Martinique’s appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC) is perhaps the best-known regulation in the rum world of rum. Less known is that Guadeloupe, its sister French overseas department also has its own regulations, in the form of a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), which I translated into English and summarized here. If that weren’t obscure enough for French West Indies... Continue Reading →
In a surprising move, the US TTB announced today (Dec. 28th, 2020) they will soon expand the set of “standards of fill” for wine and distilled spirits. While this sounds bureaucratic and sleep inducing, its huge news for distilled spirits enthusiasts (including my rum geek friends), who will benefit from more access to bottlings which... Continue Reading →
My annual end-of-year tradition at Cocktail Wonk is a bit of introspection about my writing directions over the prior twelve months and a round-up of my stories I’m most proud of. To my surprise, I shared 45 stories in 2020 (including this one), more than I expected given my recent rate of posting. During the... Continue Reading →
Jamaica’s Appleton Estate is among the world’s largest rum brands, with roots going back to 1825 or 1749, depending on your perspective. The history of Appleton; its parent company, J. Wray & Nephew (JWN); and JWN’s parent company, Lascelles deMercado, is an extraordinarily complex tapestry. While working on a project related to Jamaican rum, I... Continue Reading →
Rum regulations (aka GIs) are a favorite topic here on Cocktail Wonk. My ever-growing archive of GI-related stories, including the Jamaica and Martinique GIs is here, and it’s time to add to that list! While Martinique’s appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) has significant mindshare in the rhum/rhum/ron world, the rhum regulations of Guadeloupe, its sister French... Continue Reading →
Rum label transparency is of substantial interest to many enthusiasts. No, not whether you can see through the label or not. Rather, transparency in exactly how the rum was made. While the rum world has made great strides towards greater transparency recently, there’s still a great distance for brands to travel. Information disclosure is still... Continue Reading →
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