Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/687399
june 2016 / the tasting panel / 1 17 Family Harvest WITH MONTANYA Labor and climate change issues have been at the forefront of rum in the past decade. That's why Montanya founder Karen Hoskin opted for Louisiana sugarcane over foreign molasses. "I felt the global sugarcane industry is very problematic and troublesome. There are conditions for workers and environmental circumstances I would not feel comfortable with," says Hoskin, who founded Montanya in 2008. "Foreign molasses is very far down on the processing chain. Why buy organic cane if you're going to put it on a container ship across the globe?" Montanya Platino (SRP $25.99) exclusively sources sugarcane from Belle Rose, Louisiana, farmers, and it's unrefined. A propriety yeast strain is used during fermentation; it's distilled in a beautiful Portuguese copper pot still and has caramelized honey added in post-proofing. Montanya toes a transparency line that's appreciated in nerd circles, but the brand's style also fills a nice gap in rum. "Rum has gotten a short shrift on menu placements for forever because rums are either extremely robust [such as cachaça styles and agricoles] or industrial," Hoskin says. "I wanted to make a rum that bridged the gap—well-aged, delicious and smooth." MONTANYA DISTILLERS Getting Tropical WITH ZAYA GRAN RESERVA Zaya is the type of rum that comes to mind when thinking of the dark, rich spirit found in classic drinks like a Hurricane, Mai Tai or Planter's Punch. Awarded a Double Gold medal at the 2015 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, Zaya Gran Reserva (SRP $29.99) is also a great sipping rum! Produced in Trinidad, the south- ernmost Caribbean island off the Venezuelan coast, the rum is made from premium blackstrap molasses, distilled in a five-column, stain- less steel still and aged in whiskey and bourbon barrels. The final product is a blend of 12 rare-aged rums—some of which have been aged up to 18 years—hand-selected by the Zaya Master Blender and blended and crafted in small batches. The rums are then rested until perfectly married and put through a hyper-chill filtration, producing a smooth, luscious rum with spicy, warm flavors that enhance any cocktail! —Jesse Hom-Dawson