While many rums embrace the pervasive idea that rum is a mixer to be poured with cola or blended with coconut water and never taken alone, others are fighting against the collegiate stereotype and attempting to establish the category as one equal in sophistication to whiskey or brandy. Zaya is one of the latter. Zaya [...]
Rum Reviews
While most aged rums are aged solely in used bourbon casks, several rum makers have been experimenting with finishing their rums in other types of wood, like used sherry casks. At the forefront of this movement are the Dos Maderas rums.
When I first discovered that Tommy Bahama had their own rum, I’ll admit that I was less than interested. A white rum in an incredibly heavy and expensive bottle made by a company that’s well-known for its high prices and its faux island lifestyle didn’t really appeal to me. There are already plenty of rums that are well-known for their low prices and faux island lifestyle. I didn’t need a pricey, fake rum like Tommy Bahama.It turns out I didn’t know what I was missing.
La Favorite has been producing Rhum Agricole on the island of Martinique since around 1843. The Blanc is made by distilling a fermented mash of freshly pressed sugar cane juice. A single copper column still is used to produce the blanc, which is taken off of the still at around 70% abv (140 proof). This white spirit is then rested in oak before being bottled at 50% abv (100 proof).
Rum from Colorado just sounds a bit “off.” Who in their right mind would decide that the Rocky Mountains is the right place to plop down a distillery to make the favored spirit of the Caribbean? Karen and Brice Hoskin would. They started Montanya in 2008 with the idea of making rum using fresh, American-grown [...]
American rum is a tradition that goes back to the early colonial days when the tricorn hat was still en vogue. While the cyclical nature of fashion has not yet brought back the tricorn (for reasons that still escape me), American rum has been making quite the comeback.
Granted, if you were to consider where American rum would be made a few places might cross your mind. New England has historically be the center of American rums (think Medford Rum). New Orleans and Hawaii sort of jump out at you too. Colorado, on the other hand, probably doesn’t crack the Top Ten list for “Where do I think American rum comes from?”
Montanya Rum is made in Silverton, Colorado. Yes, rum in the Rocky Mountains.
I seem to be on a bit of a Venezuelan kick lately. That might sound weird on a rum site, but the truth of the matter is that the nation of Venezuela seems to be producing a heck of a lot of good rum, and Santa Teresa is no exception.
In 1796 the Santa Teresa Hacienda was established by the Count of Tovar y Blanco after being given the land by the king of Spain. 100 years later, new owner Gustavo Vollmer Ribas began producing rum on the hacienda. The Santa Teresa 1796 was created in 1996 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the hacienda’s creation.