Happy Second Year of quarantine! Ooof. I spent most of last year with the glorious good intention of getting SO MUCH done, but just like the rest of the human race, that mostly didn’t happen (except for a rockin’ windowsill scallion & basil propagation project which became quite a crop in the garden). I don’t think I even bothered to make any New Year’s resolutions at the end of December. I wanted a new start like nobody’s business, and I was in a big rush to get the holiday decorations down, but somehow, getting this space back up took until March to happen. I’ll take solace in knowing that I’m a normal human being, just like everyone else.
A lot has been happening in the rum world, despite our global confinement to our illustrious homes and backyards. The Martinique AOC has approved more parcels that can officially grow cane, which is wonderful news for increased production in the coming years (more on this coming up). The TTB approved the use of 700ml bottles, which will mean that many more marques will now be able to come into the US without the barrier of a different sized bottle from Europe, which is very exciting. Many competitions went online, which has been interesting for me, if a bit of an adjustment (mostly I don’t get to do spirits tastings with a cat keeping me company). Rhum Saint James has launched into the world of organic spirits with a new 74.2% abv marque in a brand new bottle, which I hope we’ll see here in the States.
Goals are kind of like garlic - delicious and wonderful as long as everyone with you has some too. Still, here’s a taste of what I hope to bring. Obviously I can’t wait until we can all travel safely, but in the ever increasing meantime, I’ll try to share a little of the Caribbean with you, with some distillery deep dives and a recipe or two. I’m not a news site but if there’s something rummy going on that I find interesting, I hope you’ll find sharing it interesting too. History always sends me down rabbit holes. Hopefully when I come up for air, you’ll still be reading.
Looking forward to the future we make together,
Suzanne