Appleton’s Jamaicanite cocktail (All photos by David Samayoa)
by Chuck Ferrin
What’s the best tasting experience in Miami? While nothing rivals the glitz and glam of the South Beach Wine & Food Festival, for the locals, my vote goes to the Miami Rum Renaissance.
Why? Because you can get in and out with relatively little effort. The SOBE Wine & Food Festival has gone well past the point of critical mass, so you’ve got to show real stamina and patience if you plan on attending the Grand Tasting Event. The line to the entrance gate is incredibly long, and will take you at least a few hours to navigate. Their seminars remain unsurpassed in their quality, but plan on making a day of it if you want to have a meaningful experience.
The Miami Rum Renaissance, on the other hand, is so amenable that I’m almost afraid to write about for fear that I will go the way of all things South Beach. After forging through moderate traffic, I found non-valet parking nearby, walked a short distance to Deauville Beach Resort and–here’s the best part–I showed them my ticket and just walked in the door!
And before me lay a beautiful seaside ballroom teaming with rum producers from across the globe. Light, aged, spiced, straight, mixed—nearly every facet of rum was represented. It was such a pure and fulfilling South Florida experience, that I went back for a second day.
Held every spring, Rum Renaissance is in its third year, and while it may be young as far as festivals go, there’s no shortage of experts and top producers. Rum is of great importance in tropical Miami, celebrated as a native spirit by both our Caribbean and Latin American cultures. Here are some of my picks from this year’s tasting.
These are worth seeking out:
Best Cocktail: Appleton’s The Jamaicanite
Best Light Rum: Banks 5 Island Rum
Best Spiced Rum: Siesta Key
Best Dark Rum: Koloa Rum Co. Kaua’i Dark Rum
Best Aged Rum: Zafra Master’s Reserve 21 Year Old
Best Presentation: Plantation Rum
Best Rum Liqueur: Santa Teresa Rhum Orange
Special Interest: Ron Millonario
Best Cocktail: Appleton’s Jamaicanite
Appleton had a great booth, and the resident mixologist, Willy Shine, reminded me how well aged rum mixes with grapefruit juice and Angostura bitters. Similar to the classic Four W Daiquiri, the Jamaicanite strikes a perfect balance between sour, spicy and sweet elements.
Best Light Rum: Banks 5 Island Rum
Banks is a new light rum created by master cognac blender, Arnaud de Trabuc, who sources his spirits from five different locations to create the final blend. This may be the greatest light rum ever created, taking square aim at 10 Cane, a great rum in its own right. Takes its spot on the podium as one of the best rums for mixing.
Best Spiced Rum: Siesta Key
Home state hero Siesta Key produces both a light and aged rum, but it was the secret sample of their forthcoming spiced rum that caught my attention. If I want a good spiced rum, I want to make it myself, but Siesta Key may have changed my mind. Their spiced rum may well be better than anything that I could ever concoct.
Best Dark Rum: Koloa Rum Co. Kaua’i Dark Rum
Hawaiian producer, Koloa, won best dark rum in the 2010 Rum Renaissance, and they deserve a repeat in 2011. The Kaua’i Dark Rum is a full throttle, rich, inky, even hedonistic experience. Strongly recommend it for people who like to bake with rum.
Best Aged Rum: Zafra Master’s Reserve 21 Year Old
For my money, Zafra 21 is one of the few rums that can compete with Ron Zacapa 23. Both are equal in terms of quality, with Zacapa offering a sweeter, more romantic profile that reflects the palate of the master blender, Lorena Vasquez.
Unlike Ron Zacapa, Zafra is not a made in the blended solera style. Rather, it is a full 21 years old, practically ancient for a tropical spirit. This rum shows its age in the dry tannins and intense spice acquired from long maturation in ex-Bourbon barrels. Tough to choose a winner here, but I have to give the new kid Zafra a nod, because Zacapa has no shortage of fans.
Best Booth: Plantation Rum
For a real rum education, nothing beats the Plantation. Presenter Guillaume Lamy illuminated the science of rum, demonstrating how the nuances of fermentation and barrel aging affect the aroma, body and flavor of the final product. The only problem is that Plantation has so many great rums, it’s hard to choose just one.
Best Rum Liqueur: Santa Teresa Rhum Orange
The best liqueur of the show was the Santa Teresa Orange, and I’ll boldly declare it one of the best orange liqueurs in the world, right up there with Grand Marnier, Cointreau, Mandarine Napoleon and Clement Creole Shrubb. Santa Teresa is one of the world’s finest rum producers, with their1796 Solera serving as a benchmark. I find that their rums have an orange note that matches up perfectly in an orange liqueur, almost as if it were meant to be, like the coastlines of South America and Africa in the study of plate tectonics.
Special Interest: Ron Millonario
Keep your eye on this Peruvian rum, Ron Millonario. It’s great to see a producer going against the grain to produce a fine spirit. Peru is a country synonymous with their native white brandy, pisco, and there seems to be room for little else. But Peru has both a high altitude and a tropical climate, and as Ron Zacapa has proven, this is an ideal environment for the slow maturation of fine rum. Ron Millonario has a sweet, honeyed profile that somehow escapes being cloying or heavy, as well as some of the most beautiful packaging. I’m rooting for them, because from my experience with pisco, I know how great Peruvian spirits can be. They really try to show terroir in their spirits, just like wine, and that helps make their products engaging year after year.
Nothing about Rum Renaissance falls short in my opinion. I would love to see more rhum agricole and cachaca, but other than that, it had everything that I look for in a tasting festival. Now I just have to hope I can get in the door next year.
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