Appleton Lovers!

Tomorrow, November 29th, marks the last Tuesday of the month, and we are proud to be offering samples of Appleton rums! Come early and get to know your fellow Rum Bums!

RUM OF THE MONTH

CHESTERFIELD BROWNE

    

 A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO WE HAD THE HONOR AND PLEASURE OF HOSTING CHESTERFIELD BROWNE FOR OUR LATEST EDITION OF RUM BUMS.  HE CAME OUT TO TALK ABOUT THE HISTORY AND PROCESS OF MAKING MT. GAY RUM.  CHESTER IS THE INTERNATIONAL AMBASSADOR FOR THE MT GAY COMPANY AND TRAVELS THE WORLD TO TEACH AND INFORM PEOPLE ABOUT THIS WONDERFUL SPIRIT.  HIS BIO IS AS FOLLOWS:

     Chesterfield Browne joined Mount Gay Distilleries Ltd 15 years ago as the bartender at the Mount Gay Rum Visitors’ Centre.  He has created many recipes which have left lasting impressions with his guests, including his own rum punch which has become known as the best tasting rum punch in Barbados.  In 1997 he was nominated in the Barbados Minister of Tourism Awards and won the coveted title of ‘Bartender of the Year’.  This outstanding achievement was accomplished again in 1998, making him the only bartender in Barbados to have ever won bartender of the year on two occasions.  Today, Chester is the International Brand Ambassador & Mixologist for Mount Gay Distilleries’ brand, Mount Gay Rum and travels throughout the world promoting this fine rum.  At home, he continues to represent the passion and pride of the people who work at Mount Gay Distilleries and adds a personal touch par excellence!

CHESTERFIELD BROWNE

     THIS MONTH WE ARE FEATURING MT. GAY XO AS THE RUM OF THE MONTH.  THIS IS AN EXCELLENT RUM FROM BARBADOS THAT IS COMFORTABLE REGARDLESS OF ITS COMPANY.  AND BY THAT I MEAN IT SITS JUST AS WELL IN A MIXED DRINK AS IT DOES AROUND SOME ICE OR JUST ALL BY ITSELF WHEN BEING DRANK NEAT.  IT IS AN 8-15 YEAR OLD BLEND THAT STANDS OUT FOR ITS FULL BODY AS WELL AS BALANCE WITH A NOSE AND PALATE THAT’S SPICY AND FRUITY ALL AT ONCE.  WE HAVE FOUND IT GOES REAL WELL ON A MANHATTAN IN CASE DRINKING RUM NEAT IS NOT YOUR THING.  :)

     IN ADDITION, WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN THE RECIPE TO CHESTER’S RUM PUNCH AND ARE GOING TO BE OFFERING IT AS A DRINK AT THE RESTAURANT DURING THE SUMMER.  WE ARE VERY EXCITED ABOUT HAVING IT BE A PART OF OUR DRINKS MENU, IN FACT SO EXCITED WE ARE GOING TO BE OFFERING IT IN PITCHERS AS WELL AS INDIVIDUALLY.  

MT. GAY RUMS

     Imagine this for a moment. You have all the time in the world, money is no object and you are just beginning to discover what rum is all about. You realize that there is more to rum than a mixer for simple cocktails. A lot more... You are experiencing a new itch for this wonderful spirit but you are not sure where to scratch. You would be wondering just what the history behind this concoction is and where to obtain further knowledge. Imagine then the thought of something that you may not normally be able to do. Call it a Rum Journey if you will. And for the sake of simplicity, this journey would be one without boundaries or limitations where you could pretty much go anywhere you would like and for as long as you cared to. 

    If this was a real scenario and we were to have everyone here ponder how to plan such a journey, the options would be pretty close to limitless. Rum is being produced in almost all the corners of the world and if you were to follow that path you would become a well seasoned traveler very quickly. Can you think of where you’d like to go? We could argue about all this to no end. I can’t tell you where to go because we all have different flavors when it comes to traveling. But I sure can tell you where you should start.

     Many places like to lay claim to their own little part of rum history and with good reason. There is a lot of great rum out there and there is so much to learn about it. However, only one place can lay claim to being the cradle of rum. The birthplace of rum is called Barbados. And the oldest brand in the world is called Mt. Gay. Today, we drink history.

RUM OF THE MONTH

Someone once said that nobody knows how to party like the people of Trinidad.  Spirits expert Dave Broom is quoted as saying “Very few places in the world take such pleasure at just being alive”  

Being Puerto Rican and used to the joys of living, I'd take exception to this.  That is until I met my friend Vern.  Many of you may know him and if you do then you understand the quality and truth of the original statement.  If you do not, you should get to know him.  This may help you understand the Trinidadian lifestyle as well as give you a better perspective of the world overall.  Vern and company are like no one else in these parts (the Seattle area that is) and we are much better off knowing them.  Now, the main reason for that statement is I feel a good segue into the discussion and merits of Zaya rum.  Our featured rum of the month at La Isla.  

You see, Zaya used to be from Guatemala.  More importantly, the Zaya company would contract the rum out to be distilled and bottled at the Zacapa plant.  Unfortunately, (to a lot of fans of Zaya from Guatemala) when the Diageo company purchased the Zacapa company, Zaya (being the main competition) was left out in the cold.  They then turned to Angostura distillers in search of another place to continue their own production and thus the new Zaya was born.  It is somewhat similar to the older version and (I'm told) it in fact uses the same formula.  But since it is using a different type of aged rum from a different company and region, it has changed quite a bit.  Unfortunately we do not have an original bottle of the Guatemalan version to compare it with but that is besides the point.  The new rum is exquisite and stands very well on it’s own when compared to similar products.  The similarities between it and Zacapa are readily apparent.  Just take a look at the bottles side by side and see what I mean.  Someone at the last Rum Bums meeting described them as step brothers.  I'd like to think of them more like half brothers.  


In this blog we can debate similarities to no end, but the truth is that the rum is just terrific like so many other things Trinidadian.  This is one you should enjoy as you should life, one sip at a time.  Thanks for sharing this time with us and... SALUD!!!

AFTER DINNER RUMS

The breadth of rum encompasses many different dimensions.  One of the things that makes it so interesting is the fact that one rum can fall in many different categories.  For example, you may like one particular rum for many different reasons.  It may be a rum that on a normal night you’d like to sit back, relax and sip it neat.  But maybe on some occasion, you’d rather mix it in a drink.  Or maybe you’d rather use it as a cooking ingredient.  Personally speaking, I think rum is so varied in flavor that doing specific categories may beget pigeonholing.  It does not do it justice and thus I am hesitant to say this rum is for this and that rum for something else in specific.  As with a lot of things in life, it is all in the eye of the beholder.  We are here to help guide you through certain paths by making suggestions we think are good when it comes to rum, not to tell you what to do with it.  Thus the theme of this Rum Bums meeting.  These are rums that are not only really good on their own but they can certainly fit into the category of after dinner rums (if there ever was one)  I like to say they are also great beginner rums because of their elegance and smoothness going down.  If you have a lady you’d like to impress with rum, go ahead and choose one of these for her to try.  If it does not work, please, try the next one in line and so on.  At the very least, you are sure to have some fun with this experiment.  In short, these are some of the great rums in the world of such spirit.  There's one from Guatemala (Pampero Aniversario) one from Trinidad & Tobago (Zaya) and and finally one from Venezuela (Zapcapa Centenario)  Some of you may already know how good these rums are.  If you do, you are probably already excited to come drink with us.  If you do not, this is one rum club you do not want to miss.  So when you come out remember to sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.  We hope you like them as much as we do.  SALUD!!!