I just learned of a new cane juice rum being produced by St. Nicholas Abbey in Barbados. Per Count Silvio:
The estate is being completely refurbished by the Warren family and will include acreage dedicated to growing sugar cane, a refurbished steam mill (to crush the cane), and a still house using a classic copper still with 6 bubbling plates that is claimed to produce rum at over 75%."St. Nicholas Abbey, one of the 'Seven Wonders of Barbados', is an old Jacobean style mansion built in 1658 and is one of the three existing Jacobean mansions in the Western Hemisphere.
The use of cane juice, rather than molasses, makes St. Nicholas Abbey Rum the first rum on Barbados to be produced from fresh cane juice. It is aged at 43% in new bourbon barrels for 10 years and hand-bottled straight from the cask, unblended, into one of the nicest decanters I've seen."
The cane juice rum will be produced under the tutelage of Richard Seale, who will also advise on aging and blending. Here's a statement by the Warrens:
I urge all readers to visit the St. Nicholas Abbey website and the story of this historical restoration and authentic production of rum. Personally I have had quite enough of the Martinique myth, and can't wait to experience a cane juice rum produced under one of the great distillers of our time.Our intention is to build a premium product slowly to the point that it is sought after and respected. It is true that we do not currently make our rum, but it is not blended but rather a true 10 year old which is taken from the barrel where it is aged at 43%. We pride ourselves as one of the few Barbadian rums that can put a age label on the bottle as nothing has been done to the rum after it leaves the cask.
The whole venture is really geared towards establishing a unique product that complements St. Nicholas as a sustainable heritage site of great historic significance to the island. Our philosophy reflects a way of life which seems to be quickly disappearing where people used to make quality products for others in a smaller more intimate human scale. As a result our whole product is hand made without any machinery. We currently produce about 4000 bottles annually and expect that once the distillery is online that will peak at about 20,000. We have an 1890 steam mill attached to the distillery and 225 acres of sugar cane , so the rum will be made from juice rather than molasses and aged in "new" bourbon barrels.
In the next 10 year period I expect to have our own rum introduced to complete the authenticity of the product. In the intervening years, we will create that special recipe with the help of Richard Seale who is advising us. In the meantime we are going to age excellent rum in a premium package and bring our customers along for the journey so they feel like part of it and they will participate in tasting and the whole production.It is very exciting times as it is not everyday that a brand is born with such high expectations and with such an authentic home and brand name as St. Nicholas.
