Got Rum? ®
c ontents
April 2025
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
14-17 T he rum mixologis T
18-19 T he rum universi TY® li B r A r Y
26-29 The rum his T ori A n
30-33 T he r um l AB or AT or Y
34-35 rum A nd T he environmen T
36-39 rum in T he news
40-46 T he swee T B usiness o F sug A r
48-55 The sug A r mill: origins A nd evolu T ion
56-59 C ig A r A nd rum PA iring
Got Rum? ®
Printed in the u s .A. A publication of r um r unner Press, i nc. Taylor, Texas 76574 - u s .A.
Tel/Fax +1 (855) rum -T i P s © 2025 by r um r unner Press, i nc. All rights reserved.
April 2025
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
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d irector of Photography: art@gotrum.com
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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. F ron T C over : s pring s unrise inside s P re A d : r ise and s hine!
F rom T he edi T or The Meaning of Meaning
i t is s pringtime in Texas and the staff at r um Central is implementing the annual s pring c leaning p rotocol : patios are being washed, stills are being polished, laboratory equipment is being calibrated. i n short, every piece of equipment -and its backup- is being prepared for what we hope will be another record-breaking year of sales and productions.
Polishing copper stills reminds me of Sisyphus , who was punished by Zeus to roll a boulder up a hill, only to watch it roll back down the other side, having to repeat the task for eternity. The expressions “ Sisyphean struggle ” or “ Sisyphean task ” refer to tasks that are both laborious and seemingly unending, offering no real reward or sense of accomplishment, such as polishing copper only to see it eagerly regain its lost patina.
r epairing machinery is also thoughtprovoking, reminding me of the Ship of Theseus (also referred to as Theseus’s p aradox ). i t is a philosophical thought experiment that asks: if all the parts of a ship are replaced over time, is it still the same ship? m uch like the Ship of Theseus , our bodies are constantly replacing cells in our organs, bones and muscles: not one single cell in our bodies now was alive when we were born so, are we still the same person we were at birth?
The quest to find loyal consumers seems to be inspired by g reek mythology too, this time by the story of l aelaps , a dog destined to always catch its prey, and the Teumessian Fox , a creature destined to never be caught. The story culminates in a paradoxical chase that Zeus resolves by turning them into stone and later into constellations: Canis Major ( l aelaps ) and Canis Minor (the fox).
w hat is the point of doing something now when we know that the task will never be complete? w hat meaning is there in being part of never-ending cycles and why is it important for meaning to be there at all? m y answer is that the meaning of work is in the work itself: it gives us an opportunity to express our attention to detail, our devotion to the task at hand and our commitment to quality, regardless of how many times those tasks will have to be repeated in the future. w hat are your thoughts?
Cheers!
l uis Ayala, Editor and p ublisher http://www.linkedin.com/in/rumconsultant
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.
T he A ngel’ s sh A re
by Paul s enft
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 rum.
The desire to share this information led me to create www. r umJourney.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!
Bacardi r
eserva
o cho s eville o range Cask Finish
o ver the past ten years, Bacardi has released several aged expressions, and when they began releasing special barrel aged finishes of their eight year old rum i was intrigued. For years the eight year old expression was my go-to rum of the portfolio since i found it gave the best bang for my buck and could be used for a large variety of cocktails. o ver the past few years, the company has produced Bacardi o cho limited editions and barrel finished versions of the product that have been polarizing in the rum community. This 2023 limited edition uses the rums aged in used Bourbon casks for eight to twelve years and then finished for an unspecified amount of time in v ino de n aranja wine casks. This wine is produced in the Andalucia region of s pain, where they macerate s eville orange peels in white wine to create their product. The rum is blended to 45% AB v
Appearance
The rum is packaged in the custom short necked 750 ml bottle design that Bacardi uses for its aged expressions. The bat logoed wooden cap holds a plastic cork, which secures tightly to the bottle. The labels on the bottle are orange, with the script providing a minimum amount of information about the rum.
The liquid has a dark amber color in the bottle and glass. s wirling the rum in the tasting glass created a thin line that quickly thickened into a medium line that released a single wave of fast moving legs down the side of the glass before evaporating, only leaving a few pebbles behind.
Aroma
i poured the rum into the glass and got a strong hit of caramel and oak spice notes. After the liquid rested for several minutes, i
found aromas of peach cobbler, orange peel marmalade, and woody oak notes in the profile.
p alate
The initial sip of the rum reveals a flavor clash between the brown sugar molasses notes and the bitter orange notes. Additional sips amplify the sweetness of the orange notes hitting the medicinal d elsym orange syrup range with a bit of vanilla sweetness in the mix. r oasted nut and smoky wood notes form the foundation while the alcohol burns around the edges of the tongue. The rum has an incredibly fast fade that leaves behind a bittersweet citrus finish.
r eview
The marketing material for this product noted that the flavor profile of this rum was like what one would find in an o ld Fashioned Cocktail. d uring the evaluation process i tasted that, but at the same time i found it very “one-trick pony” and limited in how it could be used in cocktails. i t did not help that the more i sipped it, the more developed the impression of medicinal orange sweetness entered my mind and just would not leave. w hich led me to enjoying the aroma of the rum more than the actual flavor of it. o verall, while i usually enjoy evaluating these limited edition products, at some point, just because a company can create a product working with a particular cask finish does not necessarily mean they should.
i remember both the Bacardi o cho s herry and r ye cask finishes leaving a positive impression, and this one just did not measure up in comparison. The whiplash bittersweet orange flavor profile has limited applications and is not that enjoyable as a sipper. i recommend anyone curious about this rum find an opportunity to try it before they purchase it blindly off the shelf.
T he A ngel’ s sh A re
by Paul s enft
e l d orado 15
w hen considering rums to review, it is always interesting to try something new, but sometimes it is good to just select a rum that you have seen at your local stores many times and have never gotten around to evaluating. This was the case with this review, as i was familiar with the product but had never sat down and given it my undivided attention in a testing environment. The e l d orado line is created by the d emerara d istilling Company in g uyana. They harvest sugarcane grown along the banks of the d emerara r iver and use it to produce sugar, then they take the molasses and use it to make their rum lines. u sing their own proprietary yeast strain, they ferment the molasses a minimum of 24 hours before using one or more of their historic stills to create their rums. The e l d orado 15 year old rum blend is created using marques from five of their stills -the eh P w ooden Coffey still, the m etal Coffey still, the Port m ourant d ouble w ooden Pot s till, and the v ersailles s ingle w ooden Pot s till. The rums in the blend were aged for a minimum of 15 years in used oak barrels and blended down to 40% AB v
Appearance
o n the shelf the e l d orado 15 was easy to spot with its black and gold box with the parchment-colored centerpiece declaring “Aged 15 Years.” The 750 ml bottle inside has a squat custom design reminiscent of a classic naval bottle design whose tint conceals the color of the rum. The plastic cap secures a synthetic cork to the bottle and is enclosed with a black and gold e l d orado branded wrap.
The rum, when poured into the tasting glass, holds a dark mahogany color with bright chamois highlights. s wirling the liquid creates a thin band that quickly swells and begins releasing waves of long, thick legs down the side of the tasting
glass. This stage lasts for a few minutes before the band is little more than a ring of residue around the glass.
n ose
The initial pour filled the air with vanilla, citrus, and smoky oak notes. After the glass had rested, i discovered additional notes of roasted almonds, nutmeg, dark cocoa, and s umatra coffee with light fruit notes drifting in at the end of the experience.
p alate
The rum presents a strong caramelized vanilla/toffee note up front balanced by an array of toasted oak spices—allspice, mace, and black pepper. There is an underlying sweetness to the rum that forms the baseline and brings out the coffee and cocoa notes from the aroma. d uring the evaluation, the fruit flavors manifested at different times as orange zest, grilled pineapple, cooked banana, prunes, and raisins. The alcohol pop is barely perceptible as the wood spice notes take over, forming a long, sweet finish.
r eview
i n 2020, d emerara d istilling changed some of their production methods and removed the use of caramel during their maturation process. They now only use e 150 for color consistency with their rum line. w hile the flavor profile is sweet, it is not overwhelmingly so at any given point and seems to balance the oak notes instead of burying them like the original version. There is an interesting complexity to this rum, and while i have tried it a few times over the years in both its incarnations, i enjoy this updated version more due to the depth of oak flavors and fruit notes and the overall complexity of the blend. i t is easy to recommend this rum as a dessert sipping rum, but it also pairs well with grilled beef and vegetable dishes.
COOKING WITH RUM
Bringing the Spirit of the Cane Into the Heart of the Kitchen!
by Chef Susan Whitley
s picy r um c hicken Wings
i ngredients:
• 1 C. d ark r um
• 4 Tbsp. Fresh l ime Juice, plus wedges for serving
• 4 Tbsp. s oy s auce
• 2 Tbsp. Teriyaki s auce
• 1 Tbsp. w orcestershire s auce
• 4 Tbsp. Brown s ugar, packed
• 6 l arge g arlic Cloves, minced
• 3 + 1 s callions, finely chopped, 4th to be used as garnish
• 2 h abanero Chile Peppers, seeded and minced
• 2 Tbsp. Fresh g inger, minced
• 1 tsp. g round Allspice
• ½ tsp. g round n utmeg
• 2 tsp. s alt
• ½ tsp. g round Pepper
• 12 jumbo chicken wings, split at the joints, tips removed
d irections:
1. m arinade: Combine the rum, lime juice, soy sauce, teriyaki, w orcestershire, brown sugar, garlic, scallions, habaneros, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl.
2. Place the wings in a resealable plastic bag and add the marinade. Press the air out of the bag and seal tightly, turn the bag over several times to completely coat the wings. r efrigerate at least 4 hours (or overnight). Turning the bag at least once or twice.
3. r emove the wings from the marinade and put marinade into a small saucepan. Bring the marinade to a boil over medium heat. Cook until reduced by half, about 8 minutes.
4. m eanwhile, prepare a charcoal grill by placing coals on half of the grill. l ight the charcoal and wait until the embers turn white. At this point, you can add wood/wood chips of your choice. Place the grate over the charcoal and put the wings on the cooler side of the grill. Cover the grill with lid and cook the wings until the juices run clear, approximately 30 to 45 minutes.
5. r emove the wings from the grill and toss with the reduced marinade. Place the wings on the grill over direct heat and cook, turning frequently, until the sauce has caramelized, about 4 to 5 minutes. s erve on a platter and top with chopped scallions and serve with lime wedges.
i ngredients:
Apricot-Almond- r um p ound c ake
• 2 Tbsp. Butter, for greasing bundt pan
• ¼ C. g round Almonds
• 1 C. d ried Apricot, chopped
• ¼ C. d ark r um
• ¾ C. Butter, at room temperature
• ½ C. Almond Paste, broken up
• 1 C. s ugar, divided
• 6 e ggs, separated
• ½ tsp. r um e xtract
• ¼ tsp. v anilla
• 1 ½ C. All-Purpose Flour
d irections:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Butter a 9 inch bundt pan generously then dust with the ground almonds.
3. i n a small bowl, combine dried apricots with rum and set aside.
4. i n a large mixing bowl, cream butter with almond paste and ½ cup sugar. Add egg yolks and beat until light and fluffy. m ix in apricot/rum, rum extract and vanilla until well blended. m ix in flour until well blended, but don’t over mix.
5. i n another bowl beat egg whites until fluffy. i nto the egg whites, gradually beat in remaining ½ cup of sugar until stiff and shiny.
6. m ix 1/3 of the egg whites into the creamed mixture in large bowl. Carefully fold in the remaining egg whites until well blended, but don’t over mix.
7. Pour batter into prepared pan.
8. Bake for about 60 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean and cake has slightly pulled away from side of pan. r emove from oven. Allow to cool, then transfer to a plate.
n ote: i f you are a rum lover, you may want to drizzle a little extra rum over the top of the cake prior to serving.
Photo credit: www.food.com
THE RUM Mixologist
A space devoted to the exploration of classic and new rum cocktails
What i s m ixology?
m ixology is the study and skill of inventing, preparing and serving cocktails and other mixed drinks. m ixologists are experts in this field, but mixologists’ knowledge goes beyond memorizing basic cocktail recipes: it includes historical information, basic chemistry behind flavor combinations and a capacity for combining common ingredients in new ways.
Join us, as we explore the essential collection of rum cocktail recipes that every mixologist needs to master.
THE RUM Mixologist
This m onth’s Cocktail: h urricane
About t he h urricane
l ike many classic cocktails, the Hurricane has been remade several times over the years. The original hurricane was extremely simple and required just three ingredients. This recipe is a bit ellaborate, but it rewards you with a delicious balance of flavors.
h urricane
i ngredients:
• 2 ounces light rum
• 2 ounces dark rum
• 1 ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed
• 1 ounce orange juice, freshly squeezed
• 1/2 ounce passion fruit puree
• 1/2 ounce simple syrup
• 1 teaspoon grenadine
• g arnish: orange half-wheel
• g arnish: preserved cherry
Directions:
1. Add the light and dark rums, lime and orange juices, passion fruit puree, simple syrup and grenadine into a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled.
2. s train into a large h urricane glass over fresh ice.
3. g arnish with an orange half-wheel and a preserved cherry (or a fresh blueberry).
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
t he
f ood of Argentina: Asado,
e mpanadas, Dulce de l eche & m ore
by r oss Dobson and r achel tolosa p az
(Publisher’s r eview) w ith more than eighty recipes, The Food of Argentina celebrates the very best dishes from a passionate foodie nation which, until now, have been kept under relative lock and key.
The Food of Argentina is a rich and visual celebration of Argentinean food filled with beautiful location and food photography that takes the reader on a gastronomic journey into a little-known cuisine that is tipped to become the next global food trend for food lovers everywhere. s ome people may have heard of Argentinean asados--the legendary meat barbecues that are so beloved by locals, but The Food of Argentina celebrates so much more than a carnivore’s dream.
Come inside the homes and families of Argentina and discover the very best recipes this huge foodloving nation has to offer. o ften influenced by their e uropean heritage but with a distinct s outh American feel, home-style dishes include pastas and gnocchi, potato tortillas, and stews and casseroles, as well as sweet offerings including dulce de leche, strudels, and caramel flans. o r head outside and discover the local delicacies offered in Argentina’s tiny bars and eateries: chorizo rolls with salsa criolla, traditional empanadas, veal croquettes, and fruit-filled pastries. And let’s not forget the famous maté--a strong herbal tea that is
Argentina’s traditional drink and adored by locals countrywide. l ose yourself in The Food of Argentina and discover a whole new cuisine from the comfort of your own kitchen.
Publisher: s mith s treet Books
( n ovember 6, 2018)
l anguage: e nglish
h ardcover: 256 pages is B n -10: 1925418715 is B n -13: 978-1925418712
i tem w eight: 2.85 pounds
d imensions: 8.32 x 1.11 x 10.78 inches
your o ne- s top s hop for Aged r ums 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
• Aged in r ye w hiskey, Bourbon, Tequila, Armagnac, Port, s herry and w ine Barrels
• s ingle Barrels and s econd Aging/Finish
• 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
ot r um? April 2025 - 22
n ow o ffering Bottling s ervices!
Q: Why Bottle/ c o- p ack at r um c entral?
A: r um Central is located within the texas triangle , a region in Texas formed by the state’s four main metropolitan areas. The texas triangle is one of eleven mega regions in the u nited s tates and is home to approximately 75% of the s tate’s population. This area also benefits substantially from trade with m exico, the u nited s tates’ third largest trade partner.
A: r um Central is 30 m iles from Austin, with convenient access to interstate highways, rail lines, airports and seaports (within 250 miles of 4 of the top 10 u . s . seaports), guaranteeing fast and efficient shipping of your dry and finished goods.
Q: Do you need more information?
A: Contact us via our website below! www. r umCentral.com
l uis Ayala will be teaching the following at m oonshine u niversity in Kentucky (https://www.moonshineuniversity.com/):
• r um blending section of the Blending w orkshop, April 7-8 2025
• r um section of the 5- d ay d istiller Course, July 28-August 1 2025
• r um section of the 5- d ay d istiller Course, o ctober 20-24 2025
w e will also be teaching the following courses at our campus in Texas:
Q2 2025 c ourses
• April 21 ( m on) - The Business of r um
• April 22 (Tue) - The Classifications of r um
• April 23-25 ( w ed-Fri) - 3 d ay r um Course (Fermentation, d istillation, i ntroduction to Blending)
Q3 2025 c ourses
• s eptember 22 ( m on) - The Business of r um
• s eptember 23 (Tue) - The Classifications of r um
• s eptember 24-26 ( w ed-Fri) - 3 d ay r um Course (Fermentation, d istillation, i ntroduction to Blending)
www. r um u
Q4 2025 c ourses
• n ovember 3 ( m on) - i ntroduction to r um Blending
• n ovember 4-5 (Tue- w ed) - Advanced r um Blending
w e also offer customized and private training classes. For more information, please contact us at: r egistrar@rumuniversity.com
For seating availability at The r um u niversity in Texas, please visit: www. r um u niversity.com
s ign up now to be notified of upcoming courses and seating availability. Click on the button below or copy/paste the link on your browser:
https://secure.campaigner.com/C s B/Public/ Form.aspx?fid=1092285
the rum histori A n
by m arco Pierini
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. 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.
i have visited distilleries, met rum people, attended rum Festivals and joined the r um Family. 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.
i n 2017 i published the book “A meri CA n rum – A s hort h istory of r um in e arly America”
i n 2019 i began to run a Blog: www. therumhistorian.com
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.
P rohi B i T ion s T ri K es BACK
i n this issue you won’t find the customary article from the series his T or Y o F C u BA n rum n ot because the series is over, quite the opposite. As you may recall, the last three articles in the series (January to m arch 2025) were dedicated to the fascinating book by Basil w oon “ When i t’s Cocktail Time in Cuba ”, published in 1928. w e still have a century to narrate, as i would like to reach the present day and, perhaps, even take a look at the future of Cuban rum, therefore many more articles will follow. h owever, i ’m taking a few months’ break from Cuba and its rum for two reasons: the first is that the present compels me to make some reflections that i want to share with you with regard to an important and alarming issue of the present and, i fear, the future. The second reason is that Cuba is a complicated country, going through a very difficult situation. Accessing the necessary documentation to continue my research is not easy, and a break will be useful for me to gather some material.
i ’ll end this long but necessary introduction with a frank warning to our readers: in this article, i am dealing with things i know little about. i repeat, things i know little about and
have not had the time and means to explore in depth. i do not want to appear presumptuous, but, generally, my articles are based on rather accurate research. o ften, i carry out research on primary sources, and sometimes i even manage to discover and bring to light real hidden gems (thanks, m argaret). o ther times i have had to resign myself to using only secondary literature, but always within the framework of as accurate research as possible, and therefore on a rational and verifiable understanding of what i write. This time is different. This article is based only on my intuitions, or rather, on my nose. And my nose has been sensing the smell of a grand return of Prohibition for some time now.
i got the first hints about it around a decade ago. You may remember, Finland and s weden (if i ’m not mistaken) published a list of rums to which sugar had been added. At that time e uropean regulations prohibited any addition of sugar to rum, therefore in e urope those products, in theory, were illegal. i t was a bit of an open secret because everybody in the rum world knew that many companies, even important, prestigious ones, added sugar to rum to make it more appealing to many consumers, and sometimes even to hide some defects. A few years later e uropean regulations changed and now it is legally possible to add a limited amount of sugar, but that’s not the point, here and now.
The publication of the afore mentioned lists was welcomed by all rum enthusiasts, myself included. i t was a step forward towards the authenticity of the product, its specialness; in short, towards the high quality that all of us in the rum world aspire to. And it was successful. s oon after, when i was attending various r um Fests, it became normal to hear consumers asking how much sugar there was in the rums displayed on the stalls. o f course, those were extremely passionate and discerning consumers, precisely the attendees of r um Fests, but still, there were many of them. i ’ll say that again, i too was pleased.
s hortly afterwards, however, news began to circulate about the request of some organizations and some e uropean countries to include the presence of sugar and its nutritional values on the labels: that is, how many calories, etc. The rationale was that the consumer should be informed about what they were drinking, for reasons of transparency, health, and wellness. That’s when i started to have niggling doubts, to sense a smell that i didn’t like.
Then, the first real hammer blow fell. i reland introduced a law that mandates the labelling of alcoholic beverages with health warnings. This law, which came into effect on m ay 22nd 2023, requires that the labels of alcoholic beverages indicate the calorie content and grams of alcohol in the product, as well as warnings about the health risks associated with alcohol consumption. These risks include the link between alcohol and cancer, liver diseases, and the risks related to alcohol consumption during pregnancy. The law will be fully enforced on m ay 22nd 2026, after a three-year-transition period. This decision has sparked contrasting reactions. w hile some appreciate the initiative as an important step to safeguard public health, others, including wine and spirits producers and some eu member states, have strongly criticised it, considering it scaremongering and penalizing for the entire world revolving around the production and consumption of alcoholic beverages, including wine.
This made me reflect. i began to think that behind the declared aim of transparency, health and wellness, there might also be, perhaps not only, but certainly also, a grand style return of the old prohibitionist culture camouflaged in new clothes. And that the requests for transparency etc., were in actual fact a Trojan h orse to disguise a new attack of prohibitionism on the beverage citadel. i n short, Prohibition, which has never really been vanquished, is now back on the attack.
i n e urope, the new wave of prohibitionism has its champions especially in n orthern countries. i am well aware that in some of these countries excessive alcohol consumption is a real scourge, but i also know that prohibitionism does not solve the problem; if anything, it makes it worse, as is clearly shown by the American Prohibition (see his T or Y o F C u BA n rum 20. P rohi B i T ion in the July 2024 issue of go T rum ? and subsequent issues).
And in America? l et’s see. From what i understand from the little i have read, in 2024 the debate and the confrontation centered on the reform of the d ietary g uidelines for Americans whose new edition should be published in 2025. The debate between n eo-Prohibitionists and defenders of moderate alcohol consumption seems based almost entirely on health issues. The former argue that alcohol, in any quantity whatsoever, is harmful; the latter deny this and advocate the beneficial virtues of moderate consumption, with the word ‘responsible’ frequently used. e ach side is fore-armed with studies and research that support their respective positions.
i won’t venture into this terrain. i am not a scientist, but it seems to me to be a case of wrong use of science and unnecessary excess of information. Furthermore, these studies are an example of overestimating the relationship between cause and effect, or, to put it in another way, overestimating our ability to trace the causes of the phenomena we observe. m y Philosophy studies are now too far behind me, yet i remember that d avid h ume had already said something similar in the 1700s with his “inductive inference.” i n any case, the relationship between cause and effect is at the center of our lives, and inevitably we make inductive inferences in our daily lives. l et’s look at an example taken from a dark moment in rum history.
r oughly in the second half of the 1700s, the daily allowance of rum for the British soldiers in the Caribbean was half a
pint and was usually diluted with water. But soldiers bought and drank much more undiluted rum, “large quantities of which of the most execrable quality”, from private sellers at a cheap price. Actually, w est i ndies distillers produced for the soldiers a kind of rum that only needed to be strong and cheap. i t was fermented and distilled very quickly, saving on costs, without any regard for quality. As far as we know, the heads and the tails were not removed and in all likelihood in rum there was methanol, fused oils and bad congeners. And lead powder too, because at the time lead and pewter were largely used in sugar and rum-making machinery. Thanks to the reports of the military surgeons of the time, and of the first scientific postmortems, we know of soldiers who died immediately after they had drunk or who fell to the ground in a state of torpor. o f hardy young men who declined rapidly. o f excruciating pains, ulcerated organs, illnesses, etc.
w ell, in this case, the relationship between the cause—excessive consumption of a toxic beverage—and the effect—pain, illness, and death—is clear.
Today the situation is quite different, though. The people who are the subject of modern studies certainly do not drink alcohol in the same quantity and quality as those wretched soldiers. s tudy protocols generally follow two groups of people, one that drinks moderate amounts and one that does not drink at all, for a certain period of time. The problem is that they should be followed for decades, and even that would not be rigorous enough. d rinking or not drinking is only one element of the lives of the people studied. There are many other factors that affect their lives and, therefore, the possibility of getting sick and dying. Just to name the most obvious ones: the environment in which they live, the work they do, their lifestyle, their genetic heritage, and that indefinable thing that is their personality: for example, being more or
less optimistic or pessimistic, laid-back, or prone to depression. And no one can seriously claim that a certain disease that manifests itself years or decades later or that death depends on the fact that years back they had or had not drunk one or two drinks a day.
l et’s therefore put aside this misuse of science and try to resort to common sense. i was born, raised, and grew old in a country, i taly, where alcohol consumption has been habitual for millennia. e specially wine, but also beer and spirits. And common sense has always known that drinking moderately, during meals with family and friends, is one of life’s great pleasures. And that sometimes, in certain difficult moments, even sipping a glass alone, perhaps at the end of the day, meditating on life, has never brought anyone to the grave before their time. The same common sense has always known that drinking too much, getting intoxicated often times, is harmful, very harmful. i t damages the body and mind, weakens the ability to work, wears out family relationships, etc.; in short, it causes serious, sometimes even fatal, harm.
But someone might ask how much is drinking moderately and how much is not? i believe that every adult consumer must and can find the answer for themselves, according to their tastes, habits, weight, health, etc. o ften the n eo-Prohibitionists claim that they strive to achieve a riskfree situation for healthy living. w ell, i am sorry to disappoint them, but life is not risk-free. And as in many other cases of our modern life, the obsession with being healthy becomes the denial of the pleasure of living.
To conclude, prohibitionism has returned and is part, i believe, of that neo-Puritan wave that has been rising in the w est for years. And on this, i would like to quote once again a passage from Prof. J. m c h ugh, in his seminal book “AN UNHO lY B r EW Alcohol in i ndian History and r eligion ,” 2021.
“ i n many contemporary w estern societies, drink – and especially drink considered as a drug – is associated not only with intoxication but with addiction. i n her essay “ Epidemics of the Will ”, e ve s edgwick wrote of the philosophy and development of the modern ideology of addiction. i n a pervasive modern framing of drug consumption, taking drugs is not simply an act; consumers themselves are a type , with a distinctive identity: addicts. Pathologized addiction has now been extended from drugs to food, sex, shopping, exercise, and other activities, so that the object pursued by the addict can no longer be defined automatically as a foreign substance or even an unhealthy behavior. r ather, addiction today is found in ‘the structure of the will that is always somehow insufficiently free, a choice whose voluntarity is insufficiently pure’. i nseparable from our modern concept of addiction, therefore, is the search for a reified, absolute free will, a pure voluntarity, thwarted at every turn, ironically, by the apparent tendency of voluntary acts to become compulsory addictions.”
Today, unlike in the past, n eoProhibitionists do not want to ban alcohol, or so they say, but only to discourage consumption by informing the consumer. Therefore, they do not ask for legal bans, but information and limitations. For now …
m arco Pierini
P os T s C ri PT um
As of the time i finished this article, the new edition of Dietary Guidelines for Americans had not been published yet. The 2020 – 2025 edition published in 2020 is available online. For those who would like to know more, i recommend:
Tyler w etherall What Do Neop rohibitionists r eally Want? 12/06/2024 daily.sevenfifty.com/
The Rum Laboratory
p resented by
Join us as we explore the world of rum spices and flavors! i n this series you will learn to flavor your own r ums and to create your own l iqueurs and c reams.
Presents making your own
Apricot Rum Liqueur
i ngredients:
• 1 Cup s ugar
• 2 Cups w ater
• 1 l b. d ried Apricots, chopped into small pieces
• 1/2 Cup o verproof w hite r um
• 3/4 Cup m edium/ h eavy Congener Aged r um
• 1 tsp. o range Zest
• 1 Tbsp. Fruit Protector
• 5 d rops Yellow Food Coloring
• 2 d rops r ed Food Coloring
Directions:
Combine the water and sugar in a medium saucepan, bring the mixture to a boil, stirring frequently for 10 minutes. r emove from the heat and allow it to cool.
Place the apricots in a 2-quart jart (make sure you have a tight-fitting lid for it). Pour the sugar water syrup over the apricots and add all the remaining ingredients, including the food coloring. s eal the lid and allow the mixture to rest in a cool, dark place for about a month. You may perodically shake the jar to help release and combine flavors, but it is not necessary.
Transfer (and filter, if desired) into the final serving decanter/container.
Did you know that ...
1. Apricots have either significant or moderate amounts of all the minerals necessary for healthy bone growth. Calcium,
phosphorous, manganese, iron, and copper all play a certain role in the creation of bone matter.
2. Apricots are a wonderful way to protect your heart from a wide variety of diseases, including atherosclerosis, heart attacks, and strokes. The high amount of vitamin C, as well as potassium and dietary fiber, all contribute to good cardiovascular health.
3. The high amounts of potassium in apricots has been linked to maintaining fluid balance in the body, and ensuring that energy is properly distributed to the right organs and muscles.
4. Apricot oil is good for earaches, although the exact mechanism is still being studied. d ripping a few drops into the affected ear canal should prove to be a fast remedy.
5. Apricot juice is often given to patients suffering from fever because it provides necessary vitamins, minerals, calories and water to the body, while also detoxifying various systems and organs. s ome people also use steamed apricot to relieve fevers.
6. Apricot oil is good for skin care. i t is quickly absorbed by the skin and does not keep the skin oily after it is applied.
RUM And The e nvironment
ACT ion i T ems
April’s Action i tem i s . . .
g o n ative! p lants that is!
Fancy a bit of summer gardening? n ative plants make for perfect home growing. They can typically survive on rainwater alone and rarely need fertilisers or pesticides. n ative plants also provide habitat, food and shelter for local wildlife such as birds, bees, small mammals and lizards.
There are plenty of native options that grow well indoors as well, such as the kentia palm, kangaroo fern and wax vine, not to mention a bunch of full-sun plants that thrive in the heat.
You can also incorporate your house-grown herbs into delicious cocktails. h ere are a few ideas:
• m int , perfect in Mojitos and Juleps
• Basil, try it in a “ Georgia On My Mind ”
• c ilantro/ c oriander (try in “ El Vocho ” or in a “ Coriandrum Cocktail ” )
• l avander , which has many uses around the house, but you must try it in a “ p aulista Cocktail ”
rum
in the ne W s
by m ike Kunetka
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 A ising gl A sses
The latest from r aising g lasses is Full Circle 110, an eight-nation blend that comes in at a respectful 55% AB v. The Full Circle project traces the trajectory of sugarcane spirits as they developed across the globe with each region’s character contributing to the unmatched diversity of rum. g iven the number of existing navy-style blends, the goal was to create a fully original modern blend, with each year’s release featuring new additions from their single cask collection and their collaborators. This year’s Full Circle release is a joint collaboration between r aising g lasses and s hannon m ustipher and Bryan i nman. i t starts with their Base Blend, a proprietary mixture created by e &A s cheer that is made up of 8-year Barbados r um, 5-year Trinidad rum, 4–23-year Thailand rum, 3-year Jamaica Pot s till rum, 2–5-year g uyana r um and u naged g hana Pot s till. For the 2025 edition, the team added 4-year Privateer ( us ) rum, 9-year Thailand rum and 3-year o r eizinho rum from m adeira. https://raisingglasses.com/
B un DAB erg rum & the n A tion A l rug B y le A gue
Two great Australian icons, Bundaberg r um (or Bundy as it’s known to its mates) and the n ational r ugby
l eague are proud to announce the extension of their great partnership for another four years as the 2025 season gets underway. h aving been a sponsor of Australia’s most popular sporting code for the last eight years, Bundy will continue to be the nrl’s e xclusive o fficial d ark s pirit and Alcoholic g inger Beer, taking the current partnership to 12 years. h ayden Abercrombie, Bundaberg r um m arketing m anager says, “ i ’m thrilled to confirm the extension of our partnership with the nrl r ugby league and Bundy are both at the heart of so much of Aussie culture, you bring these two together, and it’s a match made in heaven. The nrl is an incredible partner that connects so strongly with Bundy’s heartland and our core values align seamlessly, at the heart of both we strive to build community and celebrate mateship. The partnership also gives us an invaluable asset to leverage in pubs, bars and off-premise liquor store retailers across the country, offering consumers the chance to access some incredible value adds and prizes that will get them even closer to the game. This partnership means we can continue to enhance the match day experience in a way that only Bundy can, and i can’t wait!” nrl C eo Andrew Abdo said: “Bundaberg r um has been a loyal partner of rugby league for many years. w e look forward to working together on creating great experiences for our fans.” https://www. bundabergrum.com.au/. https://www.nrl.com/
h AB it A tion s A int - etienne & concours GĖNĖRAL AGRICOLE 2025
The Concours g énéral Agricole is a benchmark event in the world of agricultural rum. i t is organized every year during the Paris Agricultural s how at Porte de v ersailles. i t is an opportunity for a large number of producers, artisans, and players in the agri-food world to showcase their expertise and products: wines, charcuterie, dairy products, and rum! A jury awards g old, s ilver, and Bronze medals for each category. This year hse won a total of seven medals: four g old, one s ilver and two Bronze. The g old medals were awarded to:
• Château l a Tour Blanche Finish 2016, an extra aged rum from their ‘Finitions du m onde’ range that has been finished for 12 months in barrels from Château l a Tour Blanche, 1er Cru Classé of s auternes.
• r ozelieures 2013 hse s ingle m alt Agricole r um is the result of a collaboration with the r ozelieures distillery. Aged for over 6 years in oak barrels, it was then refined for at least 8 months in ex-unpeated s ingle m alt whisky casks.
• xo Aged r um
• vso P Aged r um https://www.rhum-hse.com/en/
c A pt A in morg A n
n ew Captain m organ s weet Chili l ime delivers a one-of-a-kind taste, merging sweetness, zesty citrus flavors, and notes of subtle chili heat. u nlike anything that’s ever hit your lips, Captain m organ
has created a flavor experience so epic, it demanded a new word to define it, introducing the world to “ m outh-Blowing.” This game-changing libation will slap your taste buds into overdrive, perfect for when you and your crew are craving getting off the beaten path and turning up the flavor. “ w ith flavor trends heating up, we wanted to create something that defies the rules of traditional rum,” said Anne n osko, v P, Captain m organ. “Captain m organ s weet Chili l ime gives fans exactly what they’re craving – the perfect balance of sweet and spicy, and a bold flavor experience with every sip.” i f you’re still scratching your head about what it means to be mouth-blown, don’t worry, Captain m organ brought in reinforcement. Actress, writer and producer Amrit Kaur and comedian and writer d evon w alker are here to spell it out for you. Both lexiconned in flavor, fun and made-up words, they’re the perfect pair to define what it means to be “mouth-blown” and bring to life the Captain m organ s weet Chili l ime signature touch of sweet and kick of heat. “ w hen Captain m organ asked me to team up again, i was all in. And when they asked me to help define “mouth-blowing”, admittedly i wasn’t exactly sure where they were going with all this,” said w alker. “Turns out, Captain m organ s weet Chili l ime is the real deal ... trust me, you’re going to want to get a taste.” “ g ive an i ndian some chili and lime and she’s in,” laughs Amrit Kaur. “ l ots of fun riffing and improvising with d evon, along with shooting ideas with the full cast and crew.”
www.Captain m organ.com
FLOR de CAŇA
Flor de Caña is proud to announce its official induction into the prestigious i nternational g reen i ndustry h all of Fame ( igiho F), an honor that recognizes the brand’s historic commitment to social and environmental stewardship and its pioneering role in advancing sustainable practices within the spirits industry. The brand’s comprehensive approach to sustainability, such as being the world’s first Carbon n eutral and Fair-Trade certified spirit, distilling its rum with 100% renewable energy and having planted over 1 million trees, has solidified Flor de Caña’s position as a leader in the global movement towards environmental and socially responsible practices. “Flor de Caña’s dedication to sustainability and leadership in promoting green practices have set a high standard in our industry. This recognition celebrates not only the brand’s achievements but also its unwavering commitment to creating a more sustainable future,” acknowledged the igiho F. Flor de Caña’s induction into the i nternational g reen i ndustry h all of Fame marks a significant milestone for this 135-year, family-owned brand, reaffirming its dedication to the well-being of employees, communities and the planet. Flor de Caña is deeply grateful to the igiho F for this honor and is committed to continuing its mission of producing rum of exceptional quality while leading efforts with partners around the world to build together a greener future for everyone. www.flordecana.com
B rug A l
Brugal has announced its most premium expression to date: Andrés Brugal e dition 02. Fifth-generation m aestra r onera Jassil v illanueva Quintana meticulously crafted this distinguished rum as a tribute to founder Andrés Brugal m ontaner, the Brugal m aestros r oneros who followed in his footsteps, and the monumental journey that brought Brugal to international acclaim, including their historic voyage to the u nited s tates, which marked the internationalization of their rums. o nly 416 bottles are available globally, with a limited allocation exclusively for the u s . market. Building on the success of the first release, which honored Brugal’s d ominican roots, this time, e dition 02 celebrates the spirit of exploration that has defined Brugal since its founding, paying tribute to one of the places with which it has a strong history and legacy, the u nited s tates. “This series is a tribute to my family’s legacy and the remarkable journey that brought our rum to the world,” said v illanueva Quintana. “Andrés Brugal e dition 02 reflects the unwavering craftsmanship and creativity that have propelled us forward, from the sunlit shores of Puerto Plata to global recognition. This rum exemplifies the meticulous artistry and bold vision of our m aestros r oneros, crafting a liquid that connects our heritage with a future of endless discovery.” The journey begins with the selection of four rare American oak bourbon casks chosen for their unparalleled ability to enrich the rum with layers of complexity. e ach cask contributes its unique character, infusing the liquid with subtle whispers of woody warmth, vibrant citrus, and the delicate spice that defines Brugal’s signature style. u nder the expert craftsmanship of Jassil v illanueva Quintana, these casks are meticulously blended to create a liquid of exceptional depth, inspired by Brugal’s rich history with the u nited s tates and its unwavering pursuit of perfection. Andrés Brugal e dition 02 is housed in a custom-designed case that reflects the brand’s spirit of discovery. The case features a red coin and a map of the Americas, symbolizing the voyages of d on Andrés Brugal and the generations of m aestros r oneros who followed in his footsteps. i nside, a hand-blown crystal decanter and two exclusive glasses invite collectors to savor this rare rum in its finest form. https://www.brugal-rum. com/en
ne X t century spirits & B lue ch A ir BA y rum
n ext Century s pirits announced the acquisition of Blue Chair Bay r um, a key move in expanding its presence into the premium rum category. This award-winning spirit, the world’s largest independently owned rum, was created and built by e ast Tennessee songwriter/ superstar Kenny Chesney and has sold millions of cases to date. Chesney will continue to infuse his vision as one of n C s ’s largest percentage owners and will play an integral role moving forward. “Blue Chair Bay r um has endless potential, and we’re excited to bring it into the n C s family,” said Anthony m oniello, Co-C eo of n ext Century s pirits. “Kenny created something special, a great tasting rum with
a rich story. At n C s , we’re building a team of fastmoving entrepreneurs and a portfolio of bold, unique brands for the next generation of spirits drinkers. Adding Kenny and Blue Chair Bay to our vision is another incredible step forward.” Kenny Chesney said “Blue Chair Bay r um was created to capture my life, as a spirit to share with friends. This rum is the result of a lot of fun, passion, sunshine, good people and n o s hoes n ation energy. n ext Century s pirits embraces those same qualities. They have a passion for innovation and going to new places. This is going to be cool.” r ob m ason, Co-C eo of n ext Century s pirits added “Teaming up with Kenny is a natural fit for n C s , and we are excited that he will play an active role in the company, Blue Chair Bay r um strengthens our vision and marks another step in accelerating our growth as we work to shape the spirits of tomorrow.” Blue Chair Bay® r um is an award-winning premium brand steeped in Kenny Chesney’s heart and love for living, from beach to bottle. An authentic Caribbean rum, blended with natural ingredients, it’s available in: s piced, w hite, Coconut, Banana, Coconut s piced, v anilla, Key l ime r um Cream, Banana r um Cream, Pineapple r um Cream and Coconut s piced r um Cream. Kenny Chesney worked with one of the world’s great master blenders, m ike Booth, to create the blends. n ext Century s pirits, headquartered in Zebulon, n orth Carolina, is a full-service distilledspirits company, building a strategically developed portfolio of owned brands and offering private label solutions, co-packing, and bulk supply. https:// bluechairbayrum.com/, www.nextcenturyspirits.com
m A ster of m A lt
m aster of m alt is now shipping to more states in the us . The recent additions are w est v irginia, s outh d akota, n orth d akota, n ew h ampshire, and i owa. m ore good news if you live in i ndiana, Kansas, Kentucky, m innesota, m issouri, m ontana, n evada, o hio, o klahoma, Tennessee, w isconsin, Arizona, or Colorado, as they have managed to shave some dollars off your shipping costs as well. w orried about tariffs and extra charges?
r elax, with m aster of m alt the price you see is always the price you pay. There are no tariffs or hidden extras - ever. They have one of the best selections of rums in the world, including rums you have probably never seen on the shelf. Better yet, they offer several hundred rums in 30 ml sample bottles. https://www. masterofmalt.com/
m A ison ferr A n D & pl A nter A y rums
w ith Barge 166, m aison Ferrand is revolutionizing the aging process with the world’s first floating cellar with an exclusive opportunity to select your own spirit and follow its aging alongside a community of fellow enthusiasts. This classic 1948 Freycinet barge from Paris has been hand restored and specifically redesigned and equipped to hold 1,500 30-liter barrels filled with Planteray rums (or Ferrand cognacs) below deck. Barge 166 is devoted to their Private Barrel program, giving you the chance to own a rum (or
cognac) barrel customized with your very own name. You have the choice of several distillation options: traditional pot still for a full-bodied profile, column still for a smooth and elegant taste, or a harmonious blend of the two. As all terroirs of rum show distinct personalities, you can choose rums from Barbados, Fiji or Jamaica. As the ageing process further defines a spirit, Private Cask o wners have the option of a single vintage expression or a blend of several vintages, as well as a choice of younger spirits (aged 3 years) or older rums that have aged 12 years or longer. Your personalized spirit will complete its maturation process on board Barge 166 in a 30 l French o ak cask that is treated to the degree of charring that you prefer. l ight, medium and strong charring options add yet another custom element to your bespoke rum. For a period of 6 months to 2 years, your Private Cask will rest in our floating cellar, where the high rate of humidity will enhance its concentration and intensity. w hen you decide that your cognac or rum has reached the peak of maturity and ultimate flavor potential, they will bottle your specially designed expression in 50cl personalized bottles (approximately 50 bottles per 30 l cask) and deliver them to the address of your choice. “ o ur floating cellar on the s eine, designed to store barrels below water level, is an innovative environment for maturing great cognacs and rums, and will enable us to further develop our experiments” said Alexandre g abriel, founder of m aison Ferrand. To understand this centuries-old technique, look back to the era of long sea voyages, when the rocking motion of the waves intensified the spirits’ aromas in the barrels as they interacted more closely with the wood. To replicate these conditions, a specially designed jack, powered by a solar-panel motor, creates rolling motions at night. m eanwhile, the barge’s natural humidity, the temperature variations inside the cellar, and the smaller size of the barrels all enhance the rich aromas of their rums, as well as a perfect melding of tannins. https://barge166.com/
A l A m B i Q ue serr A no
o axaca’s Cañada region is not only home to some of the world’s most interesting rums, it is also a habitat for hundreds of unique species, few of which can be found in other parts of o axaca. The Alambique s errano v ida n ativa series celebrates that native life with rare, one-off single casks and blends of o axacan rum from the Krassel family:
• Single Cask #1: Cañamazo 58.7% abv • 266 bottles. Cañamazo is a large, nitrogen-fixing tree that can grow up to 80 feet tall. Found in central and s outh America, this habitat-providing tree bears vibrant red sheaths that house onyx-colored seeds in the month of June. Alongside the r ío Blanco, a mature Cañamazo shelters a small Alambique s errano aging cave. This single cask was fermented from 100% cane juice in pine tanks with ambient yeast. i t was distilled by r ommel Krassel on a copper alembic pot still and aged for 2 years in new French o ak followed by 3 months in new h ungarian o ak. The angel’s share was 20%.
• s ingle Cask #2: v enado Temazate 62.5% abv • 250 bottles. The Venado Temazate is a deer species that can be found in the cloud forests of the Cañada region. They are relatively small for deer, weighing between 35 and 65 lbs. d espite their tiny size, they are prolific seed propagators, and their small antlers are a necessary adaptation to their vegetation-dense, understory habitat. This single cask was fermented from 100% cane juice in pine tanks with ambient yeast. i t was distilled by r ommel Krassel in a copper alembic pot still and aged for 22 months in new French o ak followed by 2.5 months in Acacia wood. The angel’s share was 25%.
•
Single Cask #3: Perro de Agua 62.9% abv • 262 bottles. The nocturnal Perro de Agua is an otter species that, unlike most other types of otters, tends to enjoy solitary conditions. They find ample nesting spots along the r ío Blanco, which offers an abundance of dense vegetation and rock crevices. Their webbed feet and strong, muscular tails make them skilled swimmers. This single cask was fermented from 100% cane juice in pine tanks with ambient yeast. i t was distilled by r ommel Krassel in a copper alembic pot still and aged for 22 months in new Acacia wood followed by 4 months in red wine cask. The angel’s share was 19%.
• Single Cask #4: Tepezcuintle 58.1% abv • 295 bottles. The Tepezcuintle is a semiaquatic rodent that was believed to be a guardian of the natural balance by some pre-hispanic societies. The name Tepezcuintle comes from the n ahuatl language and roughly translates to “mountain dog” in reference to their hilly, jungle habitat. They are excellent swimmers, and use ponds and rivers as a refuge from predators. This single cask was fermented from 100% cane juice in pine tanks with ambient yeast. i t was distilled by r ommel Krassel in a copper alembic pot still and aged for 24 months in new French o ak followed by 4 months in new h ungarian o ak. The angel’s share was 10%.
• Blend #1: Pico Canoa 57.7% abv • 574 bottles. Big-billed Pico Canoa Toucans are celebrated for their vibrantly colored beaks. i n the late afternoon, their yelping sounds can be heard echoing from the r ío Blanco, where they feed upon wild fruits and nest in the cavities of large riverside trees. This two-barrel blend was fermented from 100% cane juice in steel and pine tanks with ambient yeast. i t was distilled by the Krassel brothers in a copper alembic pot still and their homemade Krassel s till. The Krassel s till rum aged for 25 months in new French o ak and 4 months in a red wine cask. The pot still rum aged for 28 months in new French o ak and 3 months in a red wine cask. The angel’s share was 11%.
The Alambique s errano v ida n ativa series will be launched this month in select markets: n ew York, California, Florida, i llinois, w ashington d C, d elaware, m aryland, Kentucky, m assachusetts, r hode i sland, and Texas.
https://www.alambiqueserrano.com/
The Sweet Business of Sugar
ARGENTINA
r egardless of distillation equipment, fermentation method, aging or blending techniques, all rum producers have one thing in common: sugarcane
w ithout sugarcane we would not have sugar mills, countless farmers would not have a profitable crop and we would not have rum!
Tariffs Add More Turmoil to Dysfunctional US-Mexico Sugar Trade
Story by Ilena Peng, with assistance from Dayanne Sousa
(Bloomberg) -- Years of droughts in Mexico have already fractured its sugar exports to the US. Now President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs risk making the once-lucrative trade relationship even worse for America’s top foreign supplier of the commodity.
Trade agreements between the two nations were meant to create a reliable flow of affordable sugar to the US. But the system has unraveled, with more imports now coming from everywhere else. Shipments from Mexico are expected to fall to a 17-year low in 2025, leaving the Latin American nation with a smaller sliver of the market than it expected.
The US sugar industry is heavily controlled with decades-old regulations intended to protect farmer profits and prevent other countries from flooding the country with sugar. The exception to that was Mexico, which shipped supplies freely under the US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, until pacts in 2014 put in place an export limit and a minimum price floor. Those arrangements made Mexico the biggest foreign sugar supplier to the US.
But droughts in the past two years slashed production in Mexico, and the US needed more sugar than the amount allowed in under lower duties. Mexican sugar got so expensive that it became cheaper for American importers to pay steeper taxes to bring in supplies from countries like Brazil. The possible addition of 25% tariffs on goods covered under the North American trade agreement is further driving a wedge in the longstanding sugar trade.
Tariffs are slated to come into force on April 2, but they are already reshaping the trade. Importers earlier this year rushed to buy Mexican sugar, spurring “furious” shipping, said Oliver Hire, vice president and head of trading at Sucro Can Sourcing LLC, a sugar refiner with operations in the US and Canada. But now it has “effectively paused future flows of the commodity into the US.”
The tumult has helped to support rising sugar futures prices: The most-active US sugar contract in late February traded as high as 38 cents a pound, the highest since November and about double the world sugar price of just under 20 cents.
Prices have since seen little movement as players shift toward higher-taxed imports from countries other than Mexico as “the crutch to lean on,” Hire said.
The most recent fiscal year that ended in September marked the first time ever that the US was more reliant on so-called high-tier imports than Mexican sugar.
High-tier imports in the current season that began Oct. 1 are already estimated at 495,000 short tons, according to the US Department of Agriculture’s most recent monthly report. That figure, which doesn’t include any potential tariff impacts, puts those supplies on par with Mexico’s forecast shipments.
Read the full story here:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/tariffs-add-more-turmoil-to-dysfunctional-us-mexico-sugar-trade/ar-AA1BjJg9
Presents
The Sugar Mill: Origins and Evolution
i ntroduction
s ugarcane ( Saccharum officinarum ) is a perennial grass of the family p oaceae 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!
p art 4: t he Vertical t hree- r oller s ugarcane m ill
i n Part 2 we discussed the beauty and simplicity of the p ole p ress but also mentioned how inefficient it is for large volumes of sugarcane, suggesting it was o K for personal consumption but nothing more. i n order to understand the volume of sugarcane that must be processed as a commercial activity, we should explore sugarcane yields, both in the infancy of the industry and as they are now, thanks to all our presentday mechanical innovations.
i n early times:
• 1 acre of land produced 10 tons of sugarcane
• 10 tons of sugarcane produced 1 ton of sugar
n owadays in the us A ( l A, F l and T x ):
• 1 acre of land produces 38 tons of sugarcane
• 38 tons of sugarcane produce between 3.8 and 4 tons of sugar
i t is easy to see why industry pioneers would look for ways to take advantage of mechanical innovations and to reduce or eliminate human labor as much as possible.
l ast month (in Part 3 of this series) we saw an implementation of a Screw p ress that also used a water-powered grinder. Pre-cutting the sugarcane and filling mash bags for pressing was an improvement, but it still was very laborintensive, so ideas had to continue to evolve, looking at other industries for inspiration.
e nter the Vertical Three- r oller Sugarcane Mill.
According to Sugar Machines: p icturing i ndustrialized Slavery (by John e Crowley) , the Vertical Three r oller Mill was probably introduced to Brazil from Peru in the early 1600s, and would quickly take over the Brazilian engenhos (sugar mills).
Animal, human or water power turned the vertical axle of the mill’s central cylinder and its two counter-turning rollers. s uch mills required fewer workers than Screw p resses to feed and to tend them: whole cane stalks could be fed from opposite sides of the rollers in a continuous process. The rollers’ superstructure supported the application of more force than was possible with the high friction and inertia of edge rollers. And they extracted more of the cane’s juice because their tolerances could be adjusted. s ugar output per worker increased by 150–200 percent (according to John d aniels and Christian d aniels, The Origin of the Sugarcane r oller Mill ”).
s hown in the background: the earliest known on-the-spot drawing of the recently invented v ertical Three- r oller s ugar m ill, worked, presumably, by enslaved Africans. Frans Post, p ressoir a` sucre au Brésil (ca. 1640). v C r oyal m useums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Brussels.
s ugar m ill s potlight
An old wooden Vertical Threer oller Sugarcane Mill , near Pirenópolis in the Brazilian s tate of g oiás.
Join us again next month, as we continue to explore this fascinating topic!
cig A r & rum p A iring
by Philip i li Barake
my 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 growers.
But my passion 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;
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 (or experiencing known things in new ways).
Philip # gr CigarPairing
f irst o f m any
The construction work is almost complete, and we are beginning the application process for the operating permits, so i was determined to conduct the first pairing at the restaurant’s bar, which is a beauty that we rescued from the previous establishment. To this end, i brought from home all i needed for a simple, yet meaningful first pairing, one that would be remembered as the first ever.
For this pairing i brought a cigar i had been saving, a r ocky Patel g old l abel, it is a Toro (6 ½” x 54), produced by Tabacalera v illa Cuba s A (TAB i C u BA). i t is box-pressed, with a h abano e cuadorian wrapper, Connecticut Broadleaf binder and n icaraguan filler, from the e stelí and Jalapa valleys. The presentation and composition alone make you want to smoke it!
For the rum, i selected a Bacardi g ran r eserva l imitada, produced in Puerto r ico but bottled in Jacksonville on August 10th, 2017. i t is a special black bottle, number 0857, with a batch number, something very popular now that gives bottles a certain degree of importance.
i t is time to light up the cigar. A quick glance at the cigar reveals the typical color associated with this line: dark chocolate with very fine veins. Prior to this, one has to remove the cigar band that is emblematic of the g old l abel. i did a straight guillotine cut, but a v cut would have also been appropriate.
o nce lit, the cigar showcases a balance between notes of powdered cocoa and cedar. Further into the first third, i perceived strong notes of black pepper. n ot too long ago i was enjoying cured sausages (salames)
credit: @Cigarili g ot r um? April 2025 - 58
Photos
from this area, which I think would be 100% perfect with this pairing.
I served the rum by itself, on ice, with a simple orange peel express (a “squirt”). The pairing was perfect, subtle, letting the tobacco lead the pairing all along.
The cigar burned perfectly, the draw was a bit tight at first, but it completely opened up during the second third.
Clearly this was a simple, yet memorable pairing, to inaugurate this beautiful bar on the southern end of the world. While I can smoke in the bar now because we are not open to the public yet, once we open I will do everything in my power to start a Cigar Club, the most Southern club in the world,
so that we can develop new friendships and we can enjoy beautiful moments in this awesome place called Aima r estaurante.
As time goes on, i will conduct more pairings and, as soon as the local authorities grant us the permit for the Club, you’ll be the first to find out. You’ll be able to enjoy your holidays in this beautiful corner of the world, called Punta Arenas, and you’ll have unique rum cocktails and unmatched pairings not found anywhere else!
Cheers!
Philip i li Barake # gr CigarPairing
Photo credit: @Cigarili
