In other rum news

[jankdc]

New rum is being made in Miami: Miami Club Rum

Flavored rum with sordid past comes to market: Rum invested by murdered Mt. Pleasant couple makes debut

Dark rum sales spike in India: Rum sale spikes on beat-the-chill myth

New Louisianan rum, Bayou Rum: Lacassine-based distillery to make rum from sugar cane

Barcelo Rum promotes shark hunt in the Dominican Republic: Activists slam shark tournament

[Capn Jimbo]

Good vibrations?


Now I would guess it shouldn't be hard for The Rum Project to find a bottle of the "Miami Club", made in Miami rum. Wish I'd seen this yesterday, as Sue Sea and I attended a nationally broadcast jazz concert in downtown Miami on Friday.

"Miami Club" is indeed made in Miami. It is promoted as a white mixing rum whose marketing campaign takes two meaningless tacks...

1. The name "Miami Club", with it's Art Deco label is designed specifically to trade on the image of South Beach and it's celebrity strip of extremely expensive night clubs, and...

2. And - are you sitting down - makes this amazing claim...

"“I play music — that vibrates the curls of French oak that are in the rum,” Malone tells Rum Journal in lounge area of the distillery, which evokes the decor of Miami Beach’s 1960s heyday. “It releases the tannins in the wood faster —I even play music to the sugar — I don’t know if that works though.”

The white rum (a product of local Florida sugarcane) is aged for 90 days, according to Malone, who said he was investing in new, improved speakers to amp up the aging."

(Credit Caribbean Journal)

Keen eyed readers will have noted the "curls of French Oak" used - these are NOT barrels, but seem to be some kind of staves or shavings placed into stainless tanks. I doubt that this has any really positive effect and likely just the opposite. We'll see, not that I really care about this one.

Good grief...

[jankdc]

I chuckled with the whole music thing, but I hadn't caught that it was wood shavings in thrum.

[da'rum]

Home distillers, used oak chunks/chips to age as well. When they don't distil enough to fill a barrel or can't afford a barrel then they'll use SS containers or glass with the afore mentions timber placed in. They even char the chunks to differing levels to achieve the colour and profile they want. A nice rum definitely can be made using this method.

If I had a commercial distillery I'd use whole barrels though.

[jankdc]

Don't the barrels add something? Don't they "breath and oxidize the liquor? I thought it wasn't just the contact with the oak.

[jankdc]

New Hampshire distillery wins money:
Sea Hagg Distillery wins national recognition

New Philippines rum launched: Don Papa and here is another article.

Siesta Key wins best spiced rum award and distributed by total wine: Siesta Key Rum wins award

Georgia rum producer Richland Rum featured in this article: Georgia microdistilleries growing in number

[da'rum]

Don't the barrels add something? Don't they "breath and oxidize the liquor? I thought it wasn't just the contact with the oak.

The spirit does oxidise a little bit due to the head space left in the barrel and the spirit evaporates a tiny amount as well (angels share). Most of the changes occurring are a direct result of the oak and time though.

Barrels are far superior to use than oak shards as oaking/ageing is a subtle process that does take time. So when hobby distillers use shards in place of barrels they are running the risk of over oaking before time can also work it's witchcraft.

Hobby distillers tend to become over time great blenders and can have extensive notes on times, timber, char, and ratio's.

Barrels are optimal and preferred but Oak chips/shards are (in the right hands) an acceptable substitute. Not for commercial distilleries though.

[Capn Jimbo]

Regarding Siesta Key...


We resisted this rum for some time, and as you may recall the distiller was challenged here. He came through and properly defended what turned out to be an honestly promoted rum. A search will find the review...


Regarding Don Papa (Phillipines):

I'm always amused when a company - this one founded by a former Remy Martin executive - then releases a 7 (or more) year old rum, along with the usual (and in this case expected) line of madeup marketing. It simply means a wannabee bought some bulk rum, and designed a bottle and story to carry it. The real tip off though is that is a one-liter "release" for what is called the "travel retail" market.

This market tends to be more upscale. All spirits cater to it with NAS, thrown together releases, usually in very expensive bottles and glowing stories. It is generally very average product. It's all story, all presentation, all designed to be sold at the airport or surrounding area by an attractive attendent.


Regarding Richland (and other microdistillers in Georgia state):

An interesting article from a state known (along with the rest of the South) for moonshining. It is nice to know several states have made small batch distilling possible but with several problems.

1. It is hard to get distribution. The big shops seek volume and known brands. They are controlled - almost literally - by the big conglomerates.

2. Neither on-site, nor mail order sales are allowed in many cases.

3. All small distillers have the issue of having to tie up brown spirits for aging and usually don't have the cash flow or deep pockets to weather the delay. Accordingly, they often buy Carl's or Vendome's that are actually small column stills to make gin and vodka while their whisky and fine rum awaits. Interestingly, the Georgia distillers shown are using classic pots.

J - thanks for the links.

[jankdc]

Nice read on Siesta Key, did you ever try their gold rum?

As to the others, I was most interested in the Richland Rum and Sea Hagg. They both seem to use pot stills. It's one of those things though, unless I travel, I'm not going to get any. While I don't think I ever have been to New Hampshire, I get to Atlanta about every three years.