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HomeNewsRum in the CaribbeanHow Rum Got its NameRum DiaryHow to Taste RumRum TastingsAbout the RumelierFavourite RumsRum CollectionLatest AdditionsTHE RUMSTurks & Caicos RumsBambarra RumJamaican Rum TripSt.Kitts Rum TripRum LabelsDa Rum BarCooking with RumRum Shops & RecipesPrevious Rums of the WeekPhoto GalleryUseful LinksGuest Book
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NEWS
Future Rum Tasting Dinners The Rumelier will
be hosting a dinner and rum tasting at Ambergris Cay on Tuesday, November 25th as part of their Thanksgiving
week celebrations. Along with the fine food and premium rums their will also be live reggae music from Stanley Roots. This
promises to be a night to remember at this exclusive island resort. Hopefully Hurricanes Hanna and Ike didn't wreak to
much damage on this tiny island. Update:- It looks like this event has been
cancelled. The resort has recently terminated all the staff that were involved in this event. The economy is being affected
all over the world.
Mystery Rum Bottle The Rumelier recently acquired this interesting old liquor bottle. It supposedly held rum in its younger days. The
glass barrel of the cannon is the actual bottle, while the wooden base is a music box, that unfortunately does not work anymore.
The cap in the barrel acts as the bottle stopper. It is covered in a leather like layer. The canon is about 13"
long and 4" wide and used to play a tune called "How dry I am". If anybody
has any information about this bottle The Rumelier would be very interested to hear from you. The
bottle is a great addition to The Rumelier's rum bottle collection.
RUM OF THE WEEK This weeks rum of the week is Pusser's
Rum Yachting Decanter from the British Virgin Islands.(sort of!!) While in England recently attending the Rumfest, the Rumlier paid a visit
to the historic Naval Dockyards in Portsmouth. After visiting most of the attractions in the dockyard, including Admiral
Nelson's flagship H.M.S. Victory, it was time to visit the shops to see if they had any bottles of rum. One bottle
stood out more than any other, it was the beautiful bottle pictured above, from Pusser's Rum. This
decanter pays tribute to the history of yacht racing. Many consider that the first recorded yacht race took place under
King Charles II on September 6th 1662 out of Greenwich, England. The feature scene around
the base was painted by world-renowned marine artist, A.D. Blake of New Zealand, and depicts most of the modern rigs that
are sailing today, and all of the Olympic classes. The shoulder of the decanter has names of the current world's most
prestigious yacht races: The America's Cup, the Transpac, the Volvo Ocean Race, Fastnet, Vendee Globe, Chicago-Mackinac,
the Bermuda Race, the Admiral's Cup and the Sydney to Hobart. Three smaller cameos are
also adorn the shoulder: Captain Joshua Slocum's "Spray". Captain Slocum was the first man to sail alone around
the world, which he did from 1895-1898. The Schooner "America" was the winner of the first America's Cup Racein
1851. The "Jolie Brise" the winner of the first Fastnet Race in 1925.
Pusser's is a rum that was produced originally on Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. However the company was recently sold and The Rumelier saw the rum being bottled in Trinidad. The purser on a naval ship was the person who issued the daily rum ration to the sailors. The word pusser was slang for purser, who is called a Logistics Officer in todays navy. The rum ration was discontinued in 1970 and the remaining rum was sold off and moved to Gibraltar, where it was purchased by Brian Cornford. In 1979, nearly a decade after the Royal Navy abandoned the custom of the daily rum ration, Charles Tobias obtained the rights to the blending information associated with the naval rum ration and formed a company to produce the spirit according to the original Admiralty recipe. This was a blend of five West Indian rums without colouring agents. The Royal Navy Sailor's Fund receives royalties from the proceeds of each bottle of rum sold, and is now the charity's largest source of income. Some people say the reason why Pusser's Rum has been so successful is because it has several characteristics in common with a scotch whisky, even though it is distilled from molasses. This may have been a result of the British Navy developing a scotchlike rum due to tastes of enlisted men at the time. It is also said that Pusser's owes its rich and unique flavour to its distillation in old wooden pot stills. It is hand-drafted in the inefficient and costly old way in wooden pot stills. Pusser's only distills its rum to about 57% as opposed to the usual 89% in modern column stills. How much of these facts is true will probably remain a mystery to most of us. Tasting Notes:- Pusser's Rum Yachting Decanter from the British Virgin Islands. This is a fine rum, make no mistake. The last sample The Rumelier had was so memorable, it was hard to put the glass down. Even though it is hard to find out actually where the rum originates from in each blend, it reminded The Rumelier very much of Jamaican rum, even though its roots are supposed to be from Guyana and Trinidad. The advertised whisky notes were definitely present. This is also present in some of the Appleton rums, and Appleton Special Gold was specifically designed to fill a gap in the whisky market after World War Two, when it was called Appleton Estate Special. The presence of oak in the glass is very obvious, definitely an influence from the oak pot still it is distilled in and the extensive aging in oak barrels. The rum is fairly sweet to taste. This a very smooth sipping rum that would be wasted in a cocktail. It would warm you up on a cold winter night with a touch of spice in the finish. The best thing about this bottle of rum is that is meant to be re-filled over and over again, which it certainly will be. Very Highly Recommended.
A note on Ships Decanters...Ships decanters had their beginnings in the early naval sailing ships of the Royal Navy, and it would have been an exception to have found a captain's cabin without one, from the smallest to the largest vessel. The general shape began to develop sometime in the second half of the 18th Century, and nothing much is heard of them until a well known British Admiral by the name of Rodney introduced one at a victory celebration on board his flagship following the famous Moonlight Battle and the Battle of the Saints in 1780 and 1782. His decanters had an especially broad base, some of them up to 12 inches in diameter, to ensure stability when used at sea in wardrooms or officer's cabins. It's said that the true test of a ship's decanter is when the shortest distance from the outer edge of the pouring lip to the edge of the base be equal to or greater than the outer circumference of the pouring lip. This was the "Rodney" test.
Bambarra Rum Launch The newest rum from the Turks and Caicos Islands will be officially launched at Nikki Beach Resort in Leeward, Providenciales on Saturday 29th, November, 2008. This is an all black affair, everybody is expected to wear black clothes and entry will be by invitation only. All sorts of cocktails will be available containing the exciting new line of Bambarra Rum. There is a two year old silver rum, a two year old gold rum and an eight year old reserve rum. The silver and the gold are ideal for mixing in your favourite cocktails, while the reserve has been designed as a premium sipping rum, to be drunk neat or on the rocks, maybe with a splash of water or lime juice. The Rumelier will be present to answer any questions about the rum and answer any other questions about rum in general. Bambarra Rums will also be available earlier in the day at the annual Conch Festival (see below for more information) and on the Friday night at a pre-launch party at The Players Club. This promises to be a great weekend of rum drinking!! For more information contact The Rumelier at the address shown at the bottom of this page.
Conch Festival Bacardi Mojito Challenge
The Annual Turks and Caicos Conch Festival will be held on November 29th in Blue Hills
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, from noon until 6pm. One of the side features of
the Conch Festival is the Bacardi Mojito Challenge. The Rumelier will be acting as head
judge for the Bacardi Mojito Challenge, where he hopes to taste some of the best Mojitos, being concocted by some of
the finest bartenders in the country. Last years winner, Marvin Mullings is hoping to defend
his title. The winners will receive cash prizes. The whole Conch festival is a great day out
for all the family, click on the logo above to go directly to their website. Let the
conchetition begin!!
Great Tasting Glass With a Lid The Rumelier recently discovered this bespoke crystal whisky tasting glass from the makers of Glenmorangie, that comes with it's own lid. What a fantastic idea. This will enhance the tasting experience for any serious rum or whisky drinker. Currently The Rumelier uses the top of a pack of Pringles chips as a lid, certainly not the most flattering item to use on a refined tasting glass when it is full with a twenty five year old rum. The lid will trap the various aromas from your favourite liquor inside the glass, so you can experience all its full flavours. Hopefully these glasses will become commercially available one day for everybody to enjoy.
New Look for Cruzan Rum Bottles
Cruzan Rums from the US Virgin Islands will be getting a facelift in the very near future. Beam Brands recently took over the Cruzan Rum portfolio from V & S, who were already in the middle of the package redesign. Beam Brands have decided to continue with this re-design of their complete range of rums. The aged rums are already being bottled in their new package, with the flavoured rums and rum cream to follow in the coming months. As you can see from the photographs above and below these rums will be an attractive addition to any rum collection. Lets hope the rum continues to remain the same high quality rum that we are all used to, in keeping with the Nelthropp family tradition.
THE RUM FEST PUERTO RICO RUM & FOOD FESTIVAL Exciting news out of Puerto Rico is that a Rum Fest is being held next year in San Juan. The dates of the festival are Saturday January 31st and Sunday February 1st, 2009. Included in the festival will be the Puerto Rico International Rum Competition. Sponsors of the event include "Compania de Turismo", "Rums of Puerto Rico" "Ministry of Rum" and "Caña Restaurant". The Puerto Rican International Rum Competition:- The Rum Festival will be the island's official National - Caribbean Rum Festival and Competition. The event will be held at Paseo La Princesa, Viejo San Juan during the weekend of Jan. 31st to Feb.1st 2009. Puerto Rico is known for its world-class rum and as the Rum Capital of the World. Thus, the importance of hosting such a cutting-edge event. The Rum Festival is the ideal setting for rum connoisseurs world-wide, attracting visitors from Europe, Latin America, the United States mainland and the neighbouring islands of the Caribbean. Visitors will experience a wide variety of local and international rums, great food from Purto Rico and participating neigbouring islands. They will also experience live music and enjoy a feast of Puerto Rican joyful energy, culinary and musical richness and culture. The Festival will host the Puerto Rico International Rum Competition: A rum tasting contest featuring international and local rums judged by an honorary panel of respected and world renowned Rum Experts, Magazine Editors, National TV Anchors and celebrity personalities. Throughout the years The Rum Fest is destined to attract nationwide media and news in order to promote Puerto Rican rum as a great Rum and Vacation Destination. The Rumelier will post more updates on this site as they happen. Of course he is hoping to attend the first addition of Rum Fest and hopefully many more in the future. Click here or on the logo above or below to get to The Rum Fest website for the most uptodate news.
NEW BACARDI CONCEPT STORE The Bacardi family has opened up a new concept store in downtown Nassau, Bahamas. In a move seen by many local people to appease the local population after Bacardi's decision to close it's Nassau distillery, it has opened a two storey retail store that will not only sell it's complete range of alcoholic products, but it will also sell a complete range of branded items from t-shirts to golf bags. Among the liquors being sold will be some of their limited addition products, such as Rubi Rey, Bacardi Reserva Limitada, Dewar's Signature and Aberfeldy Single Malt. The store has been opened by Juan Bacardi, who is owner of the Bahamas based liquor company, Bristol Cellars and is located steps away from the historic straw market on Bay Street and the cruise ship terminal. It is set to become only Bacardi's second store, the other one is at the Casa Bacardi Visitor Center in Puerto Rico. While the distillery is closing down in the near future, it is great to see that Bacardi will have a lasting legacy in New Providence and the Bahamas. Hopefully the new store might become a small museum for the closing distillery, so that every local person that has some loyalty to Bacardi and it's range of rums will be able to look back with fond memories at the distillery.
NEW WHITE BACARDI RUM While The Rumelier was ordering a glass of Bacardi at the Mojito Bar at Miami Airport recently, a red bottle at the back of the bar caught his eye. What was this attractive red coloured bottle doing with the other familar Bacardi products on the shelf? After asking a few questions, it turned out to be a new white rum called Rubi Rey Reserve Rum, Single Barrel Finished White Rum. Further investigation was needed on The Rumelier's return home after a week in St.Kitts, and this is what he found out:- Rubi Rey Reserve Rum is made in a little town in the north of Puerto Rico called Palo Seco. The rum derives it's taste from the way it is produced. It is aged and stored near the doors in a warehouse where the doors are left open so that the salt air penetrates the oak barrels. It is made in small batches and aged for two to three years in white American oak barrels. The Original Single Barrel Finished White Rum then undergoes a very selective process by which it is hand selected and then slowly blended and drip filtered to achieve the perfect clarity and taste. All the reviews appear to give this rum the thumbs up, even from people who regularly don't drink Bacardi products. It is an exciting change of approach for the Bacardi family, who have not bought out a new white rum for centuries (not including the flavoured ones), could this mean there are more new rums to come. The Rumelier will have to hunt down a bottle on his next travels or have one of his rum mules smuggle a bottle back from the States in the near future. Update Mrs. Rumelier has managed to hunt down a bottle of Rubi Rey on her recent travels to the Bahamas. The Rumelier just got to sample the rum for the first time. It is surprisingly tasty and has a great aroma to it. The taste has a little spice, but has an overall sweet taste to it. This would make a great mixer, the next step will be to try it in some cocktails. The Rumelier did add a twist of fresh key lime after his initial sampling and this made a very good little sipper.
Rubi Rey Tasting Notes Bacardi Rubi Rey Reserve Rum is clear with a creamy and toasty coconut, date and white toffee aroma. A round smooth entry leads to an off-dry medium body of coconut creme brulee and pureed banana flavours, with a spicy, peppery snap. This rum finishes with a tongue warming wave of white pepper, minerals, nuts and vanilla beans. A rather elegant, supple, and delicately sweet white rum that has an attractive nose and flavour, with a tingling finish. SUGAR CANE VODKA Update:- Ceren Vodka was
officially launched in the Turks and Caicos Islands on Friday August 1st 2008 at the new Nikki Beach Resort, Leeward
Marina, Providenciales. The launch coincided with the annual Music Festival.
UNDERWATER RUM! In news coming out of the Cayman Islands recently, there is now available the first commercially produced rum being distilled in the Cayman Islands. However this isn't the most interesting part of the story. The rum in question, Seven Fathoms Premium Rum is being aged in oak barrels 42 feet down on the ocean floor. Due to the underwater ageing the barrels are always being gently rocked by the moving waters and the pressure will alter in the barrel continually as the tide ebbs and flows. Hopefully no hurricanes will hit the Cayman Islands again in the near future. The rum is supposed age more quickly using this unique method, as the pressure of the water forces the rum in and out of the oak staves. The idea was inspired by the old navy ships who carried barrels of rum around the world for their daily rations of "grog". The sailors found out that after months of storing the rum below in the holds while crossing the Atlantic Ocean, that the rum had mellowed and changed colour, making it much more palatable than when it had come straight from the still. So this is just another version of this, but surely much more ingenious. Good luck to the company, Cayman Distillers who are producing this rum. The Rumelier is looking forward to acquiring a bottle of Seven Fathoms Premium Rum and tasting it for himself. Update The Rumelier had a relative bring him back a bottle of Seven Fathoms Premium Rum from the Cayman Islands. The bottle was a small 500ml bottle that retailed for about $US50. The rum bottle had a synthetic cork, unfortunately the cork when opened and re-corked kept trying to escape from the bottle, almost inviting you to sample more. The Rumelier had to find an old cork to keep the bottle closed, a small price to pay for such a great addition to The Rumelier's collection. Apparently this problem has since been solved, as this actual bottle was from the first batch ever produced. The colour is golden brown with an interesting aroma. The flavour was very unique for a rum, with lots of oak. Every rum lover should try and find a bottle of this very original rum. The Rumelier has managed to secure a second bottle of Seven Fathoms (pictured below, left). This is a larger 750ml
size bottle and the cork has been changed to one like they use in Cruzan Single Barrel Rum, a wooden top with natural cork.
This actual bottle is from Batch Number 4.
THE RUMELIER'S TRAVEL LOG
TORTOLA, B.V.I. SUMMER, 2009. The Rumelier is in the very early stages of organising a trip to beautiful Tortola, British Virgin Islands for the
summer of 2009. While there he hopes to visit the small Callwood Distillery, where they make rum from fresh sugar cane juice,
in old copper pot stills. A visit or two to Pusser's Pub will be on the list of things
to do, as will boat trips to neighboring islands, including the US Virgin Islands. This will be The Rumelier's second
visit to Tortola.
MIAMI, FLORIDA, U.S.A. MAY, 2009. The Rumelier will be attending Rum Renaissance Miami in Miami, Florida, May 29th to 31st, 2009. This event is being organised by Robert Burr from the "Gifted Rums Guide" and looks like being a huge event due to Miami's ease of accessibility for most Caribbean rum producers. There will be, amongst other things, rum exhibitions, rum experts, pool and beach parties with live music and great food. Keep coming back for more updates as they become available.
RUMFEST, OCTOBER, 2008, LONDON, ENGLAND. The Rumelier has recently returned from this year's Rumfest in London, England. This was held in the Lawrence Hall, The Royal Horticultural Halls, Victoria, London. October 25th to 26th, 2008. The Rumelier spent ten days in England, with the final three days spent touring around London and visiting the Rumfest. The Rumfest was a well organised event, with numerous rum producers and suppliers on display. All the rums on display were avaialble for tasting and the vast majority were also available for purchase. The Rumelier was lucky enough to spend some time tasting
rums with the Minister of Rum, Ed Hamilton and Gifted Rums Guide publisher Robert Burr. One of the best parts of the
Rumfest was meeting several of the people who produce the actual rums. This was very interesting, and hopefully The Rumelier
will have a chance to go and see some of these rums being distilled for himself in the near future. While in London The Rumelier also paid a visit to Vinopolis. Vinopolis is a wine discovery attraction in the heart
of London. They also have a rum section, which was the main purpose for the visit. Lots of Doorly's XO was consumed during
this short visit. Another attraction visited was the historic Naval Dockyard in Portsmouth. This included a tour of Nelson's
flagship H.M.S. Victory and the Mary Rose. This trip was a great chance to drink some fine
new rums and visit family and old friends and The Rumelier is sure this will become a fixture in his calender in future years. Click on the photo below to go to the Rumfest website.
JAMAICAN RUM TRIP MAY 2008
The Rumelier has just returned from a visit to Jamaica at the end of May. The main purpose of this trip was to visit the Appleton Distillery. He visited both the Nassau Valley, where the rum is produced as well as the headquarters in Kingston where the rum is aged, blended and bottled. This was the Rumelier's third visit to Jamaica, with previous stays in Montego Bay and Ocho Rios. This time he stayed in Port Royal, the old haunt of pirates and buccaneers, such as Henry Morgan, Blackbeard and Calico Jack, some of the first big rum drinkers. Pirates these days have traded in their sailing boats for taxis! The Rumelier also managed to hunt down some of the lesser known rums from Jamaica. Wray and Nephew Overproof Rum is the national drink of Jamaica and The Rumelier was persuaded into sampling a few glasses of this strong rum. This rum accounts for 90% of the rum being sold in Jamaica. He also drank numerous glasses of Edwin Charley Rum, which is currently not avaiable in the Turks and Caicos Islands. This was the most pleasant surprise of the trip. He managed to pick up a bottle of Edwin Charley Enlightenment at the airport on his departure and is looking forward to sampling this rum, one of four in the range. The Rumelier has just managed to place an order for a couple of bottles of the new Appleton 30 Year Old Rum that is to be released shortly. This rum should be a great addition to his collection and he is really looking forward to tasting what should be a great rum. This is a one time limited addition that will not be available again. Only about 1400 bottles of this rum are being made available to the public which will retail for about US$350. Go to the Jamaican Rum Trip page on this site for more details and photos of the trip.
ST. KITTS AND NEVIS RUM TRIP
The Rumelier has just returned from a weeks visit to St.Kitts and Nevis. In his first visit to beautiful St.Kitts and Nevis The Rumelier had a great trip on the narrow gauge sugar cane railway that goes around the island, now called the "Scenic Railway", aswell as visiting an abandoned sugarmill. There were numerous abandoned sugar plantations all over St.Kitts to explore. But mostly, there was lots of rum to discover, especially the local moonshine called "Culture" or "Hammond". The Rumelier was lucky enough to be given a tour of an illegal still during his stay in St.Kitts, surely the highlight of the trip. Brinley's flavoured rums are also bottled on the island and so is CSR, which once was called Cane Spirit Rothschild (CSR) is no longer being produced, after the distillery closed down in 1998. It has now become Cane Spirit Ritchmont and is bottled locally by DDL. Belmont rums are also bottled on the island and come in 4 different flavours. Demerara Distillers Limited (El Dorado Rums) have a small bottling plant on the island that the Rumelier toured, thanks to the friendly people of D.D.L. To read the full story of the trip, a page on this site has been dedicated to the St.Kitts Rum Trip.
The Rumelier has recently come back from a flying
visit to Trinidad and Tobago in the Southern Caribbean. While there he was lucky enough to visit the friendly people of Angostura
Rums in Laventille, Trinidad. The Angostura distillery is the largest in the English speaking Caribbean, with their speciality being the sale of bulk rums. They also bottle rums in their extensive bottling plant, from small 50ml bottles up to 1.5 litre bottles and even mini-kegs. Most of the rum produced is shipped all over the world in 210 litre plastic drums or by 20 foot rum containers and even by tanker ship load from their bulk storage tanks at the dock in Chaguaramas. Angostura have an extensive range of fine rums, both for their domestic market and for the international market, and they also bottle rums for many private labels aswell. Millions of litres of rum are aged in oak barrels in their three huge ageing warehouses. As you walk around the distillery there is a constant aroma of molasses and rum, a pure delight. The Rumelier was fortunate enough to sample many of the fine rums produced under several labels. The highlight has to be their fine premium rums, 1824, 1919, Single Barrel and Royal Oak. All these rums would be a great addition to any rum collection and have certainly become an important addition to The Rumelier's personal collection, along with the very famous limbo drummer rum bottle. Of course you cannot go to visit Angostura without trying
the world renowned Angostura Aromatic Bitters. These small bottles are everywhere in Trinidad and Tobago and are added to
every form of meal or drink. Bitters were the company's first product, it was much later when they got into rum production.
There is now a new addition to the original version, Orange Bitters. Also on the distillery site is a small museum that houses a large butterfly collection, aswell as a rum and bitters museum. This is a very interesting way to spend some time while at the distillery, which is situated near the main entrance and retail store.
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For a selection of over 100 Caribbean Rums visit the Wine Cellar
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