Notes: Brought to us all by the people behind Bruichladdich Scotch and Waterford Irish Whisky (Of which we have numerous reviews of the various expressions), Renegade Rum Distillery produces a number of rum expressions. All of them are Grown, Harvested, Milled, Distilled, and Bottled By the Renegade Rum Distillery in Grenada, Windward Islands.

This very particular rum is their Renegade Cane Rum Pre-Cask Multiple Farm Origin “Nova”  encompassing all of the terroirs of the entire island of Grenada. The soil is a mix of volcanic and alluvial soils and is the site of a derelict rum distillery.  The sucrose-rich canes are from five distinct varieties Yellow Lady, Clean Ester, LacaLome Red, Lodger, and Cain – in eight distinct terroirs. This approach allows the drinker to taste an unmatched blend of all the possible terroirs of the island and fully appreciate the different influences each one contributes; the cane juice is pressed and fermented for 60 hours (3 1/2 days) for about 80% of the mix, 10%( roughly) for 80 hours, and the last 10%(roughly) for 90 hours ( 4 days total). The rum is distilled in a mix of both pot and column stills for the characteristics that each type of still is known for. Each cane variety is kept separate to be placed in barrels and blended later. The rum is then aged in a complex split of barrels: 40 % American Oak First Fill Barrels ( A first fill is a USED bourbon barrel- a never-used before barrel is called a Virgin barrel, by the way), and 42% in Virgin US Barrels ( see above) 14% are placed in premium French Barrels ( not specified as to Virgin or used) and the remaining 4% placed in Virgin Andean barrels. The rum is then aged for 649 days, entirely in Grenada. Given the climate, this would translate into a much longer time in a more temperate climate/storage facility.

The process they use is known in the industry as Rum Agricola style, which is a direct use of fresh pressed cane juice to be made into rum and is usually the province of the French Caribbean Islands – most other rum distilleries use the Rhum Industrial process where cane is first made into sugar and molasses, and the rum is fermented from that as almost a by-product of sugar cane production. This method, it can be argued, is rum in its purest and freshest form – both in means of production and in its origin. The genealogy as it were of this rum is remarkable in that every single facet is relentlessly documented when you type in its “Cane Code” ( SFCDUN-01) on the website; this unlocks a treasure chest of information on every aspect of this rum inception and extreme detailing of its journey from field to flask. Why, you may ask, is this necessary or desirable? Simply put, it tells you every aspect and variable in this rum and its unique identity – which can lead to a deeper understanding and appreciation of why it tastes the way it does and how this was accomplished. This, in turn, leads to a greater understanding of the variables that affect a rum and helps you, the consumer, identify what you like or make you like a particular rum with crossover knowledge of what to look for in other rums and other spirits. No other company approaches this level of detail and, by extension, transparency of how a particular spirit is made.

In this, they have accomplished a singular achievement.

As an internationally known spirit and, in particular, rum judge ( not to mention enthusiast ), I have seen and tasted 100’s of rums, been to many distilleries, and can count many distillers, blenders, and brokers, as friends. I can say a lot about rum and how it is made.
I will try not to bore most of my readers with a long exposition on the rum industry and the many possible negative things that could be leveled about how the bulk of rum is made commercially. I’ll leave that for another time. Suffice it to say that most mass-produced rum is at the level of cheap blended whiskey or worse – a soulless commodity made as cheaply as possible and just this side of legal in terms of what they can get away with. Not to mention, there are many more laws regarding whisky than rum, if that clarifies things a bit. It is essentially a commodity that is bulk produced and produced as cheaply as possible, with all manner of additives, color sugars, and techniques, with cost the overriding decision of the makers in most cases, with some notable exceptions.

This rum is on the other side of the rum spectrum, much in the same and in the same spirit as Bruichladdich Scotch and Waterford Irish Whisky. Extreme exemplars of terroir, obsessive detail, dedication to the best possible techniques, relentless innovation, and not a little magic. Everything that can be analyzed and perfected, every detail/technique tweaked, and quality control that can be utilized seem to be on it.

The goal was to produce an unrelenting and unapologetic example of a, let us say, pure strain/exemplar/etude of a very particular type of rum in its purest form, barreled in carefully selected barrels for maximum flavor, balance, and complexity.

It is not for everyone. Hell, it’s not for most people; it is only for people who wish to experience a rum without compromise to be singular in every aspect and made as scrupulously as possible to personify its origins.

OK, Enough!

On to the usual type of review and breakdown of what we thought…

Appearance: Clear dark amber, like a better grade of maple syrup or some forms of whiskey, displaying the type of color that shows oak maturation without overdoing it.

First Impression: Smoky, like a slightly peaty kind of smoke with barrel char , cane (Rhum Agricole ) grassines sspice, cinnamon dark fruit, and orange rind.

Taste: Dark spices , gingerbread, nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, and touches of turmeric, asafoetida, celery seed, cumin, and drier types of spice wrapped around a cane grassiness and underlying but not cloying sweetness. Very much in the style of a Rhum Agricole ( if certainly outside the French AOC geographic area) .

Drinks: It makes a great primary or secondary rum for a Tiki/Tropical cocktail. It brings a nice funk of cane without being overbearing, a refreshing dryness, and a complex, structured taste to a cocktail unlike a lot of sweetened mass-market rum.

Bottle: Interesting heavy-bottomed decanter, beautiful in its way, but the neck is a two-fingered challenge and a touch short, IMHO.Nicely distinctive light sea blue glass stopper with their logo screened on top and with a nylon O ring so it is easy to open yet secure on closure. Embossed and raised printing with subtle shading on the label in the front and a downright chatty history and description on the back label. The type is a touch small, but the contrast is good, so those over, say, 30, can still read it.

Other: An interesting all fields blend of rum skillfully blended to be complex yet harmonious.

Final Thoughts: This is a very well-done blend of all their fields, showing the complexity and diversity of their individual fields and the rums that are made from them. It is complex, interesting, and multilayered.

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