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New Vibrations

Rhums

PIONEERS & EXPLORERS

The Caribbean’s place in the history of rum is, undeniably, as one of the birthplaces of sugarcane distillation. Intro-duced to the New World by Europeans as early as the 16th century, the cultivation of sugarcane became a staple of the British, French, and Spanish colonies in the 17th century. The oldest rum distillery still in operation, Mount Guay – built in Barbados in 1703 – is a testament to these three centuries of history.

This chapter highlights rums from around the world, but it cannot but open with bottlings from Caribbean distilleries: Hampden Estate (Jamaica), Caroni (Trinidad-and-Tobago), Renegade (Grenada), Chairman’s Reserve (Santa Lucia), Providence (Haiti), Neisson and Rhum J.M (Martinique). The selection then heads for the islands of the Indian Ocean, with Isautier (La Réunion), Penny Blue (Mauritius) and Takamaka (Seychelles), followed by a stop on the African continent with Mhoba (South Africa) and finally in Asia with Chalong Bay and Shakara (Thailand).

Later, the chapter focusses on independent bottlers, who have played a large part in shaping the rum market and the tastes of

enthusiasts since the 1980s. Highlights include Italian company Velier, founded in 1991, whose radical ideas are well-illustrated here: bottling entirely tropical-aged expressions, shining a spotlight on Haitian clairins, exhuming stores from Caroni and other long-defunct distilleries... Similarly, the Plantation brand – created in 1999 by cognac house Ferrand – has built a reputation for itself by sourcing casks from around the globe, skilfully ageing them in Ferrand’s unique Cognac style.

We should also mention Silver Seal, founded in 1979, and the youngest players in the rum bottling: Atom Brands, Decadent Drinks (Rum Sponge), Fox Fitzgerald (Rest & Be Thankful), Hidden Spirits (Wild Parrot), Rum Nation, The Nectar, Wealth Solution (Colours of Rum), who have all embarked on the rum adventure over the last ten years, often after having started bottling whisky.

    FIRST STAR

    Founded in 1932, Martinique distillery Neisson has been a benchmark for innovation for three generations. Having created the first organic Martinique rum in 2016, Neisson is also known for having popularised brut de colonne rums, and for its experimental approach to ageing.

    Across these few pages, Neisson serves up three rums in the Straight From The Barrel range, each aged in one of its three cellars (Main Main, Vevert, and Adrien), whose varying humidities and average temperatures provide glimpses into the influence of ageing conditions.

    Grégory Vernant (who has run the distillery since 1995) and Neisson cellar master Alex Bobbi have also selected a highly prestigious cuvée: Zetwal, Creole for ‘star’. This expression, an assemblage of various vintages reserved for Neisson’s Armada collection, is the first in a new annual cycle.

    Evoking the celestial bodies followed by erstwhile navigators, Zetwal is an homage to the Neisson family’s merchant vessel, which in previous centuries carried rum across the seas, and whose sails still adorn each bottle. The crystal

    flask, inspired by the shape of the mythical Zepol’Karé bottle, was created by the Vista Allegre glassworks, founded in Portugal in 1824, which also produces the 3-litre Neisson Armada carafes. Other Zetwals will follow in the footsteps of Polaris (the North Star, after which the first release is named), each future expression a new part of the Neisson constellation.

        ECOSPIRITS X RENEGADE

        Created in Singapore in 2018, ecoSPIRITS, the first international distribution technology for bulk spirits was launched in France in November 2021 by La Maison du Whisky.

        This innovative system aims to reduce the production of packaging waste and circumvents the need for single-use glass bottles: For each single-use glass bottle saved, ecoSPIRITS saves at least 550g of CO2, thereby reducing the spirit industry’s carbon footprint and production of packaging waste.

        Originally designed for cocktail bars, hotel bars, and restaurants, the ecoSPIRITS technology centres on the packaging of spirits in the eco- TOTE*, a 4.5L container equivalent to 6 bottles in volume. ecoSPIRITS has been deployed to the retail network in 2023, offering enthusiasts a selection of bulk spirits – unique batches in limited series – available in 20, 50, and 70cl reusable bottles. As an added bonus, the reusable labels are customisable.

        The Renegade distillery, a Grenadian single- parcel rum maker founded in 2020 by Mark Reynier, is celebrating the launch of ecoSPIRITS in cellars by unveiling a brand-new expression named Hope, after the farm which supplies the sugarcane.

        Part of the Études range – a collection of single-variety and single-parcel oak-aged rums – Hope is an intense and opulent expression of the fruity notes of sugarcane, underscored by a remarkably well-integrated woodiness.

        *ecoTOTE: a 4.5L glass tank protected by an outer shell, with an integrated secure pouring system. Users can return the empty container, upon which it will be cleaned and refilled following a circular process.

        CARONI

        For the New Vibrations Creations cata- logue, three new expressions have been added to the Caroni Paradise collection from the stocks discovered on the Caribbean island in 2004 by Luca Gargano, CEO of the Italian bottler Velier.

        The labels for Caroni Paradise are illustrated with acrylic paintings from artist Che Lovelace, born in Trinidad and Tobago in 1969. Inspired by the Caribbean island’s natural and urban landscapes, these works entitled Port of Spain Kissers (1994 vintage), Shanna and Sita (1996 vintage) and White Egret and Mangrove (2000 vintage) wonderfully embody the luxurious and extreme universe of this iconic rum.

        A government-owned distillery, Caroni was founded in 1918 and closed in 2002.

                THE ROOTS OF SUGARCANE

                Baptised Shakara, this Thai whisky matured under a tropical climate, is the latest creation from the Franco-Italian La Maison & Velier joint-venture. Its name derives from the word sanskrit shakar which confirms the Asian roots of the sugarcane, known since the Neolithic Era in the Indochinese peninsula.

                Produced from molasses derived from locally-grown sugarcane, distilled in column stills, this 12-year-old rum owes its remarkable opulence and maturity of expression to the entirely tropical ageing it undergoes in the province of Nakhom Pathom. This fertile region of central Thailand experiences average annual temperatures in excess of 27°C, and humidity between 60% and 80% – conditions which greatly enhance the concentration or flavours in the distillate. Luminous and lush, this uncoloured, unsweetened rum deploys a particularly intense and complex aromatic and flavour palette. A surprising discovery, Shakara nonetheless remains an accessible initiation to the rums of Thailand, the cradle of sugarcane cultivation.