The topic of Spanish, French and French style rums come up frequently in rum discussions. It’s confusing to many, especially newcomers trying to make sense of the vast world of rum. Section Three of my book, Minimalist Tiki, has a very lengthy and detailed overview on rum. What follows is an adaptation of a small... Continue Reading →
It’s common knowledge In the rum world from sheer repetition: The fabled British Navy rum, served to bluejackets for three centuries, is a blend of rums from the Four Horsemen of British Colonial rum: Jamaica, Guyana, Barbados, and Trinidad. It’s an appealing narrative. Who doesn’t love funky Jamaican rum? (Mrs. Wonk will come around eventually... Continue Reading →
Grenada has more sugar cane than it can handle, an unprecedented situation relative to the prior two centuries. From the south to the north, vibrantly green sugar cane stalks rise several meters into the deep blue January sky. The cane is ready to cut -- scratch that -- the cane is past prime time for... Continue Reading →
“My suggestion is that you try to contact Michael Fogg… he is definitely the most knowledgeable living person regarding the early derivation of navy rum.” Historians live for the moment when the heavy curtains of the past briefly part to reveal a glimpse into something unexpected. I didn’t know it at the time, but such... Continue Reading →
I’ve been thinking a lot about rum categories lately, even dropping a rant or two along the way. As I’ve mentioned in my various musings, the problem with most categories is that they’re not applicable in all situations, and for all needs. A masterful categorization based on technical production parameters is likely not useful to... Continue Reading →
In early 2020 I visited the island of Grenada as a guest of Renegade Rum. While there, I visited all four current and future rum producers on the island in my role as WIRSPA’s Community Envoy. In advance of my upcoming coverage of Grenada’s rum makers, I’ve assembled a dossier about Grenadian rum to set... Continue Reading →
A member of my High Ester Rum Geeks Facebook group recently asked what LAA means in the context of distilled spirits. For instance, if purchasing rum in bulk, you might be quoted a price per LAA rather than in gallons or liters, as you might expect. So, what’s the story? What is LAA? The concise... Continue Reading →
In late 2019 I visited Guyana as the guest of Demerara Distillers Ltd (DDL), makers of El Dorado rum and home of the historic Port Mourant, Versailles and Enmore wooden stills. I came away with an enormous quantity of material about the distillery and Guyana’s rum history to share. Thus far, I’ve published: A detailed... Continue Reading →
In January 2020 I visited the island of Grenada as a guest of Renegade Rum. Originally an independent bottler of rums, Renegade made a hard-left turn recently, building the first brand new, large scale Caribbean rum distillery in over 15 years. (I’ll have much more to say about this in a future story.) Leading Renegade’s... Continue Reading →
Welcome to Part Two of my look at Trinidadian Rum and Angostura, the last remaining rum producer on Trinidad. In Part One, I reviewed Trinidad’s background and role in Caribbean rum history. I also provided key details about Trinidad’s three primary 20th century rum producers: Caroni, Fernandes, and Angostura, and how Angostura became Trinidad’s sole... Continue Reading →
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