THE DISTILLERY

THE MAJORITY OF THE RUM WE USE FOR CUT RUM COMES FROM THE LLUDIAS VALE IN JAMAICA. IT’S RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ISLAND BETWEEN KINGSTON AND OCHO RIOS – THEY HAVE BEEN MAKING QUALITY RUM HERE SINCE 1720 AND THEY ARE VERY GOOD AT IT. THE DISTILLERY IS 366 METRES ABOVE SEA LEVEL AND THE ESTATE STRETCHES OVER 10,000 ACRES, THEY ARE ONE OF ONLY 5 SURVIVING ESTATES STILL FARMING SUGAR CANE AND DISTILLING RUM SINCE THE LAST BIG DROUGHT

 ALL OF THE RUM IS PRODUCED IN COPPER POT STILLS CREATED BY THE AWARD WINNING FORSYTHS STILL MAKERS IN SCOTLAND. THE STILL IS MADE LIKE A TRADITIONAL JAMAICAN ALAMBIC WHICH GIVES ‘BODY AND SOUL’ TO THE RUM AND ALL OF THE AGEING IS DONE IN EX AMERICAN BOURBON BARRELS. THE DISTLLERY HAS WON NUMEROUS AWARDS FOR THEIR RUMS OVER THE YEARS AND WON BEST DISTILLERY IN 2016. SO IT WAS AN OBVIOUS CHOICE TO WORK WITH THEM WHEN CREATING CUT RUM

 THE INGREDIENTS

CUT RUM IS MADE FROM ONLY THE FINEST NATURAL INGREDIENTS. OUR VANILLA AND OUR PEPPERCORNS ARE FROM MADAGASCAR - OUR CORIANDER SEED, CINNAMON AND ANISEED ARE SOURCED FROM SOUTH INDIA AND WE GET OUR NUTMEG FROM THE WEST INDIES.

THESE ARE THE INGREDIENTS WE USE FOR OUR SPICED AND OUR OVERPROOF RUMS - HOWEVER BECAUSE OF THE DIFFERENCE IN STRENGTH WE USE DIFFERENT AMOUNTS FOR EACH BLEND - CINNAMON CAN BECOME A LOT MORE OVERBEARING AT 75.5% SO THATS ONE OF THE INGREDIENTS WE USE A BIT LESS OF. ONE OF THE REASONS OUR OVERPROOF IS A LOT LIGHTER THAN OUR SPICED

THE SMOKING 

CUT SMOKED RUM IS ONE OF THE FIRST SMOKED RUMS IN THE UK. IT WAS A PAINSTAKING JOURNEY BUT AFTER 2 YEARS WE FINALLY CRACKED IT AND THE RESULT IS PRETTY SPECIAL!

WE USE REAL AMERICAN OAK CHIPS AND BURN THEM IN A FURNACE TO RELEASE THE SWEET OAK WOOD SMOKINESS. AS WE BEGIN TO COLLECT THE SMOKE WE ADD SMALL AMOUNTS OF OUR 3 YEAR OLD JAMAICAN RUM AND FEED THIS INTO OUR CONDENSER - AS THE PRESSURE IS APPLIED WE START TO CREATE A STRONG NATURAL SMOKE CONDENSATE WITH A RUM BASE. 

WE THEN FILTER OUR SMOKE CONDENSATE TO GET RID OF ANY TOXINS AND CARCINOGENS AND WE ARE LEFT WITH BEAUTIFUL SUPER STRONG SMOKED RUM THAT WE THEN BLEND WITH THE REST OF OUR JAMAICAN 3 YEAR OLD WHICH HAS ALREADY BEEN INFUSED WITH ARABICA COFFEE BEANS AND NATURAL TOBACCO EXTRACT.

ONCE BLENDED WE RUN 'QUALITY CHECKS' TO MAKE SURE THE BALANCE IS CORRECT AND THEN THE FINAL LIQUID IS LEFT TO REST IN OAK BARRELS WHERE ALL THE INGREDIENTS HAVE TIME TO SET