Opening up the world of rum
Boutique-y Rum is bringing rare rums to market
If you want an idea of the credentials behind That Boutique-y Rum Company, allow me to just list off the distilleries that formed its first releases; Monymusk, O Reizinho, Bellevue, Travellers, Diamond, Enmore, Uitvlugt and Caroni. It’s lazy journalism to just write lists, but when the names on the sheet read like a who’s who of the rum world it’s also pretty effective at demonstrating the clout that That Boutique-y is carrying.
It was 2018 that That Boutique-y launched its first steps into rum, having delved into the world of gin and whisky. Who did they get on board to guide them through? No other than our own contributing editor Peter Holland, fresh from his site The Floating Rum Shack and a statement of intent that they mean business when it comes to rum.
We’ll get on to the design and rums shortly, but what about That Boutique-y’s mission statement? Well, when working with Peter, as one who knows, you can expect certain standards need to be met. He certainly is an amicable guy, but when it comes to rum, and particularly transparency in rum, he’ll fight tooth and nail for good, honest stuff.
So, his collaboration and guidance with Boutique-y Rum means that transparency is right up there amongst the brand’s founding principles. That means that across the whole range, there is no addition of sugar or other surplus ingredients. Likewise, colour means very little, so caramel isn’t added either – indeed, the rums are categorised by both how and where they were made instead.
Going back to that list and the rum made available from closed distilleries is impressive. Trinidad’s Caroni is closed, Guyana’s Uitvlugt has been closed and demolished, along with Enmore Distillery on the island. Somebody at Boutique-y Rum is pulling some fairly impressive strings to get liquid from these places and the quality justifies such a move.
Since then, further bottlings have been released and again, they pique the interest due to the often seldom seen distilleries they come from. First up is Issan Distillery in the north east of Thailand – the rum is made from a single variety of sugarcane, red sugarcane, and they wait until the sugarcane is pushing up its flower, as this is when it’s at its most aromatic. Not incidentally, they also only use the heart of the sugarcane, meaning that they peel each stick of cane by hand and only use the sweet notes from the core.
Then there’s a 5-years-old expression from Labourdonnais in Mauritius. Sneaking in at 49.8% ABV, it has been distilled in a traditional column still and then aged for five years in Pedro Ximénez casks. Or how about a bottling from Foursquare in Barbados, distilled in 2005 in pot and column still, before being aged for 12 years?
The balance between a sense of fun and ‘serious’ rum is nicely managed by Boutique-y. It’s certainly helped by the illustrations from Microsoft Paint artist, Jim’ll Paint It, who has created bespoke designs for each bottle. As usual with Boutique-y, these illustrations capture the story of the rum and the distilleries with a great deal of personality.
There are secret distillery releases, which naturally lends itself to speculating over where they came from.
August 2019 saw a slightly new angle for Boutique-y Rum with the launch of a new series of Signature Blends, it’s first selection of continuous rums. With an eye on cocktails, Holland managed to maintain a profile that affords sipping too.
Signature Blend #1 – Bright-Grass is a predominantly unaged blend of rum from Jamaica and fruit rhum from Martinique. Added to the mix is a 4-years-old Jamaican
rum that backs a little more depth into the overall product. At 40% ABV, it’s described as being a perfect ingredient for a Daiquiri.
For Signature Blend #2 – Elegant-Dried Fruits the desired cocktail was a Mai Tai. It combines Guyana rum with heavier rum from Jamaica. On the palate there’s tannic notes of oak and black tea, alongside a refreshing eucalyptus and coconut.
The designs in this instance feature the white snake of the Martinique flag alongside Lignum Vitae, the national flower of Jamaica on Signature Blend #1, while for the second blend, the illustration includes the Lignum Vitae alongside the Victoria Amazonica lily, the national flower of Guyana.
On the Signature Blends, Peter Holland says, “When tasked with creating rums that would be predominantly used in cocktails, I had to think of the drinks that I’d like to enjoy, then set about working a blend that stood up to my idea of what the cocktail would taste like.
“I don’t like the idea of trying to balance many different rum styles, a situation that overly complicates things. I much prefer the simplicity of two distinct styles of working harmoniously together. Each displaying their strengths and contributions to the cocktail.”
Between these Signature Blends and the bottlings Boutique-y has already managed to come up with a diverse range of rums and as such the price point matches this too. Some of the bottlings are on the pricier side of life, but perhaps to be expected considering the sparsity of the rum available from these specific distilleries. On the flip side, the two Signature Blends are reasonably priced in reflection of their lower ABV, allowing for an accessibility that might otherwise be lost in some premium rums.