Blue Water Beverage Brands recently launched their first two products at the Miami Rum Renaissance Festival and Trade Expo — Blue Water Ultra Premium white rum and Blue Water Caribbean Gold Premium Spiced Rum.
The spiced rum took home a Gold Award in the 2015 RumXP international Tasting Competition.
The new brand, based in Tortola, British Virgin Islands, expects to deliver a full line of white, spiced, aged, flavored and specialty rums in the near future.
Behind this private label brand is boutique rum manufacturer Oliver & Oliver International of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Originally from Cuba, Omar Vicente Ramirez is the Maestro Ronero who supervises the development of Blue Water’s rums. Blue Water chose Omar for his decades of experience and worldly knowledge of rum.
Blue Water Ultra Premium Rum is a white 40% ABV distilled using a column still, then rested in a stainless steel vat leaving its color as pure as the blue waters of the Caribbean.
On the nose we find light alcohol with accents of sweet marshmallow and creamy vanilla over mineral water with vague cinnamon and aguardiente notes. On the palate, a very smooth entry builds up warmth in mid-palate, offering slightly sweet creamy vanilla marshmallow before building some warmth with echoes of fresh cane in the finish.
Blue Water Caribbean Gold Rum is a multi award-winning spiced rum of 35% ABV. This rum gets its color from aging in American Oak barrels for three years before being delicately infused with fruits and spices. It makes great cocktail and also plays well as a sipper on the rocks.
On the nose, we find zesty orange slice candy with baking spice leading to a hint of egg custard over sweet vanilla, with a suggestion of orange blossom water and double-bubble gum. A whiff of cinnamon is detected. On the palate, a medium sweet entry with bright orange and vanilla over baking spices dries out mid-palate, leading to an astringent note of anise which balances the sweet component.
The signature cocktail they have created with the spiced rum is “96 degrees,” named after the 96 Degrees In The Shade song from world famous recording reggae artists Third World.
96 Degrees
- 2 oz Blue Water Caribbean Gold Spiced Rum
- 1 oz Old Jamaica Ginger Beer
- several slices of fresh cucumber
method: Shake the rum with the cucumber slices and ice. Strain in a highball glass with fresh ice, top with ginger beer. Garnish with cucumber.
Blue Water rums are presently available for purchase in St. Maarten, Dutch West Indies and Anguilla, British West Indies. Blue Water is expanding these brands into neighboring islands, including the exclusive and influential St. Barth’s, French West Indies and St. Kitts and Nevis. Blue Water intends to continue expanding these brands throughout the Caribbean Region and, ultimately, export them into the United States as early as 2016.
