Tag: master blender

Mount Gay Master Blender Collection Pot Still Rum

Tuesday, June 2, 2020 / Robert Burr / 2 Comments

One of master blender Trudiann Branker’s first projects at Mount Gay was the release of the limited edition Master Blender Collection Pot Still Rum, with only 4,920 bottles. This expression was well received among rum enthusiasts almost immediately and earned some notable awards soon after release.

The Mount Gay Legacy

The distillery for Mount Gay has a storied reputation for producing fine rum using a collection of traditional McMillan and Fragasa double retort copper pot stills — along with more efficient column stills installed a century ago.

traditional McMillan and Fragasa double retort copper pot stills

a Pure Pot Still rum from Mount Gay, aged ten years in whiskey oak barrels

These distillates are artfully combined with expertise to balance their respective best qualities. The vast majority of Mount Gay rums are blends of these two types of stills, matured in oak barrels in the aging warehouses at the distillery.

Two unique aspects of the their legacy production techniques are the indigenous yeasts of Barbados and the supply of fresh artesian water from a deep well on the property.

A Unique Pot Still Product

This boutique Master Blender Collection pot still-only product was distilled in 2009 and aged for ten years before a second maturation of six months in ex-whiskey casks, emphasizing the rich and more rustic flavor profiles of these traditional copper pots in comparison to the tall column stills.

Mount Gay master blender Trudiann Branker’s first release is the Pot Still Rum

This is not the first time Mount Gay has released a pure pot still rum, — and hopefully it won’t be the last. But, it’s the first time they claim an age statement on the label of a pure pot still rum, and its the first signature release by master blender Trudiann Branker.

Premiumization

The Mount Gay distillery has a large stock of aged pot still rums to use in their blends. Eclipse, Black Barrel, XO and the elite 1703 expression have seen increases in the percentage of these well aged pot still components as they inch these expressions forward in the plan for premiumization.

Tasting Notes

Initial aromas of bold dried fruit, chocolate and musty oak dominate before herbal and floral notes, palm blossoms, damp earth and snuffed candle. On the palate, a very dry entry heats up fast, lead by charred oak, bitter vanillin and burnt sugar before a long lasting bitter cacao note in the finish.

This rum is reminiscent of the rustic and hearty rums from the old Caroni distillery in Trinidad.

Limited Availability

Mount Gay’s limited edition Pot Still Rum from master blender Trudiann Branker was aged for ten years in American Whiskey casks before bottling at a robust 48% abv. The 750ml bottle sells for about $150, available mainly on the island of Barbados and a few select markets.

https://www.mountgayrum.com/

read more about the Mount Gay copper pot and column still rums

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Gruppo Campari honors Joy Spence and Eddie Russell

Friday, May 20, 2016 / Robert Burr / 0 Comments

Appleton Rum Master Blender Joy Spence received a great honor recently.

In today’s fast-paced world it might be hard to imagine spending five or even ten years at one job. Gruppo Campari is celebrating two loyal employees and spirits industry legends who have been on the job for three and a half decades each.

Two titans of the spirits world mark major milestones, as Appleton Estate Jamaica rum master blender and Wild Turkey master distiller celebrate 35 years in the industry.

Appleton Rum Master Blender Joy Spence and Wild Turkey Master Distiller Eddie Russell were recognized on May 18, 2016 at the Gruppo Campari Annual Convention for both having served the spirits industry for 35 years.

In commemorating Joy and Eddie’s contribution to the industry, with both careers spanning back to the 1980s, Gruppo Campari’s Chief Executive Officer, Bob Kunze-Concewitz, said: “Gruppo Campari is honored to have two legends of the spirits industry in charge of crafting and ensuring the exceptional quality and taste of our Appleton Estate and Wild Turkey brands. The entire Campari family joins with rum, bourbon, and spirits enthusiasts around the world in congratulating Joy and Eddie on this significant milestone in their careers.”

Appleton Rum Master Blender

Joy has the distinction of being the first female Master Blender in the Spirits industry, and she will also celebrate her 20th Anniversary as Master Blender in 2017. Among Joy’s many award-winning creations for Appleton Estate Jamaica Rum are Appleton Estate 50 Year Old Jamaica Rum (the oldest barrel-aged rum in the world), Appleton Estate Reserve Blend, Appleton Estate Rare Blend 12 Year Old, and the Appleton Estate 250th Anniversary Blend, which was her first creation as Master Blender. In addition, Joy is currently preparing a limited edition blend of rums aged at least 25 years which will be released in concert with her 20th anniversary as Master Blender.

The Appleton Rum Master Blender was awarded the Order of Distinction in the Rank of Officer by the Government of Jamaica for her service to industry. Joy also possesses a honorary Doctorate of Science degree from the University of Loughborough and a honorary Doctorate of Laws degree from the University of the West Indies.

Wild Turkey Master Blender

Appointed Master Distiller at Wild Turkey in 2015, Eddie Russell is the 3rd generation Russell to work at Wild Turkey and he is also a Bourbon Hall of Famer. With bourbon and rye more popular than ever, he is in the most prolific period of his career, creating some of the finest premium whiskies on the market, including Master’s Keep 17 Year Old, Wild Turkey Forgiven and Wild Turkey Diamond Anniversary.

This year, Wild Turkey will release Eddie’s second limited-edition bourbon as Master Distiller. Named Wild Turkey Master’s Keep Decades, this limited edition commemorates Eddie’s 35th year at the distillery. Additionally, Eddie’s son Bruce recently joined the family business, serving as a brand ambassador for Russell’s Reserve, making the Russell clan one of the only multi-generational whiskey-making families in the business.

Both Joy and Eddie enjoy traveling the world spreading the word about rum and bourbon respectively, and they will kick off their 35th Anniversary Celebrations with a dinner for spirits writers and enthusiasts that they will jointly host in London on May 24th.

Plantation Rums score big at Miami Rum Festival

Monday, May 18, 2015 / Robert Burr / 0 Comments

It has been another banner year for Plantation Rums, based in Cognac, France. The company announced today that their products were awarded four Gold and four Best In Category awards from the International Rum Expert Panel judges at the Miami Rum Renaissance Festival.

Plantation Rums - Plantation Award Winning Rums

Master Blender Alexandre Gabriel announced his Plantation Rum expressions recently won the most RumXP awards at the international tasting competition held at the Miami Rum Festival.

This is the third year in a row that Plantation Rums have received the most awards in this prestigious international RumXP blind tasting competition.

Receiving RumXP Best In Category awards were Plantation Original Dark, Plantation Original Dark Overproof, Plantation Jamaica 2001 and Plantation Pineapple. RumXP Gold awards went to Plantation 3 Stars White, Plantation 20th Anniversary XO, Plantation 5 Year Old Grande Reserve and Plantation Guyana 2005.

Consumer Rum Jury Impressed

The Plantation 20th Anniversary XO aged rum also won a Gold award from the new Consumer Rum Jury in their premiere tasting competition, comprised of 20 well qualified rum enthusiast consumers, collectors and experienced rum travelers, offering the perspective of the active and engaged rum buyer in their evaluations.

Plantation Rums have a unique identity

This unique brand of rums is produced in France, headed by Alexandre Gabriel, Proprietor of Maison Ferrand and Master Blender for Plantation Rum. For the past two decades, Alexandre has been traveling to the Caribbean’s best distilleries to acquire rums that he believes will benefit from further aging in Cognac barrels at his facility in France.

Each rum in the Plantation Rum portfolio is made according to its country’s traditional technique and expresses the rum characteristics and flavor of its country of origin. While the rums are born in the traditional fashion, produced in rum distilleries and aged in barrels in the tropical sun, they undergo a unique aging process not used by any other rum producer in the industry — the rums are plucked from their country of origin at just the right moment and brought to the Ferrand estate in France where they are refined for several more months in small French oak Ferrand barrels. These special Plantation Rums that make up the portfolio are either blends or vintages and come from Barbados, Guadeloupe, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama and Trinidad.

Some of these special vintage bottles are considered by rum enthusiasts around the world to be highly collectable items.

“It’s such an honor that our rums would be considered among the very best in the world by this esteemed group of RumXP judges,” said Alexandre Gabriel. “The Plantation brand is enjoying steady growth in North America thanks to our team of seasoned professionals, a growing appreciation of our expanding range of unique aged rums and this type of consistent recognition by leading rum experts of the world.”