Ed Hamilton

When we talk about cooperation within the industry we have to appreciate that in the Caribbean alone there are more than 17 countries represented. An in a competitive marketplace cooperation is difficult at best. I wish I could share some of the things I've seen in the industry in a public forum like this but take it for granted that a lot of distilleries are run by people who haven't done a lot of business outside their country, if any. For more than a few, exporting rum has been a big step and the idea of helping someone else, their percieved competition no less, is even more foreign than the concept that 'competition is good.' Then you have to consider that what may be considered good business in a small market that has historically only sold to tourists, just isn't going to fly in the international marketplace. But just try to convince someone who has been successful locally that they have to change their product identity. Good luck. You'll have more success getting your local representative to lower the tax on your favorite rum. However, in the French islands there is an organization called CODERUM. As you might guess it is concerned with rum and roughly stands for the Company for the Defense of the Rum Market. There is a CODERUM for Martinique and another for Guadeloupe, which also includes the beautiful island of Marie Galante. In those islands there are standards for making claims about the rum. Some of the details are in my books but even on those islands it has historically been difficult to get all the producers to agree on standards, it took years for the AOC, Appelation de Controllee to be adopted which is a stamp that looks like a stylized couple of links of chain on the label. AOC is a certificate that says this rhum agricole was produced in accordance with the standards for rhum agricole, produced from fresh sugar cane juice, distilled to about 70% alcohol, and other criteria that has to do with aging in barrels of less than 650liter capacity, if the rhum has been aged, etc.,etc.,etc.,etc., Words like rhum agricole, rhum viuex, and rhum dore have been defined. Others such as Millesime have not, though they are commonly used. It is certainly a start. Personally I'd like to see some standards for naming rums. For example, Anejo is a spanish word that simply means old. Presently that could be anywhere from one to twenty or more years in a barrel. On the other hand, enforcing more labeling requirements will ultimately increase the price of my favorite spirit. In the US, an age statement must reflect the youngest rum in a blend, which is quite contrary to many other countries where the consumer is left to his own taste without regard to claims on the labels. Since most blends of aged rum contain rum of many different ages, this is hard to enforce except through the good will of the distiller. Labeling is a problem that has been attacked by the wine, champagne, cognac, etc. industry for years. I'd be willing to bet the biggest winner has been the attorneys. If a company puts out a bad product, the consumer won't be fooled for long. But if it is a good product, consumers will support it. As long as it isn't a hazard to my health, I don't get too excited. In the past consumers haven't had the kind of information conduit that exists today right here in this forum or on any number of website guestbooks. Distillers and marketers are beginning to appreciate that as computer savvy consumers our seemingly silent keystrokes can be heard around the world very quickly and at a deafening volume. As moderator of this forum I'm going to have the last word and close this topic. We've gotten a long way from the original posting. If you have more comments please go to: "It's what's in the bottle that counts."

Thanks mickblueeyes, you've expressed my opinion exactly. Given that Bacardi has spent (?)millions on this new product makes me glad I'm not on the recieving end of this marketing push. It is sad that a lot of really good products hardly get any space because the big guys demand that their products get premium placement. This is the same reason that a number of good rums don't make it to the shelf. More than a few distributors won't take on new products, not because they don't want to, but because they are pressured by the firms that are further up the food chain. The good news is that through forums like this, consumers can find out about new products and actually drive demand from the consumer level, something the rum industry hasn't experienced for a long time.

Rum is a consumer product which is marketed the same as any other product. Before any spirit can be sold in the US, the distiller or importer must file ATF F 5100.31 titled "Department of Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms APPLICATION FOR AND CERTIFICATION/EXEMPTION OF LABEL/BOTTLE APPROVAL. Among the reasons for this approval is to enable the government to collect the appropriate amount of tax. Not only must the label contain the volume, alcohol content and other information, the bottle must also be of an approved size, one of the reasons 700ml bottles are not sold in the US (which severely restricts the variety of rum and other spirits sold in the US.) I don't claim to be an expert on the legalities of filing the above form, but I can tell you that only the label and bottle are subject to approval. Neck tags and other marketing flyers that may come with the bottle or display are not approved by the BATF. In addition to the federal approvals, many states also have licensing requirements so that those states can collect even more taxes. OK, Once the feds approve the label and bottle, the marketing begins. There is no requirement that the label state where the product was distilled. In my books I have tried to address some of the issues faced by the consumer. The Complete Guide to Rum and Rums of the Eastern Caribbean by Edward Hamilton Neck tags, which aren't affixed to the bottles, aren't subject to federal approval and may contain verbiage designed to sell the product, without regard to the facts. But before you cry foul!!!! Is that cereal in the glossy ad really going to make you healthier and improve your sex life? Will your kids really fly across the neighborhood when you call them for dinner if you serve the right food? Or will your lover really find you irresistible if you wear the right clothes, cologne or have the right hair color, on your head or on your face? Got the point? Our best defense is education. Read what you can about the products that interest you. Ask your friends. And look for recommendations. It goes without saying to keep an open mind and don't take what the marketers word as gospel. I am also suspicious of reviews from supposedly independent sources where the product descriptions mimic text which was taken directly from the product website. After visiting more than 35 distilleries and tasting hundreds of rums, I've learned that sometimes the story that goes with the glass just ain't so. I've used my best experience to separate the facts from the marketing hype. Read between the lines and don't be afraid to ask questions 'when things just don't seem right.' I do everything I can not to be prejudiced before I taste a new rum. Certainly the bottle, label and accompanying literature can, and will, influence our first impression of a spirit. Get to know a new rum the same way you'd get to know a new lover. Spend the night with it. In the morning, you'll know whether the new object of your affection is something to pursue or something best put on the back shelf.

The truth depends on who you ask. I am proud to say that I have not taken the correspondence school of journalism, that course which qualifies a lot of 'experts' to write about places they've never been, things they've never seen and spirits they've never drunk. This is what I have written about Westerahll in Grenada in my books, "Rum is a very competitive business, and it is not uncommon for even the general manager of a distillery not to know all of the details of the blends. There are stories about blenders that died and everything being lost out the window. Even though some blends have similar characters, I am told each label is a different blend. Westerhall Plantation Rum, the premium product from this estate, is blended and bottled at 43% alcohol by volume. This distinctive bottle, with its wax seal over the cork stopper, and hand-written batch number on the label, make a very nice presentation. This is the most popular Westerhall product among tourists and enjoys a good reputation as a blended, aged rum." Since this topic was originally about Westerhall, which is good rum, I'll post more and some more excerpts from my books in another topic which you will recognize if you've had the patience to read this much.

My comments shouldn't be directed only at Westerhall. My point is that this is good rum, but don't believe everything you read on a bottle label. Would I like to see the US government get involved in this? HELL NO. They screw enough things up without having them stop liquor imports, which would more than likely be their first approach, for your security. I can name at least six other cases where the facts have been distorted. In this case the story, and again, it is a good one, isn't actually on the label which has been approved by the BATF, it is on the neck tag. Other common places where misinformation abounds is on websites and promotional material. For example, take a look at some of the French rhums, that claim to have been made from sugar cane. While being distilled from fermented sugar cane is only one of the requirements for a rhum to be called rhum agricole, several rhums claim to have been made from sugar cane juice either on a website or in literature that comes with the rhum. The fact is that if the rhum is rhum agricole then it will say it on the label. If is doesn't say rhum agricole, if it is white, then it probably isn't rhum agricole regardless of what the marketing people say about it. Rhum agricole that has been aged more than three years, according to the French calender, can be called rhum vieux. I don't want to get into all the cases here but please try the rum and make your own decisions as to the quality. And don't believe everything you read. But I will stake my reputation on what I have written here and in my books. Cheers and enjoy your rum.

We've all seen an incredible number of new rums come to the market in the last few years, but Bacardi has actually discontinued bottling their Bacardi Spice. If you love this rum look around and buy it now because when it's gone, well, it's gone. The good news is that there are a few good spiced rums that have come to the market, one of my favorites is Foursquare Spiced Rum from Barbados. Drier than a lot of spiced rums, Foursquare doesn't contain any added sugar cane syrup that masks the unaged alcohol taste found in a lot of spiced rums. Happy shopping.

I believe you were probably served the El Dorado Special Reserve which is a 15 year old rum and quite a bit heavier than their 12 year old. The dark green bottle is squat and distinctive. A great after dinner rum, lots of smoky oak flavors. HC7 can be a little harsh but the Reserva will always be a classic aged rum. Unfortunately it is easy to get confused with all the different labels.

As for editing, sure I would have done some things a little differently but then I probably wouldn't have ended up with such a good video. I use parts of this video in almost all of the rum presentations that I do now. When you consider that this was made for an audience that isn't nearly as interested or knowledgable about rum as the members of this forum, you'll have to agree that they did a great job.

"Westerhall plantation rum is true small batch rum from Grenada, British West Indies. Each batch of ingredients is blended in varying proportions to achieve an end result that only the master distiller has in mind. Produced from 100% sugar cane, it is then double distilled in copper pot stills. After distillation, it is matured for 6 years in American bourbon oak. Only three barrels a day are produced from this distillery and each bottle has its batch number handwritten on the bottle." While I like the Westerhall Plantation Rum and their other Grand Havana Rums, I continue to be regret that the label is misleading. Anyone who has drunk real pot still rum made from 100%sugar cane, as Westerhall claims this rum to be, will immediately know something is amiss. But this is a good story for a neck tag, actually it's one of the best I've read. You might notice that there is no mention of the age of the rum on the label. So, you ask, exactly what's the deal? The truth of the matter is that Westerhall and their Grand Havana rums are good rums. All of these rums have a rich gold color, a nice fruit nose, are filled with vanilla, fruit, and cinnamon on the palate and finish with more vanilla and caramel. And all are very similiar. If you visit the distillery you'll immediately see that the pot still hasn't operated in some time and the sugar works couldn't have operated for at least decades and that was in 1993, the first time I visited the distillery. In my last conversation with the blender I was told, "We've changed the formula and now we only use some sugar cane rum." But in the last 12 years the flavor of Westerhall hasn't changed significantly. If you look at the label you will see the words "Product of the West Indies" There is no mention of where the rum is distilled, even as lax as the laws are in Grenada they wouldn't allow a blender to label his rum, 'Distilled and blended in Grenada' if it wasn't. The rums are imported from Trinidad where they are produced in a modern four column still and then aged in oak barrels from the states. In fact nearly all rum from the Caribbean is aged in oak barrels from the states. If you are lucky enough to be able to compare Westerahll Plantation Rum with the Grand Havana rums you'll see that the color is similiar, and the tastes aren't so far apart. Certainly not a sugar cane pot still rum and a Cuban style rum. But they are decent rums. Another rum they bottle is called Grenada Superb Light which is also similiar in character but without the fancy bottle. That's the one I buy since it is a little cheaper than 'wax top,' as Plantation is known on the island. And while I'm writing about labels, Grenada hasn't been part of the British West Indies since 1974 when they became an independent country recognized by the United Nations.

The details are slow coming but worth the wait. Noche Restaurant, 1604 Broadway, NYC between 48th and 49th streets October 7 evening open to public 6:30 to 9:30 There will be Raffles, Goody Bags (for the first 500 attendees), Live Music by Forecast--playing Caribbean Jazz, dancing, lots of Rum, Fab Latin Cuisine from Noche (David Emil's first restaurant opening since the demise of Windows on the World last September 11) is on 4 levels and occupies a cavernous 18,000 Penthouse Pets will be there doing what they do best. Rum seminar by Luis Ayala from rumshop.net Cost is $50 to benefit the Uniformed Firefighters Association Scholarship Fund Tickets will be available from my website and other venues (again, more details to be announced) I'll post more as soon as the details are confirmed.

Like a lot of things, whether Cachaca is or isn't rum depends on your perspective. It is made from sugar cane but it is also highly distilled so in some countries it can't be called rum. But then in Brazil it is considered rum and it is popular which brings up another point that just because you don't like it doesn't mean that it isn't any good. I believe the popularity of Cachaca is due in part to the fact that it is new to the market. A friend in the retail business in Chicago doesn't know why he sells so much cachaca but he does. Although the caipirinha is made with sugar and lime it is a lot closer to the French 'ti punch than a mojito which is made with sugar, lime, mint, soda water and, of course, rum. If you like it drink it. When I was researching strong rums in the islands I couldn't figure out what people liked about 160proof white rum, but if hundreds of thousands of people are drinking literally millions of liters of it, it can't be all bad. I had enough to last me a long time after I opened the first bottle but then I haven't spent a lot of time in Brazil enjoying it the way it was meant to be enjoyed, on the beach with the proper scenery.

Of course there are almost as many ways to drink rum as there are people but how do you usually drink your rum. My first drink of the day is usually a petit punch, a squeeze of lime, sugar cane syrup and rhum agricole mixed thoroughly with some ice on top, once it is stirred so the syrup won't crystallize. But after no more than two of these I switch to a variety of different drinks. After dinner I'll indulge in some aged rum over a sliver of ice or a splash of water. Cheers.

I agree that the Florida Matusalem Gran Reserva is pretty good and I didn't realize how hard it was going to be to replace after I drank my last bottles of it. Oh well, part of the research is finding sources that we can afford.

Penthouse is presenting a Rum Fest in New York October 7 at Noche restaurant. Last year they did a Vodka Fest but since rum is replacing vodka as the most popular drink this year they are hosting a Rum Fest. There will be several industry people there including myself, Luis Ayala from rumshop.net, the King of Cocktails, Dale DeGroff, and others. Proceeds will benefit the Uniformed Firefighters Association scholarship fund which Penthouse has supported for a number of years. Penthouse knows how to fire you up and cool you off. Penthouse Rum Fest Tickets

I can honestly say that I'm very proud of the work, both technical and artistic that went into this video. There are clips from Martinique, Marie Galante, Guadeloupe, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Grenada, Antigua and Barbados. I've worked with several film makers in the past and this crew were great, once they agreed to travel the extra miles to include the best of the islands. Even if you've been to more than a few distilleries I doubt you've seen rum making like this, from the smallest, two or three bottles a week, to the biggest who bottles over eight bottles a second. As the historical consultant and the location manager, I picked most of the locations, except the bar scenes in Cuba and the distillery shots in Puerto Rico. You won't see any canned photo shots from the tourist office files and you won't find an island still like this anywhere else. Divided into three sections, history, rum making, and enjoying rum, The Story of Rum fits the very successful format of the other films in the series The Noble Spirits. The other noble spirits are whisk(e)y and cognac. One of the best things about this video is that although there are a few rum logos scattered throughout the 26 minutes, there's none of the product placement that we have come to associate with media today. There are a couple of mistakes in the narration but they don't really distract from the video, even if you are a connoisseuer of the best rum in the world. This whole project was produced and paid for by Matine Films of Sweden so they could do what they wanted in terms of editing. After three weeks of intense filming, 14 hours a day, the final video was narrated in English for the rest of the world to enjoy. Congratulations to my friends at Matine.

On my last trip down island I saw for the first time a dark rum called Belmont Coconut Rum in St Kitts. This is made by the people who also make St Kitts Rum and CSR. Has anyone found any other dark coconut rums?

In all fairness to the people who worked hard to make NO Rum, on my last trip to New Orleans, after my previous post, I tried NO rum again and have to say that it is improving from a year or so ago. In fact, that's the opinion of more than one rum connoisseur in that area who's convinced that it is improving. When you think about it, as the rum stocks age, the rum should get better. It's pretty tough to make a product, store it in such a way that it will evaporate while it's being stored and not planning to sell it for at least three years. Imagine opening a restaurant and not getting paid for a meal for the first two years. Hats off to anyone who tries to make rum and sell it in an increasingly educated market. I look forward to trying it again next year.

I'd love to hear some comments comparing the Barbancourt 8 or five star and their 15 year old rum. When I do rum tasting for groups I usually taste both of these and it isn't uncommon for people to say they prefer the younger rum which brings me back to one of my early conclusions that you have to drink the rum and not just read the label to discern what you really like to drink. And all this doesn't even consider the difference in price.

Well the Caribbean research is over for the next three months while I regroup in Chicago between trips in the states. As for new rums there were more than a few. . . Angostura has come out with a new 5 year old gold and dark rum, Westerhall has introduced a new Grand Havana Cuban style rum and there are a number of new lime and citrus flavored rums from St Kitts, Grenada, and the French islands, unfortunately most won't make it to the states. I say unfortunately because I wish more people could at least try them but I seriously doubt if many of the flavored rums will make it on their merit, other than being new or unique.. I did see Doorly's XO a blend of 6 to 12 year old rums from RL Seale in Barbados being sold in Trinidad, Grenada and even St Maarten. You've probably already seen Cruzan's 5 year old rums in the states and Canada, but they were only recently introduced in the islands. And although they are by no means new, the Dominican and Cuban rums are gaining distribution on the Dutch side of St Maarten and a few other out of the way places.

I'd be very interested to read your comments about the Grand Havana Cuban style rum from Westerhall compared to the Plantation Estate which varies from batch to batch but can be a good sipping rum considering it is only three years old.

At the risk of being shot on arrival for a rum tasting at the New Orleans Margaritaville in a couple of days, I have to agree with the comments to date. But considering that this is a boutique rum sold primarily in a tourist market, it could be a lot worse. The word 'underwhelmed' comes to mind.

The French Negrita rums aren't considered to be premium products even by those that distill them. Heavily colored with caramel they are complex but lack the depth that defines really good spirits. I'd mix in with fruit juice and some lime but wouldn't go out of my way to drink these neat or on the rocks.

Don Q is the Puerto Rican rum drinkers rum. It is light clean tasting rum that mixes well with Coke or juices like orange, grapefruit, or passion. I also drink it with mango juice. Highly distilled like most of the Puerto Rican rums Don Q is easy on the head if you don't mix it with too much sweet stuff. We also drink it with fresh coconut water and a little ice.

Thanks John, hope to see you in Newfoundland. Just wish it wasn't over Labor Day in the states.

I finally made it back to the northern 48 and can honestly say that I liked Prichard's Fine Rum. When you consider where it's made you'll have to appreciate that it could be confused with a fine whiskey at first taste due to the freshly toasted oak barrels, almost all Caribbean rum is aged in once used barrels from the states or Europe. The flavor is refreshing and although this rum isn't aged a decade it also isn't diluted prior to bottling as it's aged at nearly the 40% alcohol at which it is aged. Cheers, certainly a bottle to add to the rum locker.