out because there was no reason to keep drinking this RUM. 3.5 of 10

Dirty Jobs - RUM Distillery

Discovery Channel's "Dirty Jobs" visits the Newport RUM Distillery tonight @ 9pm.

"Mike heads to Newport Distillery to help the crew turn molasses into rum. Scouring copper, working with scalding liquid, hauling hoses and lugging molasses cubes are all just part of a hard day's work."

Newport Distillery produces Thomas Tew RUM which the distiller discribes as:

"For 135 years the once thriving Rhode Island distilling industry lay dormant. Finally, in 2007, Newport Distilling Company received the first license to distill in the state since the close of the John Dyer distillery. Naturally, the goal is to recreate the rum that had been world famous 250 years ago. Using the same blackstrap molasses, local water, and pot still techniques, this rum has been resurrected and is now called Thomas Tew."

2010 Tax Cuts for RUM Industry

The 2010 extension of the Bush Tax cuts "increased tax rebates to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands from a tax on rum imported into the United States. The U.S. imposes a $13.50 per proof-gallon tax on imported rum, and sends most of the proceeds to the two U.S. territories.

Previously, the rebate was $10.50 a gallon. The new law extends a more generous rebate of $13.25 a gallon through 2011. Cost: $262 million."

AP Story