| Vintage Rum The Noble Spirit from Sugar Cane |
The precursors to rum date back to antiquity. Development of fermented drinks produced from sugarcane juice is
believed to have first occurred either in ancient India or China, and spread from there. An example of such an
early drink is brum. Produced by the Malay people, brum dates back thousands of years. Marco Polo also
recorded a 14th-century account of a "very good wine of sugar" that was offered to him in what is modern-day Iran.
The first distillation of rum took place on the sugarcane plantations of the Caribbean in the 17th century.
Plantation slaves first discovered that molasses, a by-product of the sugar refining process, fermented into
alcohol. Later, distillation of these alcoholic by-products concentrated the alcohol and removed impurities,
producing the first true rums. Tradition suggests that rum first originated on the island of Barbados. Regardless
of its initial source, early Caribbean rums were not known for high quality. A 1651 document from Barbados
stated "The chief fuddling they make in the island is Rumbullion, alias Kill-Divil, and this is made of sugar canes
distilled, a hot, hellish, and terrible liquor".
After rum's development in the Caribbean, the drink's popularity spread to Colonial America. To support the
demand for the drink, the first rum distillery in the colonies was set up in 1664 on current day Staten Island.
Boston had a distillery three years later. The manufacture of rum became early Colonial New England's largest
and most prosperous industry. The rum produced there was quite popular, and was even considered the best in
the world during much of the 18th century. Estimates of rum consumption in the American colonies before the
American Revolutionary War had every man, woman, or child drinking an average of 3 Imperial gallons (13.5
liters) of rum each year.
To support this demand for the molasses to produce rum, along with the increasing demand for sugar in Europe
during the 17th and 18th centuries, a labor source to work the sugar plantations in the Caribbean was needed. A
triangular trade was established between Africa, the Caribbean, and the colonies to help support this need. The
circular exchange of slaves, molasses, and rum was quite profitable, and the disruption to the trade caused by
the Sugar Act in 1764 may have even helped cause the American Revolution. The popularity of rum continued
after the Revolution with George Washington insisting on a barrel of Barbados rum at his 1789 inauguration.
Eventually the restrictions on rum from the British islands of the Caribbean combined with the development of
American whiskey led to a decline in the drink's popularity in the US.
Until the middle of the 19th century most rums were heavy, single-distilled spirits, considered less elegant than
the refined double-distilled spirits of Europe. In order to expand the market for rum, the Spanish Royal
Development Board offered a prize to anyone who could improve the rum making process. This resulted in many
refinements in the process which greatly improved the quality of rum. One of the most important figures in this
development process was Don Facundo Bacardi Masso, who moved from Spain to Santiago de Cuba in 1843.
Don Facundo's experiments with distillation techniques, charcoal filtering, cultivating of specialized yeast strains,
and aging with American oak casks helped to produce a smoother and mellower drink typical of modern rums. It
was with this new rum that Don Facundo founded Bacardi y Compañia in 1862, and the great rums of the 19th
and early 20th centuries date from this time. The best are quite superb, and although rare (much more so than
cognacs of equivalent vintage), worth seeking out - on the nose intense and complex, on the palate
simultaneously both mellow and fiery, with an exotic melange of tropical and wood ageing flavours.
believed to have first occurred either in ancient India or China, and spread from there. An example of such an
early drink is brum. Produced by the Malay people, brum dates back thousands of years. Marco Polo also
recorded a 14th-century account of a "very good wine of sugar" that was offered to him in what is modern-day Iran.
The first distillation of rum took place on the sugarcane plantations of the Caribbean in the 17th century.
Plantation slaves first discovered that molasses, a by-product of the sugar refining process, fermented into
alcohol. Later, distillation of these alcoholic by-products concentrated the alcohol and removed impurities,
producing the first true rums. Tradition suggests that rum first originated on the island of Barbados. Regardless
of its initial source, early Caribbean rums were not known for high quality. A 1651 document from Barbados
stated "The chief fuddling they make in the island is Rumbullion, alias Kill-Divil, and this is made of sugar canes
distilled, a hot, hellish, and terrible liquor".
After rum's development in the Caribbean, the drink's popularity spread to Colonial America. To support the
demand for the drink, the first rum distillery in the colonies was set up in 1664 on current day Staten Island.
Boston had a distillery three years later. The manufacture of rum became early Colonial New England's largest
and most prosperous industry. The rum produced there was quite popular, and was even considered the best in
the world during much of the 18th century. Estimates of rum consumption in the American colonies before the
American Revolutionary War had every man, woman, or child drinking an average of 3 Imperial gallons (13.5
liters) of rum each year.
To support this demand for the molasses to produce rum, along with the increasing demand for sugar in Europe
during the 17th and 18th centuries, a labor source to work the sugar plantations in the Caribbean was needed. A
triangular trade was established between Africa, the Caribbean, and the colonies to help support this need. The
circular exchange of slaves, molasses, and rum was quite profitable, and the disruption to the trade caused by
the Sugar Act in 1764 may have even helped cause the American Revolution. The popularity of rum continued
after the Revolution with George Washington insisting on a barrel of Barbados rum at his 1789 inauguration.
Eventually the restrictions on rum from the British islands of the Caribbean combined with the development of
American whiskey led to a decline in the drink's popularity in the US.
Until the middle of the 19th century most rums were heavy, single-distilled spirits, considered less elegant than
the refined double-distilled spirits of Europe. In order to expand the market for rum, the Spanish Royal
Development Board offered a prize to anyone who could improve the rum making process. This resulted in many
refinements in the process which greatly improved the quality of rum. One of the most important figures in this
development process was Don Facundo Bacardi Masso, who moved from Spain to Santiago de Cuba in 1843.
Don Facundo's experiments with distillation techniques, charcoal filtering, cultivating of specialized yeast strains,
and aging with American oak casks helped to produce a smoother and mellower drink typical of modern rums. It
was with this new rum that Don Facundo founded Bacardi y Compañia in 1862, and the great rums of the 19th
and early 20th centuries date from this time. The best are quite superb, and although rare (much more so than
cognacs of equivalent vintage), worth seeking out - on the nose intense and complex, on the palate
simultaneously both mellow and fiery, with an exotic melange of tropical and wood ageing flavours.
A remarkable cache of rare Fine Old Jamaica Rum circa 1870-1890.
Judging from the labels and bottles, these rums were bottled around 1900-1910, and had likely 20
to 30 years in cask prior to that. It's clear from the packaging that this was regarded as a superb
quality rum even at the time it was bottled. This is an exceptional discovery - the nose is one of the
most exotic and powerful I've ever experienced.
19th century rum of this quality is extremely rare - far more so than equivalently fine cognacs or
armagnacs. At the time, top quality rums were regarded by noted connoisseurs like George
Saintsbury (in his legendary "Notes from a Cellar Book" published in 1920) as on a par with the
finest cognacs. Saintsbury writes how rare old fashioned dark rums (like these bottles) were
becoming, and how superior they were to the paler, lighter rums then coming into vogue.
The tasting notes below are by Dave Hughes, internationally renowned author, wine journalist and
senior judge at the International Wine & Spirit Competition for over 20 years:
Huge, room-filling scent the instant the cork was pierced.
Fabulous deep old-gold colour, like an aged muscat.
Intensely powerful nose - toffee, prunes, old marmalade, dates, overripe mango, caramel, vanilla,
allspice.
Initially sweet on the palate, oaky and woody notes with a pronounced citrus character - tangerine
and lime. Good acidity. Finish is dry, and very, very long.
An extraordinary spirit!
Click on the images to see enlarged versions.
SOLD OUT.
Judging from the labels and bottles, these rums were bottled around 1900-1910, and had likely 20
to 30 years in cask prior to that. It's clear from the packaging that this was regarded as a superb
quality rum even at the time it was bottled. This is an exceptional discovery - the nose is one of the
most exotic and powerful I've ever experienced.
19th century rum of this quality is extremely rare - far more so than equivalently fine cognacs or
armagnacs. At the time, top quality rums were regarded by noted connoisseurs like George
Saintsbury (in his legendary "Notes from a Cellar Book" published in 1920) as on a par with the
finest cognacs. Saintsbury writes how rare old fashioned dark rums (like these bottles) were
becoming, and how superior they were to the paler, lighter rums then coming into vogue.
The tasting notes below are by Dave Hughes, internationally renowned author, wine journalist and
senior judge at the International Wine & Spirit Competition for over 20 years:
Huge, room-filling scent the instant the cork was pierced.
Fabulous deep old-gold colour, like an aged muscat.
Intensely powerful nose - toffee, prunes, old marmalade, dates, overripe mango, caramel, vanilla,
allspice.
Initially sweet on the palate, oaky and woody notes with a pronounced citrus character - tangerine
and lime. Good acidity. Finish is dry, and very, very long.
An extraordinary spirit!
Click on the images to see enlarged versions.
SOLD OUT.
Fine Old Jamaican Rum 1875
With original cellar tags dated 1875. SOLD
With original cellar tags dated 1875. SOLD
Rare Old Liqueur Rum "Man Friday"
Very old in cask, bottled 1940.
From the choicest Estates of Martinique.
A wonderful bottle of great character. SOLD
Very old in cask, bottled 1940.
From the choicest Estates of Martinique.
A wonderful bottle of great character. SOLD
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Rhum de Sa Majeste, circa 1890's
Three half bottles available, two with back labels as well.
Produced from lands formerly owned by Empress Josephine in
Martinique, and claimed to be the formula insisted on by Napoleon for
his troops. Imperial crown on glass shoulder seal. An extremely rare
French 19th century rum of the very highest quality, believed to originate
from the cellars of the famed Parisian restaurant La Tour d'Argent.
SOLD.
Three half bottles available, two with back labels as well.
Produced from lands formerly owned by Empress Josephine in
Martinique, and claimed to be the formula insisted on by Napoleon for
his troops. Imperial crown on glass shoulder seal. An extremely rare
French 19th century rum of the very highest quality, believed to originate
from the cellars of the famed Parisian restaurant La Tour d'Argent.
SOLD.
Vieux Rhum Anglais 1830
Caves du Grand Hotel Tirollier
Believed to be the oldest dated rum bottle yet discovered.
SOLD.
Caves du Grand Hotel Tirollier
Believed to be the oldest dated rum bottle yet discovered.
SOLD.
Rhum Vieux - Paul Court.
Vintage 1895
Very early vintage French
rum.
A spectacularly early vintage
rum, museum quality.
SOLD
Vintage 1895
Very early vintage French
rum.
A spectacularly early vintage
rum, museum quality.
SOLD
Rhum Moko, circa 1920's.
Early French rhum agricole, gorgeous label.
Beautiful bottle, very scarce in this sort of condition.
SOLD.
Early French rhum agricole, gorgeous label.
Beautiful bottle, very scarce in this sort of condition.
SOLD.
Rhum Martiniqua, circa 1920's.
Early French rhum agricole, gorgeous label.
Beautiful bottle, very scarce in this sort of condition.
SOLD.
Early French rhum agricole, gorgeous label.
Beautiful bottle, very scarce in this sort of condition.
SOLD.
Rhum Negrita, circa 1920's.
Early French rhum agricole,
gorgeous label.
Beautiful bottle, very scarce in this
sort of condition.
Price: SOLD
Early French rhum agricole,
gorgeous label.
Beautiful bottle, very scarce in this
sort of condition.
Price: SOLD
Rhum Saint Esprit, circa 1920's.
Early French rhum agricole, gorgeous label.
Beautiful bottle, very scarce in this sort of condition.
SOLD.
Early French rhum agricole, gorgeous label.
Beautiful bottle, very scarce in this sort of condition.
SOLD.
Grand Rhum Hawai, circa 1920's.
Early French rhum agricole, spectacular label.
Beautiful bottle, very scarce in this sort of condition.
SOLD.
Early French rhum agricole, spectacular label.
Beautiful bottle, very scarce in this sort of condition.
SOLD.
Negro Old Rhum, Martinique, circa 1920's.
Early French rhum agricole, period label.
Beautiful bottle, very scarce in this sort of condition.
Early French rhum agricole, period label.
Beautiful bottle, very scarce in this sort of condition.
Black Head Rum - Cazenove, circa 1920's.
Classic French rhum agricole, one of the great brands.
Beautiful bottle, very scarce in this sort of condition.
SOLD.
Classic French rhum agricole, one of the great brands.
Beautiful bottle, very scarce in this sort of condition.
SOLD.
Authentic Royal Navy Rum, circa 1940's
The inimitable and legendary original: an untouched one gallon stoneware flagon dating from before 1955.
The inimitable and legendary original: an untouched one gallon stoneware flagon dating from before 1955.
We're very pleased to have acquired a second untouched original wooden case,
containing two one-gallon stoneware flagons of authentic old Navy Rum, formally
acquired for consumption by the Royal Navy before 1955 (the rum itself would have
originally been distilled in Jamaica in the late 1940's). Each stoneware flagon holds a
gallon of rum, and allowing for some evaporation over the decades will yield
approximately 4 litres of rum/
This is the THE single most legendary rum, with a swashbuckling and romantic
history stretching back over three centuries. Very occasionally flagons from 1970,
when the Navy ration was discontinued, have come on to the market, but to have the
chance to taste original flagons from the 1940's is unprecedented. A unique
opportunity to drink liquid history.
The association of rum with the Royal Navy began in 1655 when the British fleet
captured the island of Jamaica. With the availability of domestically produced rum, the
British changed the daily ration of liquor given to seamen from French brandy to rum.
While the ration was originally given neat, or mixed with lime juice, the practice of
watering down the rum began around 1740. To help minimize the effect of the alcohol on
his sailors, Admiral Edward Vernon directed that the rum ration be watered down before
being issued, a mixture which became known as 'grog'. While it is widely believed that
the term grog was coined at this time in honor of the cloak Admiral Vernon wore in rough
weather, the term has been demonstrated to predate his famous orders, with probable
containing two one-gallon stoneware flagons of authentic old Navy Rum, formally
acquired for consumption by the Royal Navy before 1955 (the rum itself would have
originally been distilled in Jamaica in the late 1940's). Each stoneware flagon holds a
gallon of rum, and allowing for some evaporation over the decades will yield
approximately 4 litres of rum/
This is the THE single most legendary rum, with a swashbuckling and romantic
history stretching back over three centuries. Very occasionally flagons from 1970,
when the Navy ration was discontinued, have come on to the market, but to have the
chance to taste original flagons from the 1940's is unprecedented. A unique
opportunity to drink liquid history.
The association of rum with the Royal Navy began in 1655 when the British fleet
captured the island of Jamaica. With the availability of domestically produced rum, the
British changed the daily ration of liquor given to seamen from French brandy to rum.
While the ration was originally given neat, or mixed with lime juice, the practice of
watering down the rum began around 1740. To help minimize the effect of the alcohol on
his sailors, Admiral Edward Vernon directed that the rum ration be watered down before
being issued, a mixture which became known as 'grog'. While it is widely believed that
the term grog was coined at this time in honor of the cloak Admiral Vernon wore in rough
weather, the term has been demonstrated to predate his famous orders, with probable
SOLD.
origins in the West Indies, perhaps of African etymology. The Royal Navy continued to give its sailors a daily rum ration, known as a "tot," until
the practice was abolished after July 31, 1970. Today the rum ration is still issued on special occasions by H.M. Queen Elizabeth II. Recently,
such occasions have been Royal marriages and birthdays, or other special anniversaries. "Splice the main brace", in the days of the daily
ration, meant double rations that day.
A standard naval tot of rum consisted of an eighth of a pint of rum (which was over 50% ABV, and was traditionally named "overproof").
Generally spirits are about 40% in comparison.
Labelling spirits today as overproof or underproof is derived from the early method of treating Jamaica rum in the naval victualling yards before
it was issued to the warships. To ensure that the rum had not been watered down, it was “proofed” by dousing gunpowder in it, then tested to
see if the gunpowder would ignite. If it did not, then the rum contained too much water and was considered to be “under proof”. It was found
that gunpowder would not burn in rum that contained less than 57.15% abv. Therefore, rum that contained this percentage of alcohol was
defined to have "100 degrees proof" (this differs from the simpler US system, where you simply double the alcoholic abv to get the proof
percentage)
Once a rating reached the age of twenty he was entitled to draw his tot. Senior Rates were entitled to drink this neat, however Junior Rates had
"2 in 1" which meant that it was mixed with two parts water to one part rum. The reason for this was so that the rum could not be stored and
saved for another day.
A story involving naval rum is that following his victory at the Battle of Trafalgar, Horatio Nelson's body was preserved in a cask of rum to allow
transport back to England. Upon arrival, however, the cask was opened and found to be empty of rum. The pickled body was removed and,
upon inspection, it was discovered that the sailors had drilled a hole in the bottom of the cask and drunk all the rum, in the process drinking
Nelson's blood. Thus, this tale serves as a basis for the term Nelson's Blood being used to describe rum. It also serves as the basis for the
term "Tapping the Admiral" being used to describe drinking the daily rum ration. The details of the story are disputed, as many historians
claim the cask contained French brandy whilst others claim instead the term originated from a toast to Admiral Nelson. Variations of the story,
involving different notable corpses, have been in circulation for many years.
the practice was abolished after July 31, 1970. Today the rum ration is still issued on special occasions by H.M. Queen Elizabeth II. Recently,
such occasions have been Royal marriages and birthdays, or other special anniversaries. "Splice the main brace", in the days of the daily
ration, meant double rations that day.
A standard naval tot of rum consisted of an eighth of a pint of rum (which was over 50% ABV, and was traditionally named "overproof").
Generally spirits are about 40% in comparison.
Labelling spirits today as overproof or underproof is derived from the early method of treating Jamaica rum in the naval victualling yards before
it was issued to the warships. To ensure that the rum had not been watered down, it was “proofed” by dousing gunpowder in it, then tested to
see if the gunpowder would ignite. If it did not, then the rum contained too much water and was considered to be “under proof”. It was found
that gunpowder would not burn in rum that contained less than 57.15% abv. Therefore, rum that contained this percentage of alcohol was
defined to have "100 degrees proof" (this differs from the simpler US system, where you simply double the alcoholic abv to get the proof
percentage)
Once a rating reached the age of twenty he was entitled to draw his tot. Senior Rates were entitled to drink this neat, however Junior Rates had
"2 in 1" which meant that it was mixed with two parts water to one part rum. The reason for this was so that the rum could not be stored and
saved for another day.
A story involving naval rum is that following his victory at the Battle of Trafalgar, Horatio Nelson's body was preserved in a cask of rum to allow
transport back to England. Upon arrival, however, the cask was opened and found to be empty of rum. The pickled body was removed and,
upon inspection, it was discovered that the sailors had drilled a hole in the bottom of the cask and drunk all the rum, in the process drinking
Nelson's blood. Thus, this tale serves as a basis for the term Nelson's Blood being used to describe rum. It also serves as the basis for the
term "Tapping the Admiral" being used to describe drinking the daily rum ration. The details of the story are disputed, as many historians
claim the cask contained French brandy whilst others claim instead the term originated from a toast to Admiral Nelson. Variations of the story,
involving different notable corpses, have been in circulation for many years.
Rhum Louisiane (1865)
Very early vintage French
rum.
Another wonderful vintage
rum, superb label.
SOLD
Very early vintage French
rum.
Another wonderful vintage
rum, superb label.
SOLD
Rhum Saint James 1930's
With vanilla pods in the bottle. SOLD
With vanilla pods in the bottle. SOLD
Rhum Chauvet 1930's
Classic rhum agricole. SOLD
Classic rhum agricole. SOLD