Pusser's is made in Barbados?

Hassouni · Post by **Hassouni** » Tue Dec 24, 2013 5:27 pm

I was at the shop today, and saw right there on the Pusser's label, "PRODUCT OF BARBADOS", and then the usual "bottled in BVI" line.

Since when is it made in Barbados? Did Foursquare take over production duties?

Or am I just in a Christmastime haze and it's always said that?

Hassouni · Post by **Hassouni** » Tue Dec 24, 2013 5:46 pm

It turns out I'm not dreaming. It used to say Product of Trinidad, BVI, and Guyana.

And yet the Pusser's website says it's made entirely from Demerara-produced molasses, distilled in the only wooden pot stills left in the world, all of which are now at the Diamond Estate owned by DDL!

What's going on!?!

Post by **Capn Jimbo** » Wed Dec 25, 2013 9:25 am

Good eyes, let's see...

First of all it's important to note that Pussers came into being under a specific agreement with the British government that (a) the original formula (in place for over a 100 years and through 1971) would not be altered or revealed and (b) a substantial part of the profits would be donated to the British Sailors Fund. For Tobias this was an act of great love and charity.

Second and after mucho, mucho research we came to the conclusion:

"I have some information that the original blender (the Man Company) used rums from Trinidad and Demarara, along with a bit of caramel and burnt sugar coloring. The current Pusser's is based on the secret British Royal Navy formula which is largely Guyanese, with Trinidad a substantial second and three other West Indian rums in much lesser quantitites. "

http://rumproject.com/rumforum//viewtopic.php?t=85

So how 'bout that labelling?

Great eyes guys, let's look at my latest bottle. Aha, mine states "Product of Barbados. Bottled by Pusser's Rum Ltd, BVI". And it's here we run into trouble and confusion. Does this mean the rum is distilled in Barbados? And as Hass has noted, how does this fly in the face of Pusser's quaint website?

No worries. Labelling is a legal matter for silk shirted corporate attorneys whose entire lives are spent making sure the letter of the law is met, while the spirit of it (pun intended) is mostly avoided as required by their corporate masters.

For example, does "product of" mean "produced in or by"? Not so fast. In the law words like "of", "in" and "by" are not synonyms. Or does "product of" require a Bajan component? Not so fast. Or does "product of" mean "blended in"? Perhaps now were getting somewhere. Regardless, the above research stands...

The secret formula is maintained, despite Tobias' having had to move blending and bottling operations around.

And as for the Pusser's website?

"British Navy Pusser's Rum is the same Admiralty blend of five West Indian rums as issued on board British warships, and it is with the Admiralty's blessing and approval that Pusser's is now available to the consumer...

The Royal Navy Sailor's Fund... Aside from the fund's original bequest, the Pusser's contribution has become the fund's largest source of income.

Today's Pusser's Rum, known as "the single malt of rum" is still produced in exact accordance with the Admiralty's specifications for rum. Unlike most rums, Pusser's uses no flavoring agents."

http://www.pussers.com/t-rum.aspx

Hass I do understand your confusion, as Pussers makes much of the primary Guyanese component made in the old wooden-based pot stills:

"These are the original stills that produced the Royal Navy's "Pusser's Rum". They are the bedrock of Navy Rum, the vital part of the distillation process that makes a true Navy Rum like Pusser's so distinctive in its taste..."

One entire section is devoted to these stills, and it is only the phrase that "they are the bedrock of Navy rum" that is of consequence, as it is the Guyanese, pot-stilled component of the five rums used that is the primary, "bedrock" component. Now before we keel haul Tobias, it's only fair that we reflect on the fact that the formula is secret and must legally remain so. Perhaps he felt it inappropriate to go beyond the "bedrock" statement without breaking his commitment to the BRN.

To the Queen! Who is the King on weekends - and vice versa..

Hassouni · Post by **Hassouni** » Wed Dec 25, 2013 1:39 pm

I have to wonder if something has changed though, given that it used to say "Trinidad and Guyana", which was for all we knew, the way it had always been.

Gary_R · Post by **Gary_R** » Mon Apr 28, 2014 10:38 am

A few remarks about the labeling on Pusser's Rum bottles: First, labeling requirements vary widely from country to country. Most (but not all) countries importing the Pusser's Rum demand that we list where the product was blended and shipped from as the "Country of Origin." Since commercialization, the rum has been blended and shipped from the BVI, Trinidad and now Barbados, hence the cause of some confusion. Over the years, and as production increased, management made the strategic decision to move the bottling operation from the BVI, where commercial bottling first started, to Trinidad and finally to Barbados, each time increasing its bottling capacity. With each move, labels were changed to include each of these countries, and in certain cases, also included the origin of the raw rum. Since commercialization, the rum has always been made to admiralty specification, which includes the rum from five stills located in Guyana and Trinidad. The recipe is proprietary, but it is public knowledge that the blend is heavily influenced by distillate from century-old wooden pot stills, which have contributed to the blend since 1732. Because of the inefficiencies brought about by the age of the pot stills, the blend is in every sense "artisan," varying slightly by batch, and is closely calibrated using modern-day gas chromatograph technology. To make sure the blend is right, we go through great time and expense to test each batch with a sensory panel of no fewer than seven participants before the rum is approved for bottling.

Gary Rogalski
President & CEO
Pusser's Rum LTD
http://pussersrum.com

Dai · Post by **Dai** » Tue Apr 29, 2014 11:04 am

Gary_R wrote:A few remarks about the labeling on Pusser's Rum bottles: First, labeling requirements vary widely from country to country. Most (but not all) countries importing the Pusser's Rum demand that we list where the product was blended and shipped from as the "Country of Origin." Since commercialization, the rum has been blended and shipped from the BVI, Trinidad and now Barbados, hence the cause of some confusion. Over the years, and as production increased, management made the strategic decision to move the bottling operation from the BVI, where commercial bottling first started, to Trinidad and finally to Barbados, each time increasing its bottling capacity. With each move, labels were changed to include each of these countries, and in certain cases, also included the origin of the raw rum. Since commercialization, the rum has always been made to admiralty specification, which includes the rum from five stills located in Guyana and Trinidad. The recipe is proprietary, but it is public knowledge that the blend is heavily influenced by distillate from century-old wooden pot stills, which have contributed to the blend since 1732. Because of the inefficiencies brought about by the age of the pot stills, the blend is in every sense "artisan," varying slightly by batch, and is closely calibrated using modern-day gas chromatograph technology. To make sure the blend is right, we go through great time and expense to test each batch with a sensory panel of no fewer than seven participants before the rum is approved for bottling.

Gary Rogalski
President & CEO
Pusser's Rum LTD
http://pussersrum.com

Thanks for the clarification. It makes things a lot easier when it comes to understanding the reasons behind the scene.

sleepy · Post by **sleepy** » Thu May 22, 2014 9:53 pm

Gary_R - simple hard-assed question: from your informative, and, I hope, accurate depiction of Pusser's, WTF is up with your web site tag "PUSSER's - The Single Malt Rum"?

Hassouni · Post by **Hassouni** » Fri May 23, 2014 1:00 am

And while we're at it, can we get navy proof Pusser's in the US already? 151 is a bit excessive, but 114, aw hell yeah!