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…
Category: Cocktail Wonk
A (Non-)History of Jamaica in British Navy Rum
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…
Renegade Rum Ascends
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…
Remembering Michael Fogg – Conservator of Rum’s Legacy
“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…
Moving Beyond Rum Categories – A Modest Proposal
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…
Grenada Rum Cheat Sheet
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…
Ooh LAA LAA – What’s It Mean?
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…
All Things Demerara Distillers Ltd — Master Distiller Shaun Caleb On the Record
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…
Rum Renegade Mark Reynier: On the Record
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…
The Age of Angostura – Part Two
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…