Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/518118
june 2015 / the tasting panel / 95 to operate a pot still. "It yields a much more interesting and complex product. Correctly operating a pot still is an art form, whereas with column stills, not so much," he noted. "You should judge rum on whether or not there was a pot still involved and whether it's an industrial alcohol versus a spirit," he said. "In our case, we're doing a very dry, classic style that's a blend of column and pot stills. We don't blend ages and there's no solera system and we don't try to mislead people into thinking it's older than it is. It really is the age that's on the bottle, but we don't add a sweetener—it's incredibly unique in the rum business." The rums come in three-, five- and 12-year expressions, aged in first-use American bourbon barrels. Pryor said they wanted to target the dark-spirits enthusiast because "the palate that's interested in those products are very much interested in our products and that's where all of our growth is coming from. The great success we've had is very much from the fact that we've had experienced drinkers recognize 'wow, I can actually sip a rum.'" The Real McCoy launched in 2013 in Pryor's home state of Connecticut and is now in 16 states. In its first 18 months, it won more than 50 awards worldwide including Double Golds in San Francisco, New York and London. In Manhattan, bars as erudite as the Polo Bar and as hip as The Dead Rabbit have it in the well. Though distributors are calling him from abroad, Pryor says for now, he doesn't want to be distracted by the inter- national market, concentrating on a national rollout by 2017 with Davos Brands as a partner. By the end of 2015, he hopes to reach 10,000-case production—a 1900% increase from his launch two years ago. Along with Pryor, 30 salespeople are traveling the states educating mixologists and conducting launch meetings. Pryor estimates he'll increase his team of brand ambassadors from eight to 30 next year. For the filmmaker-turned-rumrunner, there's no such thing as "too big." "Go big, or go home, I always say." www.realmccoyspirits.com (SRP: $19.99–45.99). SOUTHERN WINE & SPIRITS Bailey Pryor, a filmmaker-turned-rumrunner, launched his rum brand, The Real McCoy, two years ago after making a documentary on real-life rumrunner Bill McCoy. The Real McCoy 12-Year Old Rum won a Double Gold at the 2015 San Francisco Spirits Competition. The rums come in three-, five- and 12-year expressions.