Beverage Dynamics is the largest national business magazine devoted exclusively to the needs of off-premise beverage alcohol retailers, from single liquor stores to big box chains, through coverage of the latest trends in wine, beer and spirits.
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18 Beverage Dynamics • September/October 2015 www.beveragedynamics.com TRIP REPORT The fi rst rum as a result of working with Edrington, 1888 is aged in white American oak casks, followed by two to four years in first-filled Spanish sherry oak casks—the same casks used to age the parent compa- ny's Macallan Scotch whisky. PERSEVERING AFTER DISASTER Founded in 1862, Barbancourt uses sugar cane—no molasses— for its rum, which is distilled twice and aged in French Lim- ousin oak casks. When the massive earth- quake devastated Haiti in Jan- uary 2010, the Barbancourt distillery in Port au Prince lost nearly half of the rum it was aging, says owner Thierry Gardere. Barbancourt was out of commission for months due to damges from the quake. But the distillery has come roaring back in the past fi ve years, with a rebranding and new products, including Pango, a pine- apple-mango expression. Barbancourt is also planning a major facility expansion. BD bagasse (dry residue from the sugar cane milling). Barcelo rums are aged a minimum of one year in Amer- ican white oak barrels; the bar- rels are toasted to protect the alcohol and the wood. The company, which has several initiatives to support the local community, opened a visitor's center and museum at its pro- cessing plant in 2012. FIVE GENERATIONS OF RUM MAKING "Water is the most important raw material in making rum— besides sugar," says Gustavo Ortega, a fi fth-generation mas- ter distiller with Brugal. The water used to make Brugal's rum comes from the Puerto Plata mountain springs in the Domin- ican Republic. Founded more than 125 years ago, Brugal rum has been owned by The Edrington Group since 2008. The company has introduced a number of new rums and styles, including Brugal 1888 rum in 2011. Charring barrels at the bottling and aging facility of Barcelo rum in Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic. Barbancourt bottles get their fill of rum. Antique rum paraphernalia at the Barcelo visitor's center and museum.