Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/326040
june 2014 / the tasting panel / 75 TAKE A LOOK INTO THE FACES BEHIND SOME OF THE MOST INNOVATIVE BRANDS IN RUM TODAY by Breanne DeMore Rum R um is changing. No longer confined to being only mixed with Coke or served in a pineapple/coconut concoction, rum is seeing a resurgence as more and more brands are innovating. Inspired by the category's long history and with renewed energy behind it, mixologists are finding rum more versatile and mixable than ever, thanks to craft brands that are reimagining rum. From new aromas and flavors upping the standard for spiced rum, to newly inspired taste profiles for flavored rums, to sippable, savor-worthy aged añejos, rum is red hot. THE TASTING PANEL is pleased to bring you nine brands and the people behind them—all bringing a new, refreshing and inventive spirit to the oft pigeonholed and overlooked category. Social Sipper: Stolen Rum "For me, it's an internal manifesto about stealing your life back, but Stolen means something different to everyone," explains Jamie Duff, CEO and co-founder of the New Zealand brand. Starting at age 15 washing dishes, Duff worked in bars for years, in both New Zealand and London, before entering the fields of law and banking. "I made a series of observations over time. I thought the rum brands that were available in the bars weren't very cool and were all kind of the same. I wanted to know why young people weren't drinking this great spirit." So in 2009, Duff stole his life back: "I quit my job because I wanted to be more creative and challenged, and decided I didn't want to answer to anyone else." He approached his friend Roger Holmes and they traveled to Trinidad and Tobago, where they toured distilleries, met with locals and spent time with lifelong rum drinkers, finding out what they looked for in a rum. "We saw a hole in the market in that all spiced rums seemed to have a similar profile. So we decided to do something different." Stolen Spiced Rum draws inspiration from not just the film Coffee and Cigarettes by Jim Jarmusch, but from what they represent. "Coffee and cigarettes fuel dialogue. They are social and cause people to pause and have a discussion. And that's what we want to align ourselves with and what we want our rum to do." www.stolenrum.com PARK STREET IMPORTS Jamie Duff, CEO, Stolen Rum. Who's Who of TP0614_072-101.indd 75 5/23/14 9:37 PM