As we hurtle towards the 50th Anniversary of Black Tot day, a lot of interest is focused on the British Royal Navy’s tradition of issuing a daily rum ration to its members. One of the hallowed auxiliary traditions of the…
Category: Cocktail Wonk
Untangling All the Modern Navy Rums
Who doesn’t love the story of British Navy Rum? With the 50th anniversary of Black Tot Day coming up on July 31st, 2020, liquor store shelves are awash in “navy rum”. As someone who’s spent the last 18th months intensively…
Jamaican Rum on Acid: How Vinegar Brings the Funk
The learning never stops. For several years I’ve endeavored to understand the flavor science and history behind Jamaican rum’s unique hogo. As part of that I’ve visited every Jamaican rum distillery, save one, and documented what I learned. One such…
Clarke’s Court and Grenada Distillers Ltd.
When it comes to exported Grenadian-made rum, one name has dominated over the last two decades: Clarke’s Court. The brand is the flagship of Grenada Distiller’s Ltd., the country’s largest rum distillery — at least till Renegade Rum starts producing.…
Grenada’s River Antoine Rum Distillery – Rum History Wonderland
Among rum cognoscenti, Jamaica’s Hampden Estate is held in exceedingly high reverence; a visit to the distillery is a rite of passage for hardcore rum geeks. Beyond just the extremely funky rums which draw high prices and attract collectors, Hampden’s…
The Colonial Rum Classification – A Primer
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…
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…