"Got Rum?" September 2022

COOKING WITH RUM - A NG el’s sHAR e - CIGAR & R UM s UGARCAN e s P e CIA l - RUM HI s TORIAN RUM IN TH e N e W s - PAU l ’ s s PIRIT e D TRAV el TH e RUM UNIV e R s ITY - e XC l U s IV e INT e RVI e W SEPTEMBER 2022 f R o M T h E g R a SS T o you R gla SS , S inc E 2001! Got Rum? ®

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con TE n TS SEPTEMBER 2022 5 From The e di T or 6-9 The Angel’s s h A re - r um r eviews 10-13 C oo K ing wi T h rum 14-19 rum A ging s C ien C e 20-25 T he A m AZ ing sug A r CA ne 26-31 T he glo BA l sug A r e C onom Y 32-33 T he rum universi TY li B r A r Y 38-41 The rum his T ori A n 42-49 T he sug A r mill : origins A nd evolu T ion 50-53 rum in T he news 54-57 PA ul ’ s s P iri T ed T r A vel 58-63 e x C lusive in T erview 64-67 C ig A r A nd rum PA iring g ot Rum? September 2022 - 3 5064 58

Got Rum? ® Printed in the u s .A. A publication of r um r unner Press, i nc. h utto, Texas 78634 - u s .A. Tel/Fax +1 (855) rum -T i P s © 2022 by r um r unner Press, i nc. All rights reserved. September 2022 e ditor and Publisher: luis@gotrum.com e xecutive e ditor: margaret@gotrum.com Cigar and r um: philip@gotrum.com Angel’s s hare: paul@gotrum.com r um h istorian: marco@gotrum.com r um in the n ews: mike@gotrum.com Cooking with r um: sue@gotrum.com w ebmaster: web@gotrum.com d irector of Photography: art@gotrum.com i f you would like to submit news or press releases, please forward them to: news@gotrum.com You can download the free electronic version (low-res) of this magazine, or purchase the high resolution printed version at: WWW. go TR u M. co M The printed version of “ g ot r um?” is produced with F s C-certified paper, which means it is from responsibly managed forests and verified recycled sources.FronTC over : Cask And Cane inside s P re A d : w ell-Balanced r um

lCheers!uisAyala, Editor and Publisher http://www.linkedin.com/in/rumconsultant

g ot Rum? September 2022 - 5 Analogies

F rom T he edi T or Sweet

Fortunately for me, fermentation, distillation, aging, blending, bottling marketing, etc., are all activities that have much in common with natural processes, which gives me access to an almost infinite number of analogies. s ugarcane, however, i find particularly fascinating and inspiring, partly because i ’ve spent decades studying it and working with it, but also because of its impact on humanity as a whole. s eptember has finally arrived, and, in the s outhern us A, this means that the start of sugarcane harvest is right around the corner. But producing sugarcane is a complex process that involves more than just harvesting the cane when it reaches maturity: seedcane needs to be constantly re-introduced, to replace old cane that no longer produces the expected yields. This means that commercial farmers must devote a percentage of their land to cultivate seedcane that is destined to be planted, rather than processed and sold. h arvesting seedcane therefore is a costly endeavor, but one that must be incorporated into the business plan of successful operations. As much as a quarter of a farmer’s land may be devoted to ensuring their availability of hseedcane!owmuch of your resources (time, energy, money) do you earmark to ensure your ability to “operate” as the person you are and want to continue do you want to learn more about rum but don’t want to wait until the next issue of “got rum?”? Then join the “rum lovers unite!” group on linkedin for updates, previews, Q&A and exclusive material. to be? m uch like a cane farmer who neglects to produce seedcane for his sugarcane fields, we humans will also pay the price when we neglect to set aside reserves we need to continue to function properly. e ven old age, like old soil, can still be fertile and productive, given the right amount of care, amendments/nutrition and Takeplanning,careofyour personal “soil” so the fruit of your labor never dries up.

m y rum consulting clients, as well as, the students who have taken my r um u niversity classes, know very well that i love analogies. They are one of my preferred ways to explain new or complex topics to audiences that are unfamiliar with the material.

m y name is Paul s enft - r um r eviewer, Tasting host, Judge and w riter. m y exploration of r ums began by learning to craft Tiki cocktails for friends. i quickly learned that not all rums are created equally and that the uniqueness of the spirit can be as varied as the locales they are from. This inspired me to travel with my wife around the Caribbean, Central America, and u nited s tates visiting distilleries and learning about how each one creates their rums. i have also had the pleasure of learning from bartenders, brand ambassadors, and other enthusiasts from around the world; each one providing their own unique point of view, adding another chapter to the modern story of Therum.

T he A ngel’ s sh A re by Paul swenfthile

Kaniche xo d ouble w

The bottle of rum is sold in a darkstained wooden box that slides open. The labels provide a minimum amount of information about the product. h owever, the Total w ine website had a little more information about how the rum was produced and aging information.

shopping at Total w ine, i came across this rum and thought it would be interesting to evaluate. The rum in a blend of pot and column still rums distilled in Barbados and aged for an unspecified time period in used Bourbon casks. The rum is then shipped to France and aged for an additional 18 months in used cognac casks at the m aison Ferrand estate. After the rum’s second aging, the product is blended to 40% AB v, bottled in France, and imported by d eutsch Family s pirits to the u s a ppearance

The bottle is a long-necked 750 ml bottle secured with a synthetic cork, with a black security wrap. The liquid is a dark amber color in the bottle and glass. s wirling the liquid creates a thin band that quickly thickens and begins dropping waves of legs down the side of the glass. After the fourth wave, the band begins evaporating, leaving residue around the glass. n ose

desire to share this information led me to create www.RumJourney.com where i share my experiences and reviews in the hopes that i would inspire others in their own explorations. i t is my wish in the pages of “ g ot r um?” to be your host and provide you with my impressions of rums available in the world market. h opefully my tasting notes will inspire you to try the rums and make your own opinions. The world is full of good rums and the journey is always best experienced with others. Cheers!

The aroma of this rum could be summed up in a single word: swee T. h owever, it is a bit more complex than that. i discovered notes of caramel, strong coconut, and vanilla extract, with subtle notes of stone fruit and cocoa. ood r um

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The astringency of the wood notes was a little off-putting from the first sip, as a strong sweet coconut mocha flavor dominated the palate. As i continued to evaluate the liquid, i found notes of sherry, caramel, charred oak tannins, copper, raisins, and baking spices. The finish is a bit combative between the bitter wood spiciness and the sweet notes, transforming into an earthy coconut sweetness that lingers on the palate for quite a while. Review w hen i purchased this rum, i thought it would be something interesting to evaluate as i had seen the Kaniche brand on the shelves for years. i t was not until i brought it home that i realized it was, in essence, a Ferrand product under a different name. This was not a downside, as it just gave me a metric to compare it with other rums produced with a similar double aging method. d uring the tasting, the rum left a good bit of residue around the mouth that i did not enjoy. o verall, for me, it falls into that dessert, “after dinner” rum category when you want something sweet. i liked the earthy spice notes, but the sweetness was a bit overwhelming in the overall evaluation. i f you like your rums on the sweet side, you will find this to be an enjoyable sipper. i f you do not, i would suggest purchasing another product.

#kanichérumxo

Palate

citrus notes from the aroma are all present, and they ground the profile. As the flavors begin to fade, the oak char lends an unpleasant bitter acidity to the medium finish. Review w hen i evaluate rums of this nature, i find myself asking what were the engineers’ goals? d id they achieve them? After evaluating the spirit, my answer must be “yes, sort of.” Yes, the aroma and flavor are cocoa and banana flavored. i liked how the spices added a much-needed earthy element and created some complexity in an otherwise two-note profile. w here things went sideways for me was the bitterness and acidity in the finish and the mouthfeel as the rum faded. m y tongue and teeth were covered in residue that took several sips of water to clear. At its core, this is an interestingly flavored spiced rum with a small amount of aged rum in the blend. i t holds a unique place in the rum world with its flavor profile, but the things that make it unique also limit its usefulness. i am sure an enterprising cocktail creator could work some magic with it, knowing the finish will have to be tamed, and it could be interesting in any recipe that plays to the banana and spiced flavors in the liquid. Paul s enft

CocobanaYearrum

g ot Rum? September 2022 - 8 w alking down the aisle of my local store, i found this new offering from Zaya. i had tried the original rum years ago, and was intrigued that a 16-year-old rum blend would be used as a component in a flavored product. Zaya is a column still rum distilled in Trinidad and Tobago that is aged in used white oak bourbon casks. The rum is then blended with flavor additives to 40% AB v and imported by i nfinium s pirits. a ppearance The bottle is a hefty 750 ml custom Zaya design, sealed with a clear security wrap and synthetic cork. The liquid is a dark amber color in the bottle that lightens slightly in the glass. Agitating the liquid creates a thin band around the glass that slowly thickens and drops a single set of tears before evaporating, leaving quite a bit of residue in its wake. n ose Pouring the rum into the glass flooded the room with the aroma of cocoa, bananas and vanilla. After the aroma settled down, i also found notes of orange zest with nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice. Palate The initial sip of the rum was interesting as the rush of cocoa and sweet ripe banana flavors was less sweet than the aroma. The spice and Zaya 16

T he A ngel’ s sh A re by

www.zayarum.com g ot Rum? September 2022 - 9 w ould you like to see your rum reviewed here? w e don’t charge fees to review rums. You don’t even have margaret@gotrum.compleasewaitingwhatadvertise.toso...areyoufor???Formoreinformation,sendanemailto:

g ot Rum? September 2022 - 10 COOKING WITH RUM Bringing the Spirit of the Cane Into the Heart of the Kitchen! by Chef Susan Whitley

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Veal c hops in c asserole Sauce

g ot Rum? September 2022 - 12 Photo credit: www.ifood.tv

i ngredients for v eal Chops: • 4 veal Chops, ¾ inch to 1 inch thick • s alt, Pepper and Paprika to taste • All Purpose Flour, to coat chops • 3 Tbsp. Butter, or o live o il d 1.irections:Preheat oven to 350°F. 2. s prinkle salt, pepper and paprika (highly recommend the h ungarian s weet Paprika) on both sides of the chops and then roll each chop in flour. 3. h eat up pan and add butter or olive oil. Brown the chops in a pan on both sides. Transfer the chops to a casserole dish that has a lid. 4. Cook for one hour and 20 minutes in the following sauce: i ngredients for Casserole s auce: • 2 Tbsp. d ripping from the pan that the chops were browned in • 1 Tbsp. Flour • ½ C. w ater with 2 Beef Bouillon Cubes • ½ C. d ark r um • 2 Tbsp. Ketchup • 1 ½ tsp. m inced g arlic • 1 Tbsp. Butter • 1 Tbsp. s tuffed o lives, minced • 1 Tbsp. m ushrooms, minced • 2 tsp. w orcestershire s auce d 1.irections:mixall ingredients above in a bowl and then pour over the chops. Cover with lid and place in middle rack of oven. 2. n ote: i f sauce is too thin, you can thicken it by adding cornstarch, flour or arrowroot.

5. This dessert can be served warm or cold. For best results, allow to set in refrigerator over night.

g ot Rum? September 2022 - 13 Photo credit: www.sanjeevkapoor.com i ngredients: • 1 Tbsp. Butter • 1/3 C. s ugar • 2 Tbsp. Flour • 3 e gg w hites, stiffly beaten • Pinch of s ea s alt • 3 e gg Yolks c aramel o range c ustard • ¾ C. o range Juice • 1 m edium-sized o range, grated rind only • 2 Tbsp. d ark r um • ¼ C. s ugar d 1.irections:inabowl, cream butter and sugar. Add flour, egg yolks, orange juice, grated orange rind and dark rum. 2. i n a separate bowl, place egg whites and sea salt. Beat egg whites until stiff. Fold the egg whites into the first bowl with the rest of the ingredients. 3. i n a sauce pan on medium heat, add the ¼ cup of sugar and melt completely until an amber color.

4. i mmediately pour the caramel into 4 custard cups. m ake sure to turn each cup to spread sauce evenly. Pour the custard into each cup. Place the cups in a pan filled ¼ full of water. Bake for 30 minutes at 375°F or until custard sets. w hen the center of the custard is no longer runny, remove from oven.

g ot Rum? September 2022 - 14 French Oak vs. American Oak A r CollaborationesearchBetween Science:AgingRUM and

The Barrel : w e selected barrel number 20-0016, made by i ndependent s tave Company, with toasted staves and char #1 heads (see photo on page 18).

g ot 2022 -

Rum? September

French Oak vs. American Oak i ntroduction

• c ellulose - is the most abundant natural polymer on earth. i t consists of linear chains of glucose units and remains relatively intact even after wood curing and toasting.

• o ak tannins - these plant polyphenols derive their name from the l atin word tannum , which means “crushed oak bark,” since in early times oak trees served as a major source of tannin for the leather-tannin industry. Tannins improve aged rum’s character by increasing the perception of balance, complexity and roundness.

The Wood Extractives : The compositions of both American o ak and French o ak have a lot of things in common. They are, after all, both oaks. But the proportions of the components that are extractable by alcohol differ between one and the other. These extractives include:

16 RUM Aging Science

• l ignin - despite the fact that it is also one of the most abundant nature-produced materials on earth, lignin remains one of the least understood. o ak ligning consists of two building blocks: guaiacyl and syringyl . The former is responsible for producing coniferaldehyde , vanillin and vanillic acid , which -especially the vanillin- are easily recognized in cask-condition spirits.

The Rum : Just as we did in v olumes 1 and 2, this new series starts using a lowcongener, column-distilled rum, made from fermented h T ( h igh Test or “ miel virgen ”) molasses. w e use low-congener rum so that we can focus more on detecting the wood extractables and their impact on the rum’s profile.

• h emicellulose - also known as a “wood sugar” is a two-dimensional polymer comprised of many simple sugars, including: Glucose, Xylose, Mannose, Arabinose, Galactose and Rhamnos e.

i n v olume 1 of Rum a ging Science (published from January through d ecember of 2020), we explored the aging of rum in American o ak, ex- w hiskey barrels. i n v olume 2 (published from January through d ecember of 2021) we explored the aging of rum in new American o ak barrels. This year’s v olume explores the aging of rum in French o ak barrels.

s cope of s tudy e ach month we will evaluate a sample of the rum collected from the barrel and will report its p h , AB v and color. w e’ll compare these results agains those obtained from the rums in v olumes 1 and 2.

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French Oak vs. American Oak

RUM Aging Science

s hown above are the rum samples, taken out of the barrels on the 1st day of the month. These samples are aged in (left to right): a) new French oak barrel (this series) b) new American oak barrel (2021 series) and c) used American oak, ex- w hiskey barrel (2020 series). The concentration of wood extractives is evident to the naked eye.

Rum aged in a new, f rench oak barrel, after 8 months o ur rum has now spent eight full months inside its barrel at r um Central’s aging cellar. The temperature during the month of August was brutally-hot and dry, much hotter than the norm. w e also received a very large amount of rain at the end of the month.

Acidity continues to increase, resulting in additional esterification. The aroma has more intense leathery and spicey tannic notes, from the French oak barrel and the taste continues to develop fruitiness. The tannins are much more oxidized, but fresh tannins (un-oxidized) continue to be extracted from the barrel.

Physical c hanges

French Oak vs. American Oak

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RUM Aging Science

o rganoleptic c hanges

These are the p h readings, as recorded on the 1st day of each month, compared to the rums from the previous v olumes, which were aged in American o ak barrels.

Above: the barrel that is the subject of this 12-month, rum-aging study. m ade from French o ak, by i ndependent s tave Company. The barrel is being kept at the r um Central d istilled s pirits Plant in Texas.

g ot Rum? September 2022 - 19 p h n ew French o ak Barrel n ew American o ak Barrel u sed American o ak Barrel January 7.04 7.04 7.04 February 5.16 5.01 5.67 m arch 4.88 4.80 5.32 April 4.54 4.54 5.23 m ay 4.52 4.45 5.10 June 4.42 4.41 5.03 July 4.28 4.29 4.96 August 4.28 4.09 4.95 s eptember 4.27 4.22 4.84 And these are the changes in AB v % readings (as of first day of each month), also compared to the American o ak barrels: AB v % n ew French o ak Barrel n ew American o ak Barrel u sed American o ak Barrel January 62.35 62.35 63.43 February 62.30 61.80 63.42 m arch 61.92 61.61 63.43 April 61.89 61.50 63.43 m ay 61.87 61.50 63.40 June 61.89 61.30 63.40 July 61.79 61.19 63.40 August 61.80 61.12 63.50 s eptember 61.96 61.25 63.62 Join us again next month, as we continue to explore the fascinating world of rum aging! RUM Aging Science French Oak vs. American Oak

The SUGARCANEAmazing

Join us, as we explore the fascinating world of sugarcane and sugar production. We’ll cover: Taxonomy, h arvest, Sugar Production ( i mbibition, Evaporation, c rystallization), Molasses Production and Sugar Refinement.

g ot Rum? September 2022 - 22 Sugarcane Harvest Hand cutting is the most common harvesting method throughout the world but some locations have used mechanical harvesters for several years. After cutting, the cane is loaded by hand, mechanical grab loaders, or continuous loaders. Cane is transported to the mills using trailers, trucks, railcars, or barges, depending upon the relative location of the cane fields and the processing plants. Shortly after the cane is cut, it starts to deteriorate rapidly. Therefore, unlike sugar beets, sugarcane cannot be stored for later processing without excessive deterioration of the sucrose content. Sugar Production The cane is received at the mill and prepared for extraction of the juice. At the mill, the cane is mechanically unloaded, placed in a large pile, and, prior to milling, the cane is cleaned. The milling process occurs in two steps: breaking the hard structure of the cane and grinding the cane. Breaking the cane uses Sugarcane Taxonomy s ugarcane is a genus of 6 to 37 species (depending on taxonomic interpretation) of tall grasses (family Poaceae , o rder Cyperales ), native to warm-temperate to tropical regions of the o ld w orld.

s ugarcane have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar and measure 2 to 6 meters tall. All of the sugarcane species interbreed, and today’s major commercial cultivars are complex hybrids. s ugarcane is responsible for around 70% of the raw table sugar production worldwide, with the remaining production coming from sugar beet (in temperate countries). s ugarcane stores energy as the non-reducing disaccharide sucrose, which accumulates in large amounts in the vacuoles of parenchyma cells of stem tissues (up to 23% w/v). This organic compound is especially used for producing table sugar via simple crystallization of sucrose from stem juice and further refining and clarification. e thanol and spirits such as rum are produced via yeast fermentation and subsequent distillation of the stem juice. Chopped sugarcane stalks are also widely used as cattle feed, especially during dry season when pastures are unavailable for grazing.

s ugarcane is considered a first-generation biofuel crop. i n sugarcane-producing countries, most energy converted to ethanol biofuel is derived from the sucrose extracted from squeezing the sugarcane stems and fermenting the juice. h owever, only a third of the plant’s potential energy is extracted using this technology, with the remaining being stored in less readily available compounds, such as the cellulose deposited in plant cell walls.

Imbibition is the process in which water or juice is applied to the crushed cane to enhance the extraction of the juice at the next mill. In imbibition, water or juice from other processing areas is introduced into the last mill and transferred from mill to mill towards the first two mills while the crushed cane travels from the first to the last mill. The crushed cane exiting the last mill is called bagasse. The juice from the mills is strained to remove large particles and then clarified.

Evaporation is performed in two stages: 1) initially in an evaporator station to concentrate the juice and then 2) in vacuum pans to crystallize the sugar. The clarified juice is passed through heat exchangers to preheat the juice and then to the evaporator stations. Evaporator stations consist of a series of evaporators, termed multiple-effect evaporators; typically a series of five evaporators. Steam from large boilers is used to heat the first evaporator, and the steam from the water evaporated in the first evaporator is used to heat the second evaporator. This heat transfer process continues through the five evaporators and as the temperature decreases (due to heat loss) from evaporator to evaporator, the pressure inside each evaporator also decreases which allows the juice to boil at the lower temperatures in the subsequent evaporator. Some steam is released from the first three evaporators, and this steam is used in various process heaters in the plant. The evaporator station in cane sugar manufacture typically produces a syrup with about 65 percent solids and 35 percent water. Following evaporation, the syrup is clarified by adding lime, phosphoric acid, and a polymer flocculent, aerated, and filtered in the clarifier. From the clarifier, the syrup goes to the vacuum pans for crystallization. Crystallization of the sugar starts in the vacuum pans, whose function is to produce sugar crystals from the syrup. In the pan boiling process, the syrup is evaporated until it reaches the supersaturation stage. At this point, the crystallization process is initiated by “seeding” or “shocking” the solution. When the volume of the mixture of liquor and crystals, known as massecuite , reaches the capacity of the pan, the evaporation is allowed to proceed until the final massecuite is formed. At this point, the contents of the vacuum pans (called “strike”) are discharged to the crystallizer, whose function is to maximize the sugar crystal removal from the massecuite. Some mills seed the vacuum pans with isopropyl alcohol and ground sugar (or other similar seeding agent) rather than with crystals from the process. From the crystallizer, the massecuite (A massecuite) is transferred to high-speed centrifugal machines (centrifugals), in which the mother liquor (termed “molasses”) is centrifuged to the outer shell and the crystals remain in the inner centrifugal basket. The crystals are washed with water and the wash water centrifuged from the Thecrystals.liquor (A molasses) from the first centrifugal is returned to a vacuum pan and reboiled to yield a second massecuite (B massecuite), that in turn yields a second batch of crystals. The B massecuite is transferred to the crystallizer and then to the centrifugal, and the raw sugar is separated from the molasses. This raw sugar is combined with the first crop of crystals. The molasses from the second boiling (B molasses) is of much lower purity than

g ot Rum? September 2022 - 23 revolving knives, shredders, crushers, or a combination of these processes. For the grinding, or milling, of the crushed cane, multiple sets of three-roller mills are most commonly used although some mills consist of four, five, or six rollers in multiple sets. Conveyors transport the crushed cane from one mill to the next.

is refined either at the same location where it was produced as part of an integrated facility or at separate raw sugar refineries. The initial step in cane sugar refining is washing the sugar, called affination, with warm, almost saturated syrup to loosen the molasses film. This is followed by separation of the crystals from the syrup in a centrifugal and washing of the separated crystals with hot water or a high purity sweetwater. If the refinery is part of the cane sugar production facility, the cane sugar may be washed more heavily in previous steps and the affination step omitted. The washed raw sugar is sent to a premelter and then to a melter, where it is mixed with high-purity sweetwaters from other refinery steps and is steam heated. The resultant syrup is passed through a screen to remove any particulate in the syrup and sent to the clarification step. The syrup from the crystal washing, called affination syrup, is transferred to a remelt processing station or reused in the raw sugar washing step. In the remelt station, the syrup volume is reduced to form the massecuite, and the sugar crystals are separated from the syrup. The separated liquor is blackstrap molasses. The sugar crystals are sent to a melter and then to the clarification step. Two clarification methods are commonly used: 1) pressure filtration and 2) chemical treatment; chemical clarification is the preferred method. Two chemical methods are also commonly used: 1) phosphatation and 2) carbonation; both processes require the addition of lime. The phosphatation uses phosphoric acid, lime (as lime sucrate to increase solubility), and polyacrylamide flocculent to produce a calcium phosphate floc. Air flotation is usually used to separate the floc from the liquor and the floc skimmed from the liquor surface. Carbonation consists of adding lime to the raw melter liquid and then bubbling carbon dioxide (CO2) through the liquor to produce a calcium carbonate precipitate. The source of CO2 is boiler flue gas, which contains about 12% CO2 by volume. The clarifier systems yield either presscakes, muds, or scums which are treated to remove entrapped sugar, and then sent to disposal.

g ot Rum? September 2022 - 24 the first molasses. It is reboiled to form a low grade massecuite (C massecuite), which goes to a crystallizer and then to a centrifugal. This low-grade cane sugar is mingled with syrup and is sometimes used in the vacuum pans as a “seeding” solution. The final molasses from the third stage (blackstrap molasses) is a heavy, viscous material used primarily as a supplement in cattle feed. The cane sugar from the combined A and B massecuites is dried in fluidized bed or spouted bed driers and cooled. After cooling, the cane sugar is transferred to packing bins and then sent to bulk storage. Cane sugar is then generally bulk loaded to trucks, railcars, or Canebarges.sugar

1. Food And Agricultural Industry (June 1997)

2. Sugar And Sweetener Yearbook , U. S. Department Of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, Washington, DC, June 1995.

g ot Rum?

The next step is decolorization, which removes soluble impurities by adsorption. The two most common adsorbents are granular activated carbon and bone char, manufactured from degreased cattle bones. Powdered carbon and synthetic resins are less commonly used. Bone char or activated carbon are used in either fixed or moving bed systems. Spent adsorbent is removed from the bed, regenerated, and stored for Somereuse.

refineries then send the decolorized sugar liquor to heaters, followed by multipleeffect evaporators, and then to the vacuum pans. The sugar liquor from the evaporators is transferred to the vacuum pans to further reduce the liquor volume and form the massecuite.

refined granulated sugar, white sugar is transported by conveyors and bucket elevators to the sugar dryers. As you can see, it requires a lot of specialized equipment and many skilled workers to produce sugar and molasses, but the results of their hard work literally make life sweeter around the world!

September 2022 - 25

The sugar liquor is returned to a vacuum pan for further volume reduction and white or brown sugar production. The white sugar is then washed in the centrifugal; the separated wash water (containing liquor and dissolved sugar) is returned to the vacuum pans. The moist sugar from the centrifugals contains about 1% water by Toweight.produce

In refined sugar production, the most common boiling system is the four-strike system. When the liquor in the pans has reached the desired level of supersaturation, the liquor is “seeded” to initiate formation of sugar crystals. At this point, the strike is discharged to a mixer and then to the centrifugal. In the centrifugal, the white sugar is retained in the inner basket and the liquor centrifuged to the outer shell.

References:

The ECONOMYGlobal g ot Rum? September 2022 - 26 sugar

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g ot Rum? September 2022 - 31 Source: Foreign Agricultural Service/USDA - Global Market Analysis

g ot Rum? September 2022 - 32 LIBRARY r eviews of books related to sugarcane, milling, fermentation, distillation, aging, blending and other topics related to the production or history of rum. www. r um u niversity.com

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Publisher: The u niversity of n orth Carolina Press; First edition. ( n ovember 27, 2006) nglish 320 -10: 0807857726 -13: 978-0807857724

The 1812 a ponte Rebellion in c uba and the Struggle a gainst a tlantic Slavery (Envisioning c uba)

Paperback:

is B n

pages is B n

(Publisher’s r eview) i n 1812 a series of revolts known collectively as the Aponte r ebellion erupted across the island of Cuba, comprising one of the largest and most important slave insurrections in Caribbean history. m att Childs provides the first in-depth analysis of the rebellion, situating it in local, colonial, imperial, and Atlantic w orld contexts. Childs explains how slaves and free people of color responded to the nineteenth-century “sugar boom” in the s panish colony by planning a rebellion against racial slavery and plantation agriculture. s triking alliances among free people of color and slaves, blacks and mulattoes, Africans and Creoles, and rural and urban populations, rebels were prompted to act by a widespread belief in rumors promising that emancipation was near. Taking further inspiration from the 1791 h aitian r evolution, rebels sought to destroy slavery in Cuba and perhaps even end s panish rule. By comparing his findings to studies of slave insurrections in Brazil, h aiti, the British Caribbean, and the u nited s tates, Childs places the rebellion within the wider story of Atlantic w orld revolution and political change. The book also features a biographical table, constructed by Childs, of the more than 350 people investigated for their involvement in the rebellion, 34 of whom were executed.

l anguage: e

i tem w eight: 1.04 pounds d imensions: 6.1 x 0.72 x 9.2 inches

5th Annual g ot Rum? September 2022 - 34 RUM And The e nvironment A w A rds o P en CA ll

September 2022 - 35 a ttention Rum Distillers, Sugarcane f armers, Sugar Mills, c ocktail Bars, Brand o wners and Brand a mbassadors: s ubmit information regarding your company’s efforts towards making this world a better place to live. w inners will be featured in the d ecember 2022 issue of “ g ot r um?”. Categories include, but are not limited to: • Carbon n eutral and/or Zero w aste • l eadership/Community s ervice • o rganic, n on- gmo , Fair Trade • u se of r enewable ( s olar/ w ind) e nergy • o cean or r iver Cleanup s ubmit your nominee by writing to: news@gotrum.com Presented by The Rum u niversity™ and “ g ot Rum?” Magazine. Past winners appear on the d ecember issue of each year. v isit “Archives” at www.gotrum.com.

g ot Rum? September 2022 - 36

g ot Rum? September 2022 - 37 your o ne-Stop Shop for a ged Rums in Bulk! • Column- d istilled, Pot- d istilled or Blends • h igh Congener ( i ncluding h igh e sters), l ow Congener or Blends • Aged in American or French o ak Barrels • Finished in w hiskey, Bourbon, Tequila, w ine, Port, m uscat or s herry Barrels • d istilled in the us A, Central America, s outh America or in the Caribbean • o ver 150 m arks/ s tyles Available, plus Custom Blends • l ow m inimums and Fast Turnaround, w orldwide s hipping www. r umCentral.com

Rum?

l ife brought me to work in tourism, event organization and vocational training. Then, already in my fifties i discovered rum and i fell in love with it.

g ot September 2022 - 38g ot Rum? September 2022 - 38

his T or Y o F C u BA n rum

T h E R u M hi ST o R ian by m arco Pierini

i was one of the founders of the firm La Casa del Rum w e began by running a beach bar in my home town, but soon our passion for rum led us to select, bottle and sell Premium r ums all over i taly. i have visited distilleries, met rum people, attended rum Festivals and joined the r um Family: the net of distillers, professionals, experts, bloggers, journalists and aficionados that is alive every day on the i nternet and on social media and, before Covid-19, met up every now and then at the various rum events all over the world.

i was born in 1954 in a little town in Tuscany ( i taly) where i still live. i n my youth, i got a degree in Philosophy in Florence and i studied Political s cience in m adrid, but my real passion has always been h istory and through h istory i have always tried to understand the world, and men.

3. T he K e Y T o T he indies

And i have studied too, because r um is not only a great distillate, it’s a world. Produced in scores of countries, by thousands of companies, with an extraordinary variety of aromas and flavors, it is a fascinating field of studies. i began to understand something about sugarcane, fermentation, distillation, ageing and so on. s oon, i discovered that rum has also a terrible and rich h istory, made of voyages and conquests, blood and sweat, imperial fleets and revolutions. i soon realized that this h istory deserved to be researched properly and i decided to devote myself to it with all my passion and with the help of the basic scholarly tools i had learnt during my old university years. s ince 2013, i have been running this column. i n 2017 i published the book “A meri CA n rum – A s hort h istory of r um in e arly sAmerica”ince2018, i have also been contributing to the m adrid based magazine Rumporter.es , the s panish edition of the French magazine Rumporter i n 2019 i began to run a www.therumhistorian.comBlog:and decided to leave La Casa del Rum i n 2020, with my son Claudio, i have published a new book “F ren C h rum – A h istory 1639-1902”. i am currently doing new research on the h istory of Cuban r um.

i n the third article on the h istory of Cuban rum, i ’m going to dedicate ample space to Big h istory, the h istory of Cuba and more, and not only to rum. i apologise to my readers, but i assure you that, as is often the case, the fortunes of our favourite distillate are closely intertwined with h istory in general; without knowing something about the latter, it is impossible to truly understand the former. m oreover, for our new readers i have to repeat that aguardiente de caña (sugarcane burning water), is what in Cuba they called the spirit made from sugarcane, our r um. o ften, in our daily life and also in our reflections, we tend to take our present for granted, as if the world around us was the outcome of a natural, inevitable historical process. For example, and here we come to our subject, the fact that the Americas, Australia and other remote parts of the world now speak languages born in m iddle Age w estern e urope seems normal to us. And yet we must remember that until the end of the 1300s, e urope could be considered with good

g ot Rum? September 2022 - 39 reason just “A s mall Promontory of Asia” as Felipe Fernández Armesto writes in his seminal “ Millennium. A History of the Last Thousand Years ”, 1995. A lesser civilization, in a world dominated by other Actually,powers. our modern world has been shaped to a large degree by the rush to conquer the oceans, which w estern e urope started in the 1400s. A race that gave rise to the first, real globalization and later made a few, small e uropean countries the ruling powers of the planet. o ften, we tend to forget that in that race, e ngland started last. e ngland (or g reat Britain, after the Act of u nion of 1707) got to “rule the waves” after Portugal, s pain, the n etherlands and also France. o nly at the end of the 1500s, roughly an entire century after the arrival of the Portuguese in i ndia and of the s panish in America, did the e nglish begin to deal with America seriously. First, e nglish privateers like Francis d rake and pirates attacked and plundered the treasures of s panish America, but without trying to settle there. Then, in the 1620s, some semiindependent enterprises settled in some little, marginal islands like Barbados and s aint Kitts. i n the 1650s, o liver Crowell conceived his ambitious “ w estern d esign” and sent a fleet to attack and conquer h ispaniola (present-day s anto d omingo and h aiti). The invasion of h ispaniola was ill prepared and worse carried out and after a crushing ground defeat, the e nglish troops retired in disarray and had to re-embark quickly and a little later had to content themselves with occupying Jamaica, at that time a small, poor s panish island, sparsely populated and virtually undefended. The raids of e nglish privateers and pirates in the Caribbean continued, suffice it to remember the name of h enry m organ, but without any new, major territorial conquests. i n the first decades of the 1700s, the main activities of g reat Britain in the Caribbean were the legal sale of slaves to s panish America, under the so-called Asiento , and extensive smuggling. s muggling was a widespread activity all over the Atlantic and it particularly threatened the interests of the s panish Crown, as we have seen in the first article of this series. i n the first decades of the 1700s, s pain fought back successfully by arming a considerable number of so-called guardacostas (coast guards). They were fast ships, equipped with the contribution of ship owners and privateers that, sailing mainly from l a h avana and s antiago, attacked and seized smuggler ships, sharing then the booty with the s panish authorities. s oon the line between legally seizing foreign smuggler ships and simply plundering ships trading legally was crossed, as was common practice at the time, and the guardacostas became a real scourge for British navigation in the oCaribbean.nApril1731 the British brig Rebecca was sailing, probably not far from l a h avana, when a s panish guardacostas stopped and boarded it, looking for smuggled goods. w hat really happened on board is not clear and at the moment it seemed a trifling event. But seven years later, in 1738, the Rebecca’s Captain r obert Jenkins exhibited to a committee of the h ouse of Commons his own left ear, cut off by the s panish who – he said - also pillaged the ship and insulted the British King. British public opinion was already angry with s pain for other “outrages” on British ships and war began in o ctober 1739, later called “ w ar of Jenkins’ ear”. The British tried to detach the Cubans from their loyalty to the s panish Crown by officially promising the total safeguard of their estates and their Catholic religion, as well as the freedom to trade within the British e mpire and the elimination of many taxes.

o bviously, Jenkins’ ear was only a pretext. l ike many other wars of the 1700s, this war was motivated only by economic interests, without any ideal motive, unlike, for example, the (terrible) religious wars of the previous century. The underlying reasons were different. For centuries e ngland had coveted the riches of the i ndies, and now it felt strong enough to aim for the biggest prize of all:

ernon’s expedition showed the relative recovery of s panish power under the Bourbon regime, with its more modern economic and naval policy. A little later, an expedition which set out from l a h avana successfully attacked some e nglish settlements in g eorgia. Anyway, the war ended in 1748 with a compromise peace, without any significant changes in the relations between s pain and Britain, apart from the end of the Asiento , two years later.

g ot Rum? September 2022 - 40 the conquest of Cuba, the largest and richest island in the Caribbean.

Besides, there were the n orth America Colonies which by then had become quite a significant economic and demographic reality within the British e mpire. w hile w illiam w ood, an important official of the British Treasury, was openly in favor of the occupation of Cuba, because he could see the great advantages for the economy of the n orth America colonies, in the colonies themselves, and especially in m assachusetts, a vast movement of public opinion had developed, determined to take possession of Cuba. n ot only the merchants who wanted to trade freely with the largest island of the Caribbean, but also the common colonists wanted to occupy Cuba, where they were convinced they could settle and create thriving farming settlements, also due to false information about the mildness and healthiness of the climate there. i n 1740 the g overnor of Jamaica, e dward Trelawny, wrote: “ i n short, there’s an ebullient spirit among the colonists of the n orth, who in their imagination have already swallowed all of Cuba.”

w e have an exceptional testimony about the real motives of g reat Britain. i n 1735 a s panish officer in l a h abana, d on g aspar Courselle, was approached by British agents who asked him to put himself at the service of g reat Britain. Courselle pretended to accept, saying he was willing to sell military secrets and all kinds of information about Cuba. w elcomed with open arms, he had the opportunity to meet many civilian and military officials, travel extensively in the n orth American Colonies and in g reat Britain itself, until he deemed it prudent to go back to s pain. i n his report to the s panish Crown he wrote that (the e nglish) “wanted to seize the island of Cuba as soon as possible, claiming that with … said island they would hold the key to the i ndies.” s eizing Cuba would in fact make it possible to control also the main commercial routes of the time between e urope and the s panish m ain.

n ow let us go back to Cuban rum. i n the first half of the 1700s, sugar production in Cuba experienced a series of ups and downs, and it was the tobacco of the island which attracted the greatest interest of the Crown. h owever, in general sugar production increased considerably. o ne year after the end of the war, in 1749, there were 62 sugarcane plantations in l a h abana. i n 1761 there were 98, and they were Andlarger.where there is sugar, sooner or later there is rum too. i think it may be useful to quote again what Jacobo

o n 28 July 1741 a large fleet under the command of Admiral e dward v ernon, (the very same!) landed with a strong contingent of British regular troops and n orth American volunteers on the then virtually uninhabited g uantanamo Bay with the aim of capturing s antiago and the eastern part of Cuba. The expedition ended up in an unmitigated disaster, due to the effective reaction of the s panish and to the epidemics that scourged the invasion troops, causing hundreds of casualties; the survivors re-boarded their ships on 27 n ovember. There were many n orth American volunteers among the victims and many were the complaints and the grievances of the survivors against the behaviour of the British officers. s ome historians think that on Cuban soil, during this expedition, the first signs could be seen of that Anglophobia that 35 years later would bring the Thirteen Colonies to the w ar of i Thendependence.failureofv

g ot Rum? September 2022 - 41 de la Pezuela would write the following century in his classic “ Diccionarío … de la Isla de Cuba ” ( d ictionary … of the i sland of Cuba) 1863: “The distilling of aguardientes de caña is nearly as old as the plantations themselves and its production method has remained largely the same for two centu-ries, even more stagnant than sugar production itself. i t is produced on all well managed plantations in a specific department, sometimes separated from the main building where sugar is made, and which is named after the very apparatus it con-tains, the dalembic”.espitethe pleas of the Cuban Planters and the evidence of a massive, clandestine production which it was impossible to eradicate, the prohibition to produce and sell rum was maintained; indeed in 1749 the legal persecution became even stronger. From that date onwards, rum production was to be punished not only with fines and the destruction of the pot stills, but also with the confiscation and destruction of the sugar mills. The fines were numerous. For example, in d ecember 1749 three planters were fined 2.200 reales each because they were caught producing aguardiente , and three owners of pot stills in l a h avana were sentenced to pay a fine of 733 reales each.

The arguments of the h avana planters went unheeded until 1764, when the old monopolistic conceptions of colonial mercantilism began to give way. But before reaching that goal, another, decisive event of Big h istory had to take place: the s even Years’ w ar (1756 –1763). The great conflict between France and g reat Britain for supremacy in e urope and all over the w orld also paved the way for the humble legalization of rum in Cuba. Among the novelties introduced after the restoration of s panish power in l a h avana after the e nglish occupation, a tax was levied on the production of aguardiente de caña , which finally gained the long-awaited official recognition. s ince then, rum became a legitimate part of the sugar industry in Cuba (but not yet throughout the s panish e mpire).

The local authorities understood the importance of rum for the economy of the plantations and the difficulty of enforcing the law, and on various occasions they tried to persuade the s panish g overnment in m adrid to change its mind. h ere is what Francisco Antonio Caxigal de la v ega, g overnor of Cuba between 1747 and 1760, wrote in 1751 to the powerful m inister m arques de la e nsenada: “ r egarding aguardiente de caña i greatly encouraged the planters to continue with their appeals, preparing documents which can explain the situation … i t would be more grievous for this island to deprive it of aguardiente than bread; without aguardiente de caña the hospitals wouldn’t be able to bear the cost of grape spirit. o n top of that, there are days when the grape spirit from the Canary i slands simply cannot be found, except for what is left unsold because spoiled. … And even if the grape spirit from s pain is found, the people don’t want to drink it because they say it burns.” The g overnor concluded by saying that the production of aguardiente de caña could be permitted in exchange for a yearly duty of 10.000 pesos , which the h avana planters ought to pay. But despite everything, a law of 1758 reiterated the prohibition, and we know that in the previous years 9 pot stills had been destroyed in l a h avana alone with heavy fines, and another 12 had been confiscated. i n 1758 the h avana planters launched the last, major offensive for the legalization of aguardiente de caña . They offered to make a donation of 150.000 pesos to the Crown and the introduction of a consumption tax in exchange for the much-desired end of the prohibition. o nce again, the request was unsuccessful and the prohibition was maintained.

As we are going to see in the next marticles.arcoPierini

g ot Rum? September 2022 - 42 Presents The Sugar Mill: Origins and Evolution

g ot Rum? September 2022 - 43

g ot Rum?

September 2022 - 44 i ntroduction s ugarcane ( Saccharum officinarum ) is a perennial grass of the family Poaceae i t is primarily cultivated for its juice, from which alcohol (through fermentation and distillation) and sugar (through dehidration and refining) can be obtained. m ost of the world’s sugarcane is grown in subtropical and tropical areas. i t is commonly accepted today that sugarcane originated in Papua, n ew g uinea, where it was initially domesticated. The plant was then taken to other lands by traders, where its sweet virtues quickly made it a sought-after commodity. i t is also commonly accepted that around 10,000 years ago, the original inhabitants of Papua did not have tools to process the cane, meaning that they likely chewed it raw to extract the juice, which was consumed as-is ( n oël d eerr, The History of Sugar: Volume One ). n ot much written history exists that documents the early extraction of the juice for the purpose of dehydration and formation of sugar crystals until the publication of De Materia Medica , a pharmacopoeia of medicinal plants and the medicines that can be obtained from them, which was written between the years 50 and 70 of the current era by Pedanius d ioscorides, a g reek physician in the r oman army. This is the oldest record documenting the existence of crystalized sugar, which was used at the time to “treat indigestion and stomach ailments.” h ow did people manage to extract the dissolved sugar from the juice? The answers to this question are at the core of this series. s o join us, as we explore this fascinating topic!

Part 9: Rollers, More Rollers, and Battling c orrosion i n Part 8 of this series, we explored e ugene Powell’s and g . h . l aub’s inventions. Powell’s invention consisted of five small rollers that exerted pressure on a larger, central cylinder. Taking the concept of “ more is better ” to the next level, T. g rundmann (from s tephenson, i llinois) designed an invention that incorporated a total of eight rollers, laid out in four sets of two rollers each, placed in a square frame affixed around a large, central cylinder (see diagrams on page 44). g rundmann applied for, and was granted us Patent number 27,900 on April 17, 1860. u p to this point, all the inventions featured in this series have been aimed at increasing the quantity of extracted sugarcane juice and to reducing the amount of time needed for said extraction. Both of these conditions were driven by the large market demand for osugar.xidation and Corrosion w hen sugarcane juice is squeezed out of the cane (when it is “expressed”), the juice comes into contact with the surfaces of the instruments being employed to express it: gears, rollers, pans, etc. Cast iron is very susceptible to corrosion and the p h and Brix (sugar content) of the cane juice make it an excellent corrosive agent. The downside of the corrosion is twofold: first is the damage to the equipment involved (reduced operating life) and second is the damage

g ot Rum? September 2022 - 45

September 2022 - 47September 2022 - 47 application can be seen above, and the accompanying diagram is shown to the ennis was awarded us Patent 22,711 on January 25, 1859.

g ot Rum? September 2022 - 48

Sugar Mill Spotlight

Former sugarcane factory at the m ariënburg Plantation in s uriname, s outh America. m ariënburg was founded as a sugar plantation by m aria de la Jaille in 1745. The plantation was later abandoned and was purchased by the n etherlands Trading s ociety ( nhm ) in 1882. The nhm operated the plantation in part with Javanese indentured laborers from the then d utch e ast i ndies. Join us again next month, as we continue to explore this fascinating topic! g ot Rum? September 2022 - 49

g ot Rum? September 2022 - 50

B ayou R u M and the n EW o R l E an S S ain TS Bayou r um has become the o fficial r um of the n ew o rleans s aints, s uper Bowl xliv champions. This collaboration brings together the best of the n F l and the best of craft spirits to deliver an exceptional experience for the fans. s tarting with the 2022 season the multi-year agreement will bring Bayou r um, l ouisiana’s quintessential craft rum, to the s aints n ation. The partnership celebrates the finest of the s outh and showcases the spirit and the pride of l ouisiana. s tarting with pre-season, Bayou r um will be featured at s aints s uperdome concession bars, mobile bars and suites. The suite menus will include Bayou r um xo , s ingle Barrel, r eserve, w hite and s piced. Bayou r um. The Bayou- s aints partnership will also be promoted at retail locations, bars and restaurants across the state of l ouisiana and beyond. The Bayou- s aints partnership will also be celebrated with a Bayou xo s aints l imited e dition r elease of only 5,000 bottles that will be available nationwide starting in o ctober. Bayou xo has won gold medals at major spirits competitions and recently earned a 95 rating from The Tasting Panel m agazine. Additionally, s aints will handpick a Bayou r um s ingle Barrel at the distillery and receive a private bottling of that cask. “ w e are thrilled that Bayou r um, our l ouisiana-made, handcrafted rum, was selected to represent the best

These are the most recent and noteworthy headlines in the rum industry. i f you want us to share your news with our readers, please send me an email to: m ike@gotrum.com.

R u M in T h E n EWS by m ike Kunetka

g ot Rum? September 2022 - 51 of the state,” says d amian m cKinney, C eo of s toli g roup. “ l ike The n ew o rleans s aints, we live and breathe l ouisiana pride. w e look forward to delivering the ultimate experience for fans at s uperdome, across l ouisiana, and beyond.” Bayou r um’s passion for bringing back the art of American rum-making is only matched by n F l fans’ passion for the game they love, American football. Bayou® r um is crafted with locally grown fresh sugarcane molasses, distilled twice in copper pot stills, and aged in bourbon and sherry casks at its craft distillery in l acassine, l ouisiana. “ w e are excited to partner with Bayou r um on this unique and first of its kind offering for our fans,” said President of the n ew o rleans s aints d ennis l auscha. “Bayou r um is passionate about bringing back the art of American rum, thinking creatively and enhancing the quality of our fans’ gameday experience.” Bayou r um is crafted with locally grown fresh sugarcane molasses, distilled twice in copper pot stills, and aged in bourbon and sherry casks at its craft distillery in l acassine, l ouisiana. https://bayourum.com/, https:// www.neworleanssaints.com/

R u M ha VE n and SEW ing D o W n S ou T h s pirit of g allo’s r um h aven announced an exciting new partnership with s outhern Charm star and s ewing d own s outh co-founder, Craig Conover. To help home enthusiasts experience a more blissful living experience, r um h aven and s ewing d own s outh are releasing a limited-edition capsule ‘Coconut Collection’ that will transform any home into a tropical paradise. w ith increased time spent at home, the desire to turn personal spaces into a relaxing retreat has surged. The Coconut Collection from r um h aven by s ewing d own s outh was born out of the idea that everyone should feel inspired to find a piece of paradise in the comfort of their home. n o travel needed. The collection, available for only a limited time, consists of three products in a custom, never before seen tropical print inspired by one of r um h aven’s key ingredients, real coconut water.

“ w e believe in the importance of making space for naturally rejuvenating moments in the comfort of one’s home,” says Brandon l ieb, v P of m arketing for s pirit of g allo. “ o ur partnership with s ewing d own s outh has allowed us to physically bring this to life for our fans through the items in the collection, which will help them transform their homes into the haven they’ve always dreamed of, all while enjoying a r um h aven cocktail.” “ s ewing and design have always been a point of inspiration and a way for me to decompress,” says s ewing d own s outh cofounder, Craig Conover. “That’s why i ’m so excited to partner with r um h aven to create a collection with the intent to help others decompress and create a relaxing, natural-inspired space.” r um h aven is an uncomplicated spirit made with premium Caribbean rum, real coconut water and pure cane sugar offering a clean and refreshing taste without artificial flavors or preservatives, bottled at 42 proof. r um h aven is part of s pirit of g allo, an award-winning spirits portfolio that includes e &J Brandy, Camarena Tequila, h igh n oon, n ew Amsterdam v odka, r umChata and more. s ewing d own s outh was founded by Craig Conover, the star of Bravo’s hit reality T v show, s outhern Charm. s ewing has been a point of inspiration, an outlet for creativity, a method to decompress, and a way to stay true to himself. Craig carefully handpicks the patterns and designs, taking inspiration from Charleston, the coastal city in which the brand was sewingdownsouth.com/https://www.rumhaven.com/,founded.https://www.

flo R de cana and T al ES of the coc KT ail foun D a T ion Flor de Caña r um and the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation have teamed up to launch the s ustainable Cocktail Challenge, a global competition that aims to inspire the bartending community to build a greener future together by creating spectacular cocktails using sustainable ingredients and techniques. Julio Cabrera, one of the industry’s most celebrated and influential bartenders, announced the competition at the 20th annual Tales of the Cocktail. Cabrera invited bartenders in the u s . to register for the competition. All participants who register will have access to educational material focused on sustainable and ethical practices behind the bar, developed by industry experts. The s ustainable Cocktail Challenge u s finals will occur throughout the month of s eptember in m iami, Austin, l os Angeles, and Boston. e ach final will feature a panel of judges including representatives of Tales of the Cocktail Foundation and other established industry personalities who will evaluate the cocktails based on elements such as story and inspiration, the use of sustainable ingredients/techniques and the level of creativity, and flavor and appearance. The four winners of the local u s . finals of the s ustainable Cocktail Challenge will each receive a $1,200 prize, a super-premium bartender kit, a personalized bottle of Flor de Caña 25 Year r um, and the opportunity to participate in the n orth American r egional Final that will take place in n icaragua on o ctober 26th, w orld s ustainability d ay. Furthermore, the winner of the n orth American r egional Final will then be eligible to compete in the g lobal Final of the s ustainable Cocktail Challenge in n icaragua in 2023 for the title of “Flor de Caña w orld’s m ost s ustainable Bartender” and a grand prize of $10,000. The s ustainable Cocktail Challenge is a celebration of the commitment to sustainability of Flor de Caña, a carbon neutral and Fair Trade certified brand, the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation, and their way of collaboratively sharing and promoting these values with the global community of bartenders to build a greener future together. Celebrating 130 years of rum production, Flor de Caña is a 5th generation familyowned premium n icaraguan rum brand that offers a full portfolio of award-winning high quality, naturally aged rums. Flor de Caña rums are distilled using 100% renewable energy and aged in bourbon barrels for up to 30 years at the base of n icaragua’s most active volcano, s an Cristobal. Founded in 2002, Tales of the Cocktail has grown from a small gathering of cocktail

The Tropical Throw Pillow is made with a substantial twill-like woven fabric. This pillow print marries r um h aven’s tropical vibe with s ewing d own s outh’s coastal aesthetic. The Coconut Candle is a soy and hand-poured candle that will send you straight to paradise with its smooth, sweet smells of coconut.

n o oasis is complete without a refreshing drink! The Cocktail Coaster s et is adorned with the limitededition design will keep your table watermark-free.

lovers into the world’s premier cocktail festival. e ach year the international spirits industry is welcomed to n ew o rleans for a week of seminars, tastings, networking events and much more. w ith 300+ annual events developed specifically for bartenders, distillers and other spirits professionals, Tales of the Cocktail is the industry’s annual meeting place for the exchange of new ideas, products, and techniques https:// flordecana.com/ https://talesofthecocktail.org/, https:// flordecanachallenge.com/

l aunched in n ew York by proud Trinidadian m arcKwesi Farrell in the summer of 2019, Ten to o ne is a range of ultra-premium Caribbean rums designed to challenge expectations and change the way people taste, experience, and talk about rum. i n o ctober 2021, it was announced that r &B singer-songwriter Ciara would join Ten to o ne as an investor, co-owner, and director. https://www.tentoonerum.com/ www. pronghorn.co hol MES cay h olmes Cay r um is launching a fall collection of four limited edition strength rums aged from 8 to 16 years. These barrels are selected for excellence within their flavor categories to showcase the diversity of rum distillers from around the world. s aid h olmes Cay founder e ric Kaye, “These four extremely limited cask selections from Belize, Jamaica and Australia stand out in different ways, but all are examples of the value that h olmes Cay puts on selecting great aged rums distilled and bottled without additives.

• The Belize 2006 is another great example of the collaboration between Travellers and h olmes Cay r um and one of very few fully tropically aged, single cask rums that you will find from this distillery. The Belize 2006 16 Year is a molassesbased column still rum produced at Travellers l iquors d istillery in Belize. Produced on a manually operated column still and 100% tropically aged and bottled in Belize, four casks were selected and individually bottled at 61% alcohol by volume.

PR ongho R n and TE n T o on E R u M Pronghorn has announced its investment in Ten To o ne, the award-winning Caribbean rum brand founded by C eo m arc Farrell and co-owned by gr A mm Ywinning artist, Ciara. Pronghorn will make a capital investment in the brand and will provide access to its supercharging services, designed to help Ten To o ne scale its business. According to Pronghorn, less than 1% of spirits brand acquisitions in the u s have been Black owned. To generate wealth and drive acquisitions, Pronghorn will serve as a hybrid incubator and accelerator, making capital investments in Black owned brands, while also providing capabilities that allow brands to leverage industryleading knowledge and resources to realize their brand’s ambitions. “Pronghorn’s goal is to cultivate the next generation of Black entrepreneurs, executive leaders, and founders within the spirits industry. w e are thrilled to kick off the first of 57 investments in Black-owned spirits brands that will be made over the next ten years with Ten To o ne r um,” said e rin h arris, Co-Founder, Pronghorn. “ d iverse representation in entrepreneurship will drive innovation, and Ten To o ne is a leading example of that through its continued reimagination of the rum category.” Awardwinning Ten To o ne Caribbean rum was founded in 2019 by entrepreneur and former s tarbucks s enior v ice President, m arc Farrell. Through his creation, Farrell hopes to elevate the experience of consuming Caribbean rum and highlight its versatility. The name Ten To o ne comes from a quote from d r. e ric w illiams, Trinidad and Tobago’s first Prime m inister when discussing the first Caribbean federation of 10 countries, who said “ o ne from ten leaves zero”, conveying the idea that we are stronger together than apart. “Pronghorn’s team are spirits industry gamechangers,” said Ciara, Co- o wner, Ten To o ne. “ i t’s rewarding to see these creative minds rally around a brand and a mission that i am so passionate about and enable a path to excellence that uplifts and supports Black entrepreneurs.” To commemorate the investment, g rammy-award winning artist, and cofounder of Ten To o ne Caribbean r um, Ciara joined C eo m arc Farrell at an intimate event at the g athering s pot, a private members only club in l os Angeles on August 18th. The duo toasted the big announcement alongside Pronghorn co-founders d ia s imms, e rin h arris, and d an s anborn while guests enjoyed Ten To o ne cocktails, beats by d J mos and inspiring conversations Pronghorn is focused on cultivating the next generation of Black entrepreneurs, executive leaders, and founders within the spirits industry. Through sustainable capital investments, incubation, and recruitment programs, Pronghorn removes barriers and grants access to critical resources that empowers untapped talent and emerging Black businesses to reach their full potential. The company was co-founded by spirits industry veterans d ia s imms, e rin h arris, and d an s anborn. The pronghorn is the fastest n orth American land mammal and can endure speeds for miles. i nspired by our namesake, Pronghorn believes creating real change is a marathon, not a sprint.

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• The Jamaica i TP is h olmes Cay’s first release from the storied l ong Pond d istillery. Founded in 1753, the l ong Pond d istillery is now a part of n ational r ums of Jamaica. This all-molasses rum is a single, light ester mark, called the i ve Trelawny Pot ( i TP.) i t was produced on their historic John d ore copper pot still and 100% tropically aged in Jamaica in ex-bourbon barrels. Three casks were individually bottled at a flavorful 56% alcohol by volume. The low ester pot still expression has a classic Jamaican intensity thanks to 100 percent tropical aging.

• The Jamaica em B 2014 comes from the Clarendon d istillery, also part of n ational r ums of Jamaica. This medium ester style rum mark is made with a molasses base, open fermentation and

• The Australia Beenleigh 2012 edition, an all molasses, 100% pot still rum, was produced at Beenleigh Artisan d istillery in Queensland, Australia. Aged in Australia for 6 years in American oak, it then spent an additional 4 years in exbourbon casks in the u K. Four barrels were selected for the Australia Beenleigh 2012 edition, individually bottled in n ew York s tate at 61% alcohol by volume.

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K o hana D i ST ill ERS

September 2022 - 53 pot distillation. i t was 100% aged in Jamaica in ex-bourbon barrels, and three barrels were individually bottled at 61% alcohol by volume. Kaye said, “As a leading us independent rum importer, this collection of h olmes Cay expressions promises a diversity of flavors, and as important, exceptional quality. n ot only is there a very limited supply of these expressions, but each one deserves to be savored and enjoyed on its own merits.” e ric Kaye founded h olmes Cay r um in 2019. Frustrated that access to cask strength rums without additives was limited in the u nited s tates, Kaye saw an opportunity to focus on the hard-to-obtain aged expressions that he had encountered in e urope and the Caribbean, while championing increased transparency across the category. h olmes Cay (pronounced ‘key’) r um curates a continuously evolving collection of the best small-batch, limited-edition rums, distilled and bottled without additives. s ingle Cask editions are aged in cask, while s ingle o rigin editions combine multiple casks and production styles to create exciting expressions from a given distillery or region. https:// www.holmescay.com

Ko h ana announced the first release of their rum series that will show off their creative capabilities as a craft distillery. e ach release will be a one of a kind expression showcasing what Kō Hana is all about: kō (Hawaiian sugarcane), terroir, and integrity. Kō Hana is their way of sharing their story, their culture, and their commitment to making world class rum from the most isolated islands in the world. For the first batch of the d istiller’s s eries, Ko h ana proofed unaged Kea to 50% abv or 100 proof to concentrate the fabulously funky grassy Agricole bouquet. They selected the kō m anulele, a varietal rooted deep in h awaiian tradition. m anulele, or the “flying bird,” is the most referenced cane in hana aloha (love magic), a ceremony in which prayers fly like a bird to a distant love in hopes of being brought together. e ach bottle is numbered and etched with a d istiller’s s elect label detailing the unique attributes of the kō from the field where it was planted, nurtured, and harvested to the still in which it was created. This rum is going to transport you straight to our tropical sugarcane fields! At 50% abv, it packs a punch of creamy tropical fruit notes with hints of jasmine and orange blossom on the nose. s mooth flavors of sweet cream, pear, pineapple and a slight minerality rest on the palate. w e hope you fall in love with this truly one of a kind h awaiian Agricole r um! https://www.kohanarum.com/

hilT on h E a D D i ST ill ER y h ilton h ead d istillery is thrilled to announce the upcoming launch of its Panela and s olera r um products at the distillery and retail locations across s outh Carolina. l imited batches of each unique copper pot-distilled rum will be released. h ilton h ead d istillery is the only distillery in the continental u nited s tates that produces Panela r um. Panela r um is made from dehydrated sugar cane grown on a third-generation family farm in Colombia.

The rum is then aged in a mixture of 49+ port wine casks and bourbon barrels. e ach batch is blended to perfection by its master distiller, w hitney m eriwether. The finished product is a navy-strength rum with a smooth character and full-bodied sugarcane flavor. h ilton h ead produces an array of award-winning distilled spirits and is ranked TripAdvisor’s #1 Thing to d o on the island. Founded in 2015, the distillery is inspired by American rum and whiskey heritage. The distillery offers educational tastings, tours and interactive and entertaining cocktail classes. h ilton h ead is the perfect place to learn about craft spirits and taste some of the best distilled spirits in the country. At h ilton h ead d istillery, they believe in crafting new experiences that are adventurous, indulgent and rooted in tradition. u sing a combination of age-old distillation techniques and modern technology, they patiently craft their spirits the only way they know how: by hand and in small batches. They approach every batch with a sense of respect for the traditions that came before them, as well as a thirst for creation and innovation in the name of progress. e ach of their spirits has a unique personality that brings a nostalgic feel, yet fresh perspective to the cocktail table. From their flagship rum to their small-batch bourbon and everything in between, h ilton h ead d istillery is dedicated to creating world-class spirits. https://hiltonheaddistillery.com/ B aca RD i Bacardí has released the second edition in its limitededition cask finish series, Bacardí r eserva o cho r ye Cask Finish. The new offering follows last year’s inaugural release, Bacardí r eserva o cho s herry Cask Finish. m oving forward, a Cask Finish s eries variant will debut every August through 2025. Bacardí r eserva o cho r ye Cask Finish is aged in American oak barrels for eight to 12 years and finished in rye casks during the final two months. The result is a velvety and luxurious liquid recommended enjoyed neat or on the rocks. A deep, rich mahogany in color, the rum offers aromas of gingerbread, maple sugar, and a hint of spiciness. The palate delivers distinct smoky notes interlaced with wood, caramelized brown sugar, and subtle vanilla. e ach limited-edition bottle of Bacardí r eserva o cho r ye Cask Finish features a unique marque number and the year of production, as well as a higher proof of 90, or 45% AB v, which differs from the base spirit at 80 proof. “ i n 2018, Bacardí set out to introduce a true, robust portfolio of premium rum offerings spanning four to over 12 years in age. As the leader in the rum category, we’re always challenging ourselves to innovate, introducing new and unique expressions to bring more people into the sippable rum universe.” said l isa Pfenning, v ice President, Bacardí for n orth America. “ r um is in a unique position because it has a natural warmth that invites conviviality and connection, unlike other dark spirits on the market. w hether you’re an experienced drinker or someone new to rum and dark spirits in general, you can easily celebrate that special occasion with BACA rd Í r eserva o cho r ye Cask.” https://www. bacardilimited.com/

Rediscovering Puerto Rico: a c hocolate and Rum Experience

m arco Pierini - r um h istorianP aul’S SP i R i TED TR a VE l

i arrived in Puerto r ico and enjoyed a quiet lunch at Barulllo Taberna Española before i was transported to the Palacio Provincial h otel , located in the heart of o ld s an Juan. This historic 19th century colonial building has been modernized and has been open as a hotel for a little over a year. w alking around o ld s an Juan, there is a fusion of old and new stores and restaurants, the bustle of construction, and the familiar sights and sounds that made me fall in love with the old city years ago. By luck, i found myself standing outside Barrachina , one of two locations in Puerto r ico that claim to be the birthplace of the Piña Colada, and could not resist paying them a visit. o ne d on Q g old Piña Colada later, i continued my exploration, listening to street musicians and beautiful ocean views. After wandering o ld s an Juan for a couple of hours, i returned to the hotel and met my travel companions for dinner, where we visited Chef Yamil Adriel’s restaurant, f abula d uring dinner, we enjoyed the food, discussed the itinerary, and made plans to gather for brunch the next morning.

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The Caribbean i sland of Puerto r ico lies 50 miles east of the d ominican r epublic, 40 miles west of the v irgin i slands, and 1000 miles from the u . s . state of Florida, making it the easternmost island of the g reater Antilles chain. The culture of the island is a fusion of Afro-Caribbean, s panish, and u s . influences that give its populace of 32 million their own distinct identity and spirit. o n s eptember 20th, 2017, category 4 h urricane m aria made landfall on the island, resulting in thousands of lives lost, decimating the island’s infrastructure, from its power grid to its crops. Adding to the challenges of recovery, earthquakes and the C ovid -19 pandemic slowed the restoration of the power grid, infrastructure, and agricultural cornerstones of the island to a crawl. i n 2022, the island continues its recovery and redevelopment on all fronts, and it was a pleasant surprise that i received an invitation from Discover Puerto Rico to attend a whirlwind visit that promised to be a gastronomic journey focused on the chocolate and rum industries of the island.

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Brunch happened to be located at the Chocobar Cortes , just a brief walk from our hotel. Inside, we found a bustling restaurant filled with locals and tourists. The focus of the bar is the chocolatethemed cocktails and food, with local favorites like the Chocobar pancakes, and chocolate grilled cheese; I was hooked. Part of their many offerings is a chocolate and rum tasting featuring the Don Q rum line. While visiting the restaurant, we met with Eduardo Cortes, who is helping establish cacao as one of the crops the island produces for its growing high-end chocolate industry. The Cortes family had successfully worked with cacao farmers in the Dominican Republic and Mr. Cortes was bringing that hard-earned knowledge to Puerto Rico to help farmers grow the trees and harvest the pods that contain the cacao beans. He educated us on the Cortes and Forteza chocolate lines and how the products were used, from candy bars to baking. The staff of Chocobar guided us through a tasting that featured three rums from the island: Barrlito Three Star, Don Q Gran Reserva, and Bacardi Reserva Limitada, paired with three types of Forteza chocolates. We concluded our time at Chocobar and with the Forteza team by visiting the Fundación Cortes art gallery above Chocobar. The combination of paintings, fabric art, sculptures, and historical imagery was delightful to explore, and we moved on to our next stop with our stomachs and minds full of information from this special experience.

The second stop of the day was at the “Cathedral of Rum”, Casa Bacardi . It had been eight years since I had last visited the distillery, and I noticed quite a few changes during our tour. The distillery produces rum using stills and ages its products in Puerto Rico and Mexico using once-used American White Oak Bourbon barrels. The tour shares the company’s story, the origin and legacy of the brand over the years, with quite a few relics spanning Bacardi’s history. In true tour fashion, you exit through the gift shop and can purchase the distillery’s special reserve. We had the opportunity to participate in a behind-the-scenes tour and attend a rum and chocolate pairing featuring Cuatro, Ocho, Diez, and the distillery reserve that deepened our education and appreciation of how these flavors augmented each other. After our experience at Casa Bacardi, we returned to the Palacio Provincial hotel, freshened up for a Caribbean-influenced dining

September 2022 - 56 experience. We drove over to Antillano , a restaurant located in the Santurce barrio of San Juan, and explored a variety of flavors during the tapas experience. The morning of our final day on the island found us traveling to the municipality of Fajardo, where the Hacienda Chocolat is located. The views overlooking the El Yunque Forest were breathtaking as we heard the Coqui frogs and watched the Red Tail Hawks ride the slipstreams. We met our guide at the base camp, and she took us on an agricultural tour of the farm. As we ascended the hill, we learned of the importance of the biodiverse farm, where we encountered pineapple plants, lemon trees, vanilla, cinnamon trees, bananas, rosemary bushes, and sugar cane all growing in and around cacao trees. It was interesting to learn how collectively all these plants work together to attract the pollinators needed to thrive. When we reached the hacienda, we enjoyed a chocolate and rum tasting paired with whiskey, tequila and rum. The tequila was a bit of a bust, but both the rum and whiskey paired well, and you could not beat the view. We departed the hacienda for lunch at Bacao Finca + Fagon , a farm-to-table experience where all ingredients used are either locally grown or caught. They served us a feast of grilled and smoked traditional Puerto Rican dishes that were divine. Eating and learning about the cultural ties of each dish elevated the entire experience. Our final stop of the day was a chocolate making class at Montadero Chocolate , led by owner German Ramos. He taught us about his family’s legacy of making

g ot Rum?

September 2022 - 57 fine chocolates, the challenges and inspirations of the industry, and then guided us through a hands-on experience making our own chocolate bars. He also taught us his methods for pairing rum and chocolate, with his own insights about the best way to approach the subject. We returned to the hotel and that evening were treated to a special Chef’s Table dinner by Chef Victor Torres and his team that formed the perfect conclusion to our time Earlytogether.thenext morning, I returned to the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport for my return flight home. I could not resist taking the time to check out the DutyFree shops to see the chocolate and rum offerings available. Most of what was available rum wise I could find at home, with a few interesting exceptions, but I found my understanding and appreciation of the chocolates I found in the shops greatly improved. As I sat waiting for my flight, I reflected upon the challenges the island is currently facing, how the spirit of perseverance and goals of sustainability were an underlying theme throughout the trip. I am grateful to the Discover Puerto Rico team for this opportunity and for everything learned during this experience. I am grateful for the knowledge I have gained about both the chocolate and rum industries, and my desire to return to Puerto Rico to see more of the island and to visit more of the distilleries is reinvigorated. There is just so much more to see and learn about this beautiful island.

g ot Rum?

g ot Rum? September 2022 - 58 Q: What is your full name, title, company name and company location? m arianne e aves, m aster d istiller, e aves ll C based in l exington, Kentucky Q: you earned a c hemical Engineering degree from the u niversity of l ouisville in Kentucky. Did this degree fully prepare you for the distilled spirits industry or did you need to obtain industry-specific knowledge elsewhere? i believe that my chemical engineering degree was absolutely necessary to coming into the industry the way i did (as a process research and development engineer) and developing the depth of understanding of not just the surface actions that are followed to make spirits, but the underlying chemical processes and EX clu S i VE in TERV i EW by m argaret Ayala m arianne e aves, m aster d istiller, e aves ll C, l exington, Kentucky, us A. There are few things i love more than sharing inspiring stories of exceptional people in the r um industry. m arianne’s story is fascinating and motivating, a testament to the power of passion and achievingnperseverance.otsatisfiedwithmastery in the Bourbon world, she is now focusing her expertise and passion on r um, and she’s hit the ground running! s he is an inspiring person and a true asset to any team she joins. Cheers! m argaret Ayala, Publisher

September 2022 - 59 reactions that make every single decision a flavor changing one. i will say that in my time at Brown-Forman, with some of the finest engineers and distillers as mentors, my understanding of the artistic aspect of spirits really flourished. i had very little appreciation for this aspect as an engineering student. As a young graduate i could have planned and built a very clean and high yielding distillery, but it really took some time working with industry vets to understand how to make it taste good!

Q: you’ve definitely proven your skills in the Bourbon world, being recognized by your peers and by trade publications ( f orbes and Whiskey a dvocate) as a leading industry figure. you also made history as the first f emale Bourbon Master Distiller since prohibition, this is fantastic! c an you tell us more about this journey, the challenges you faced and your accomplishments?

g ot Rum?

i came into the world of Bourbon as someone who knew absolutely nothing about the spirit, but found a passion for it along the way. i raced up the rungs of the corporate ladder because i was not afraid of hard work and knew the value i could bring to the table. i think much of this early confidence came from my early failures as a business owner. i helped my mom open a business when i was right out of high school and we didn’t make it very long, but i learned a lot of lessons and some of it was a confidence in decision making and my ability to learn new skills quickly that set me apart from my younger traditional college age peers. The experience i gained in 6 years working for one of the world’s largest spirit makers, felt like the

Q: Do you think there are many parallels between Rum and Bourbon or are they completely different spirits? Rum and Bourbon have parallels, and I actually have been told that what I created was the “Bourbon drinkers Rum,” and yet at the same time folks have also told me that they would never drink Bourbon and they like it alot. So it’s still very much a Rum, but you can sip it neat like a Bourbon and still enjoy it very much.

Q: Our readers may be wondering why I am interviewing you for our magazine, but you definitely are no stranger to Rum. Can you please tell us what made you decide to venture into the world of Rum? What can you share about your most recent Rum project? Having worked for Brown-Forman who had owned a Rum prior to my employment, I wasn’t entirely unfamiliar with it, but was still very focused on their active and growing Bourbon portfolio. I have had a fascination with Rum for a long time, my father was a Rum lover and would occasionally bring samples of new bottles he found to the distillery where I worked from time to time. When I was approached later as a consultant to be a part of building a new American Rum brand I was so excited! For my client, Otherland Society, I have produced a Rum blend of Caribbean and South American Rums. The long term goal is to use the owner’s family’s own Florida grown sugar cane to create their own proprietary style.

Q: Rum producers use primarily exWhiskey barrels to age Rum, often without much distinction between the different Whiskey types that previously filled the casks. As someone with intimate knowledge of both worlds, what advice can you give those aging Rum about the importance of differentiating, for example, between ex-Rye Whiskey barrels and ex-Bourbon barrels or between the different char levels?

The most important part of using an exanything barrel is understanding the age the product was when it was removed and then how “fresh” your barrel is. If it’s been sitting around for a year after being dumped it really isn’t going to offer much from whatever it contained, and the barrel regardless of the recipe will probably be

I am no mixologist, but I do think that the Rum that I created goes great in traditional Rum recipes as well as traditional Bourbon recipe drinks.

Q: How about cocktails? Do you think Rum is more or less versatile than Bourbon? Do you have a favorite Rum cocktail? I think they are both very versatile in cocktails, perhaps leaning a little towards different styles, I honestly just can’t see a Bourbon forward tiki cocktail, but I’m sure someone will prove me wrong there!

Q: This sounds fantastic! How did you approach the blending for this Rum? Did you have a particular end goal in mind from the beginning or did you let your artistic side inspire and guide you along the way? Rum Central was an enormous help with my approach and this process was actually VERY different from my normal Bourbon blending process. My clients had a particular product that they wanted to target a similar profile. Using 4 profiles from Rum Central I created multiple blends in a couple rounds, each round they preferred my blends to their original preferred off the shelf product, and we eventually narrowed down to what is now their Wild Hare Dark Rum. It was very much about the final quality and flavor and how the product would express itself in a cocktail.

g ot Rum? September 2022 - 61 equivalent of double that. I was relentless in my pursuit of knowledge, my boss at the time called me a “voracious learner. I was offered the chance to train to become Brown-Forman’s Master Taster, which I achieved in what they assessed as “record time”. And a year after that I was listed on the Forbes 30 under 30 for Food and Beverage and then had the chance to make my mark in history in becoming Kentucky’s First Female Master Distiller.

Q: If people want to contact you, how may they reach you?

g ot Rum?

instragramMarianneEaves.com,@mariannebmd or @eavesblind Margaret: Again Marianne, thank you so much for this opportunity and I wish you all the best.

September 2022 - 63 quite neutral (especially if the Whiskey was 5 years or less).

I am so grateful for the time I have spent touring around the country. It has absolutely opened my eyes and my mind to flavors and production methods that I had never thought of before!

Q: I’m sure your story will inspire many young people who want to get into the distilled spirits industry. What guidance can you offer someone new, who doesn’t know where or how to get started?

Q: I understand you spend a lot of time on the road now. Does the constant change of scenery help you to remain flexible and curious?

Just start! In whatever way you can. Take time to discover what you are really passionate about, production, story telling, etc… and start picking up books, make friends, join clubs, volunteer (at a distillery) and find openings.

ciga R & R u M P ai R ing by Philip i li Barake

m y name is Philip i li Barake, s ommelier by trade. As a result of working with selected restaurants and wine producers in Chile, i started developing a passion for distilled spirits and cigars. As part of my most recent job, i had the opportunity to visit many Central American countries, as well as, rum distilleries and tobacco Butgrowers.mypassion for spirits and cigars did not end there; in 2010 i had the honor of representing Chile at the i nternational Cigar s ommelier Competition, where i won first place, becoming the first s outh American to ever achieve that feat. n ow i face the challenge of impressing the readers of “ g ot r um?” with what is perhaps the toughest task for a s ommelier: discussing pairings while being well aware that there are as many individual preferences as there are rums and cigars in the world. i believe a pairing is an experience that should not be limited to only two products; 2022 it is something that can be incorporated into our lives. i hope to help our readers discover and appreciate the pleasure of trying new things

#Philipthingsexperiencing(orknowninnewways).grCigarPairing

There are times that are just perfect for a cigar and rum pairing. s ometimes it is because of the people we are with that the moment creates itself. Today’s sky was cloudy, and i was thinking about several pairing ideas. i wanted to enjoy a classic cocktail, such as, a r um o ld Fashioned or a r um n egroni, which i ’ve had before, but those experiences work only if the rum’s character is compatible. For this pairing i selected a limited bottle (no more than 500 bottles were produced) from Clément: i am referring to Clément s ingle Cask, Très v ieux r hum, bottled at 41.6%, unfiltered, made from blue sugarcane juice and aged for around 10 years in exBourbon barrels. The flavor profile is very interesting, the craftmanship associated with the brand, aged for this long, is reminiscent of an American w hiskey, but with a subtle touch of sugarcane essence. i t can be a smooth pairing if combined with an aggressive cigar, but it can also be a very interesting pairing if we manipulate the timing to counterbalance the components. i n other words, i ’ll start by pairing the smoothest part of the cigar with the strongest form of the rum (by drinking it neat), finishing the pairing with the strongest part of the cigar against the smoothest and coolest form of the rum (by consuming it on the rocks). The cigar i selected was a r obusto (5 x 54) from h oyo l a Amistad g old, by AJ Fernández, a cigar with a medium-to-high body, made in n icaragua using e cuadorian leaves as binder and n icaraguan leaves from different regions as filler. This is definitely a very interesting blend for this juxtaposition of flavors and intensities.

c ounterpoint Pairing

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@Cigarilicredit:Photo

i t is time now to start this Counterpoint Pairing. The first third of any cigar is usually the mildest and smoothest and we’ll pair this with the rum neat, without ice, to fully appreciate its undiluted strength and complexity. The cigar lit up very well, with an excellent draw, offering tobacco and freshly-ground coffee notes, along with hints of leather and dry herbs. A promising start to a worthy pairing.

The best thing about this pairing exercise is that it allows us to identify and appreciate each of the elements by itself, without risking having the flavors of one being masked by the attributes of the other.

n ow we move to enjoy the rum on the rocks and something interesting takes place: there is an abundance of smooth vanilla notes, with sweet undertones, but refined nonetheless. This results in a very special pairing during the second third of the cigar.

i sincerely hope that you can get your hands on both of these products, a bit hard to find for sure, but worth the effort.

As far as the rum, the American w hiskey influence was obvious, a result of the long aging, but the spirit of the raw material was unmistakable as well, with subtle traces of orange peel, honey and the characteristic vanilla notes from the w hite American o ak barrels where it was aged.

The second third of the cigar offers a mental escape from our daily problems and it is true heaven for those of us who appreciate these natural pleasures.

PhilipCheers!ili Barake # gr CigarPairing Photo credit: @Cigarili

As we start smoking the second third of the cigar, more aggressive notes start to emerge, from the complexity of the tobaccos in the blend and because, naturally, the cigar is entering into the heart of its expression.

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The truth is that preferences are subjective and, while i ’m not trying to baselessly promote the pairing, i can honestly say that it was one of the most simple, clean and excellent combinations of flavors.

i am also an avid fan of the Cuban brand h oyo de m onterrey, where tradition and perfection are blended with n icaraguan flavors, resulting in one of the best offerings available in that country.

Transforming your rum ideas into reality! Aged rums in Bulk For Your super Premium Brand! www.rumCentral.com RUM