SelvaRey Chocolate Rum is produced by SelvaRey – a U.S.-based, celebrity-owned rum brand that partners with distillers in Panama. With the help of master rum distiller “Don Pancho” Francisco Fernandez, SelvaRey releases single estate rums that aim to elevate the perception of rum in the U.S. market. Each of SelvaRey’s rums are produced from start to finish at the same distillery. The brand goes so far as to brag about the labor conditions of the sugarcane harvesters, who work 4-hour shifts to avoid the midday heat, receive clean water and food, and get paid at least minimum wage for their efforts. The pesticide-free sugarcane is then […]
Cane Island Jamaica Rum is produced by Cane Island Rum – a rum brand owned by the Amsterdam-based company Infinity Spirits. As a brand, Cane Island produces a variety of different rum blends, each of which focuses on a specific country or estate of origin. This particular bottle of Jamaica Rum is one of their “single island” blends, meaning that it includes rums from a few different estates located on the island of Jamaica. The rums in the blend are produced from molasses, and are primarily pot still. They are aged for a range of 3-5 years in American white oak bourbon barrels – with the exception of one unaged, high-ester rum. The […]
Smith & Cross Traditional Jamaica Rum is produced by Smith & Cross – a London-based rum producer with roots dating back to 1788. A blend of pot still “Plummer” and “Wedderburn” style rums, Smith & Cross boasts a flavorful product reminiscent of 19th century Jamaican rums. The different rums used in this blend are each distilled in Jamaica at the Hampden Estate Distillery, before being aged for a range of 6 months to 3 years. They make a point to advertise that this blend is not chill filtered, which results in a high ester product with potentially more character. It also does not include any added sugar before bottling. BOTTLE SPECS […]
Diplomático Reserva Exclusiva Rum is produced by Destilerías Unidas S. A., a Venezuelan spirits company and distillery. Originally established in 1959, Diplomático is produced near the beautiful Andes mountains in Venezuela. The brand was bought out in 2002, and is now family owned and operated. Each rum is “field to bottle”, with each step of the production process controlled by Diplomático. All their rums are made using either sugar cane molasses or sugar cane honey, which are sourced from up to 10 varieties of sugar cane. The company also cultivates its own strain of yeast for the fermentation process. After 1-2 days of fermentation […]
Now that spring is here and the weather is starting to warm up, I’ve been craving some refreshing rum cocktails. I’ve only tried a few white rums, so I was excited to check out something new, and the simple black and white label of Havana Club Puerto Rican Rum caught my eye immediately. Although now produced in Puerto Rico by the Bacardi company, Havana Club was first distilled in Cuba by José Arechabala in the 1860’s. The Arechabala Family produced the rum until the Cuban Revolution in the 1960’s, and the new government nationalized rum production. Arechabala soon left cuba for the United States. Cuba continued selling rum with the […]