American Rum Report #30 — June 19, 2020
~ In This Report ~
#1: Get an up-close look at Montanya's new pot still 👀
#2: Two American rums appear on UPROXX's list of the best spirits they tasted during quarantine 😷
#3: Richland Rum's 20th Anniversary release is officially out 🎂
#4: Speaking of Seelbach's, don't forget to order your Privateer Distiller's Drawer releases! 🗄️
#1: Get an up-close look at Montanya's new pot still 👀
Expanding production has been a major item on Montanya's agenda for quite awhile, and it became even more important after Constellation Brands invested in the Colorado distillery last year.
This, of course, is tricky when you're making rum with relatively small cognac-style pot stills, as Montanya always has. Last July, founder Karen Hoskin explained to me that most producers end up bringing in a large column still as they grow—a tendency she planned to resist:
“One of the things that happens in rum...is you grow and you grow and you grow, and eventually you start making rum on a pretty large column still. Then maybe you make a pot distillate that you're blending with, or you're making it as a limited lease or short run. But there's just this inevitable progression toward a bulk of the liquid being primarily made in a column. And I don't have anything against column distilled rum. I think there are some beautiful ones. It's just not what I wanted to make.”
Her plan? Just buy more pot stills! And that's exactly what Montanya has done. They brought in a 500-gallon copper pot still made by Bridgetown Brew Systems in Portland, Oregon. Here it is next to a new fermentation tank, courtesy of the same still maker:
Image courtesy of Montanya Distillers
You can check out this post on Montanya's blog to get all the details, but here are a few highlights:
Previously, they could produce about 100 bottles per day on each of their two stills. With the new still, that capacity goes up to 3,200 bottles per day—a 16x increase!
The new still is heated with steam, unlike the other two, which are direct fire stills.
They did a number of things to ensure the new still will resemble the output of the two old stills as closely as possible, including the addition of a custom lentil head.
Check out the full post for all the details.
Oh, and while you're at it, you should also download the free cocktail recipe book Montanya released recently!
It's got plenty of recipes worthy of adding to your home bar rotation.
#2: Two American rums appear on UPROXX's list of the best spirits they tasted during quarantine 😷
In fact, these were the ONLY rums to make the list:
KoHana KOHO Rum — This is the flagship aged offering from Oahu's KoHana Rum, which distills their rum from fresh cane juice grown from heirloom Hawaiian cane varietals.
Montanya Valentia Rum (speak of the devil) — I've written plenty about this special, all-female-produced release from Montanya (which did so well they're making it a regular part of the lineup), and it's cool to see others recognizing it.
Still, as nice as it is to see these American rums recognized, it was disconcerting to see some faulty info rear its head in the article:
Exhibit A — In the blurb about KoHana, the writer says, "Rum agricole is typically more complex and fruitier than molasses-based rum, which has a more chocolatey flavor." I mean, what? Spirits writers need to drink more rum. It's as simple as that.
Exhibit B — The section about Montanya Valentia says that the rum spent four years in a rye whiskey barrel, which is just flat out wrong. It was aged 3.5 years in used whiskey barrels, and six months in used rye barrels. C'mon now.
You can check the full article out here.
#3: Richland Rum's 20th Anniversary release is officially out 🎂
As mentioned in past newsletters, this special bottling is a blend of the five barrels that founder Erik Vonk and Richland's master distiller deemed to be the best in the aging warehouse.
Even the local paper in Brunswick, Georgia is covering it! (Complete with a description of the rum being "brewed.")
With an average age of 7.5 years, the barrels had a few more years on them than the barrels featured in Richland's standard aged expression, which are typically in the 4- to 6-year-old range.
If you want to claim one of the 1,182 bottles, you'll either have to head to one of Richland's locations in Georgia, or order from Seelbach's, which fortunately managed to snag some bottles.
#4: Speaking of Seelbach's, don't forget to order your Privateer Distiller's Drawer releases! 🗄️
Reminder: Privateer's yearly Distiller's Drawer releases are extra special bottlings from single casks that stood out to the distilling team. In other words, the good stuff. If you're not in Massachusetts, Seelbach's is shipping to 20+ states.
Several of the expressions have already sold out, but Son of Wolf Rum, The Carpenter's Share, and Sea Smoke #2 are still up for grabs.
Plus, Privateer recorded tasting videos for each expression with president and head distiller Maggie Campbell so you can enjoy a guided tasting experience right from your home!
Get them while you can.