It’s August and for a few more weeks, it is all about the rum. In honor of National Rum Day on August 16th and National Rum Month, I’ve scoured the nation for some of the best artisan rum distilleries to visit. Although most of the world’s rum is made in the Caribbean islands, since it was one of our founding fathers’ favorite spirit, it’s apropos to champion craft rum makers in America this month.
1. Greenbar Distillery, Los Angeles, California
As the only distiller in Los Angeles since prohibition, a visit to Greenbar distillery in L.A.’s downtown art district is momentous. Makers of many organic spirits, including gin and vodka, the spirit to try this month is the CRUSOE white and CRUSOE spiced rum. Inspired by the legendary Robinson Crusoe, Greenbar makes their rum from molasses and sugar cane via micro oxygenation; a technique borrowed from neighboring California wine makers. For the spiced Crusoe Rum, spices like allspice, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and vanilla are hand crushed and added to the blend as well as California orange zest equating to big flavor. The distillery opens to the public on the last Friday of the month for tastings.
2. St. George Spirits, Alameda, California
Traveling north from Los Angeles just outside San Francisco, St. George Spirits is a raucously fun distillery (notice their shark mascot in the photo above) to visit. St. George California Agricole Rum is just one of the dozens of spirits the distillery makes, but it’s special nevertheless. It’s made from fresh sugarcane grown in Southern California —not molasses—in the style of a rhum agricole or cachaça. They extract the fresh cane juice by running the stalks by hand through a sugarcane mill. The freshly pressed, uncooked cane juice is then fermented and distilled in small batches in a 500-liter copper pot still. The result is rum not for the faint of heart, but divine, no doubt.
3. House Spirits Distillery, Portland, Oregon
You’re probably familiar with their Aviation Gin but how about their House Spirits rum? It’s hard to come by as it was a limited-edition release last year, but worth tracking it down. It’s double-pot-distilled and aged in Pinot Noir-barrels. If you like whiskey, you’re gonna love this rum. Tours and tastings available Wed – Sun.
4. Sea Hagg Distillery, North Hampton, New Hampshire
Their motto is “No pirates, just booty!” Out of North Hampton, New Hampshire, the Sea Hagg Distillery crafts small batches of artisan rum in a traditional copper alembic pot still. The distillery ages in toasted barrels and then bottles by hand. The tasting room is open Wed – Sun and it’s the only place to buy Sea Hagg spirits. Most popular Sea Hagg rums are blueberry and peach, made from local farmers’ produce.
5. Tuthilltown Spirits, New York
You seen those beautifully designed compact bottles of Hudson Whiskey grace the shelves of most high-end bars, but you probably wouldn’t recognize their rum. Producing a limited run of Roggen’s rum, the distillery celebrates the history of the Hudson River commerce and the early pioneers of the Hudson Valley. The aged rum, aptly named after the Roggen mercantile brothers of the area that migrated from Switzerland, is made from Louisiana blackstrap molasses and aged in a combination of new and former American oak whiskey casks. Speaking of history, the Tuthilltown distillery is the first New York Farm Distillery Whiskey Tasting Room since prohibition, open most days, tours on the weekend..
6. Serralles Rum Distillery, Ponce, Puerto Rico
Yes, Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory and the majority of the world’s rum is produced there. The Serralles distillery produces DonQ, Palo Viejo and Caliche. And since it’s been family owned and operated for 148 years, let’s just say they know a bit about making quality rum. White rums are usually not aged yet what sets Caliche apart is its blend of four different aged rums. Made from Caribbean molasses with hints of vanilla, oak and caramel make a great spirit to sip neat or mix in festive rum cocktail.
Happy National Rum Month and happy National Rum Day on August 16th.
Did I miss a boutique rum made in America you love? Feel free to chime in in the comments below.