In the course of researching various rum-related topics, there’s some recent history that I keep bumping up against. Between 1997 and 2006, one company purchased several extremely important rum companies such as Angostura and Appleton. It also acquired a few other well known spirits brands. It then went bankrupt during the world financial crisis that... Continue Reading →
Liquid & Logistics: Inside E&A Scheer, Master Bulk Rum Blenders
Idyllic images come to mind when picturing rum: Sweeping Caribbean cane fields, historic pot and column stills. Barrels slowly maturing in the hot sun for decades. A master blender wandering the warehouse, carefully selecting barrels to produce the perfect blend, bottled and transported to your local bar or liquor store. While this narrative may be... Continue Reading →
The Main Rum Company: Vintage Cask Valhalla
The seaside city of Liverpool, England (yes, home of the Beatles), was one of England’s major shipping hubs in the not-so-distant past. Magnificent ocean liners like the RMS Titanic, Lusitania, and Queen Mary were all registered there. The city is also infamous for its part in the triangle trade, where rum, sugar, finished goods, and... Continue Reading →
The most important rum company you’ve never heard of: E&A Scheer – Rum Merchants to the World
Walking through the canal district of central Amsterdam can be disorienting to all your senses. The cobbled streets and sidewalks are narrow and filled with what seems an endless stream of bicycles, mobile and stationary. The 17th century-era row houses lining the canals are all similar in style and color -- three stories tall and... Continue Reading →
Going Deeper with Denizen Merchant’s Reserve, and Dutch rum powerhouse E&A Scheer
I recently did a post about three Dutch rums, including the new Denizen’s Merchant’s Reserve, a blend of aged Jamaican and Martinique rums. The Merchant’s Reserve has a bit of buzz around it from Tiki wonks as it’s been promoted as being a good facsimile of the rum used to make the original Trader Vic’s... Continue Reading →