Single-Barrel

[Ed Hamilton]

While the name Single-Barrel may sound like the rum was aged in a Single Barrel, Cruzan takes a different approach to the name. Their Single-Barrel Rum is actually a blend of aged rums put into another barrel and aged an additional year or more until this blend reaches the peak of maturity and is then bottled as Cruzan Single Barrel Rum.

In the whisky industry, distillers talk about blended products which are blends from several distilleries. In the rum industry almost all aged products are blends of aged rum from the same distillery, there is a distinct lack of cooperation between rum distillers compared to that in the whisky industry.

Even rums labeled a 5 year-old, for example, are commonly blends of rums aged at least 5 years in accordance with federal labeling requirements.

Rums are also blended from several barrels containing different products taken from different product taps on a column still. These higher ester products are commonly aged and then added to flavor the lighter aged rum that makes up the bulk of the blend.

[Rene]

In the whisky industry a blend means that the Malt Whisky is blended with a non malted grain alcohol. When you blend 2 or more malt Whisky's it is called Vatted Malt. They are both blends from different barrels.

Whisky distillers only cooperate with each other when they belong to the same company (like Diageo). It is also possible that different companies end up in 1 bottle, but only because there is a salesman or company who bought different Whisky from different companies to create a different Whisky.

If you want all your bottled 5 year-old Rum to taste the same, you have to blend them. Each barrel gives a personal touch to the Rum inside. No barrel is the same and neither is its Rum of Whisky.

I know that not all labels mention the correct age. The younger Rums (3 - 8 years) mostly mention the youngest ingredient of the bottle. The older Rums (12 - 25 years) mostly mention an average age instead of the youngest. I think that’s a bad thing.

Blending lighter Rum with higher ester Rum is common. Light Rum is easier to create while the high ester Rum takes more effort of the producer. It is also possible to create several Rums from these 2 products, by changing the balance between them. When you age them both together, the mentioned age on the label is correct again.

The name Single-Barrel should only be used for those products that aged in 1 single barrel, instead of 2 different ones.

I think the rules for things like this should be stricter and world wide accepted. Be honest about your intentions as a producer.

[Ed Hamilton]

While I appreciate that you would like the distiller's to adopt your rules as law, that just isn't going to happen. On the other hand, understanding the labeling, and how it differs from, for example, the european whisky industry, is your best chance of knowing what's in the bottle. But as I've written many times, the proof is in the glass and not the label.

[Rene]

But as I've written many times, the proof is in the glass and not the label.

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If I can't trust the label, why should I trust the inside? It's from the same maker.