A shipwreck, discovered in 2004 off the coast of Uruguay, has been granted government approval to be salvaged. Sunk in 1763 by the Spanish Navy during a botched attack on the city of Colonia del Sacramento, Constructed for the Royal Navy, the Lord Clive was bought in 1762 by the East India Company as part of the war effort with Spain.
Long buried at the bottom of the River Plate, the ship’s contents are not known but that has not curtailed speculation that it’s hulls were once filled with vast treasure and large stocks of rum. Estimated recovery efforts could take 80 workers many months to complete. (See more at: TheGuardian.com)
You can’t really make a valuation. The canons should be $64m altogether. The coins are worth $5,000 to $6,000 each and there are 100,000 of them, so just do the math…But the most important thing about that ship is her history. She’s probably the best you can find in that condition thanks to the fresh water in that part of the River Plate. – Rubén Collado
Over the past few years America has embraced yet another tiki renissance. With the opening of new tiki bars across the country an interest in “tiki mugs” has caused the collector’s market to exploded. New and old mugs draw big dollars on eBay and other retail outlets.
Ever wonder how tiki mugs came to be? The birth of American Tiki begins with early Polynesian themed bars Don The Beachcomber and Trader Vic’s. But these days the term “tiki mug” is an umbrella description used for all ceramic vessels with tropical themes. It can be argued that a true tiki mug would be of a tiki. (See more at: LAWeekly.com)
Actual tiki mugs were not used by Polynesian bars until the late ’50s and proliferated in the early 1960s, parallel to the peak of the tiki period in Polynesian pop. – Sven A. Kirsten
Jeff “Beachbum” Berry, tiki cocktail expert and owner of New Orleans-restaurant Latitude 29, has partnered with New York barware retailer Cocktail Kingdom to create a tiki line of resurrected barware. (See more at: FoodRepublic.com)
Celebrity Cruises and Diageo Global Travel Americas are partnering to launch “World Class™ Bar”, a bar onboard Celebrity Eclipse which provides an interactive cocktail experience. Celebrity’s own highly skilled bartenders working with Diageo will provide exclusive menus featuring cutting-edge cocktails that deliver vacationers with a high-end drinks’ experience. World Class Bar debuted on Celebrity Eclipse and will soon launch onboard Celebrity’s four remaining Solstice Class ships. (See more at: PRNewsWire.com)
George Frost, son of famous broadcaster Sir David Frost, has started his own rum company in England The Duppy Share. What’s behind the rum’s unique name? To most of the world, alcohol that evaporates from a barrel during the ageing process is referred to as the ‘Angels’ Share’ but in the Caribbean it is referred to as the ‘Duppy Share’. Islanders believe that spiritual Duppies steal the best rum from the barrel so they can throw hellacious parties. The Duppy Share is a blend of five-year-old Barbados rum (Foursquare Distillery) and a three-year old Jamaican rum (Worthy Park Estate). (See more at: Standard.Co.UK)
The Freehand, Miami Beach-exported “hipster hostel”, and the James Beard-nominated cocktail bar The Broken Shaker had its soft-opening in Chicago. Opened in the former Tokyo Hotel, both the hostel and bar will fully open June 1.
The new location retains the Miami original’s artistic setting but the Chicago location replaces the South Beach, tropical feel with a more rustic, Native American vibe. (See more at: Chicago.Eater.com)
French drinks giant Pernod Ricard is poised to sell its Cuban-made rum in the United States once a 53-year-old trade embargo is lifted, going head-to-head with Cuban-founded Bacardi which dominates the world’s biggest market.
Pernod’s Havana Club will have to change its name to “Havanista” for U.S. customers, because the group has been prevented from renewing the U.S. trademark and Bacardi International, now Bermuda-based after its founders fled the communist island in the 1960s, sells a rum bearing the “Havana Club” name in some U.S. states.
But Pernod Ricard is aiming more widely than the niche market made up mainly of Cuban communities based in Florida, 90 miles (145 km) from their homeland, who drink the Havana Club made by Bacardi in the U.S. Caribbean territory Puerto Rico. (Read more at: Reuters.com)
If the embargo is lifted, we could gain access to an enormous market and a substantial growth booster for the coming years. – Jerome Cottin-Bizonne, CEO of Pernod Ricard’s Havana Club
The “Minister of Rum” Ed Hamilton has traveled the world proselytizing the greatness of rum. Imbibe Magazine asked “The Minister” if he would recommend his picks of top rums:
1. Neisson Blanc Rhum Agricole is THE rum for making ‘Ti Punch. Its made from fresh-pressed sugarcane juice and is bottled at 100-proof. Neisson is a small Martinique distillery has some aged rums “I love the 15-year-old from Neisson, and the Neisson Reserve has a lot of complexity—it’s aged in French casks, then moved to American oak, and finished in cognac barrels. I’ll drink a half-ounce of that at the end of the night; just a small amount to end the day, so you get to revisit it without drinking too much.”
2. El Dorado 5-year-old Demerara Rum is Ed’s favorite mixing rum. Hamilton says “I drink it in all kinds of punches, and it’s also a very economical rum.”
3. Venezuela’s has so many flavorful rums Ed had a hard time choosing which to recommend. Personally he drinks Santa Teresa but their 1796 Ron Antiguo de Solera and Añejo Gran Reserva are also commendable. Lastly Ed says Diplomatico Gran Reserva (the orange label) is “smooth and really complex.”
4. Puerto Rico is known for their lighter rums Don Q Crystal and Bacardi 8 work great.
5. Hamilton Rums – Ed Hamilton original rum blends include Hamilton 151-proof Demerara rum and Hamilton’s Cask-strength St. Lucia rums.
(Read more of Ed’s thoughts at: ImbibeMagazine.com)
![rum-experience-no-date[1]](http://www.therumtrader.com/home/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/rum-experience-no-date1-640x360.png)
Boutique RumFest, the United Kingdom’s rum trade event for new rums and Cachaças has been announced for October 16, 2015 in London. Attendees can access some of newest expressions to hit the market while also learning about rum industry issues and trends. Consumers attending RumFest can taste over 400 rums from around the world, attend seminar classes, experience live entertainment, etc. Boutique RumFest ticket information is available online. Tickets for RumFest are £49.95/person and available from the RumFest website. (Read more at: RumDiariesBlog.wordpress.com)