Searching for Rum - Connecticut
Contributed by on Sep 04, 2015
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I slid down the guide here at Rick The Rum Runner and found the first state that had no Distillers was Connecticut. So this is where I begin my search. In that search I found a little bit about the area. So to date, here is what I found.
According to Bottle Society, a web page that tries to list the Distillers in each state, there are 6 Distillers in Connecticut. The very first is one I found and its not in that listing. Here are the ones I found with a bit of background:
Connecticut Valley Distillery.
They have a rum Smuggler's Rum, so this will be followed up upon and we will see what they have to offer. This wasn't in the Bottle Society listings.... So I continue to search:
Westford Hill Distillers
Looks very nice, but, no Rum (Vodka & Rye)
Elm City Distillery
No Rum Mentioned.
Onyx Spirits
No Rum (mostly Moonshine)
Maple Lane Spirits
Not Much info
Appstraw Brandies Distillery
Appears to be Brandies only
Buon Cello
Italian Style Cream Liqueurs. (No Rum)
So there you have it -- One Rum in the State!!! If I am wrong -- please anyone who knows of other Distillers in Connecticut - please let me know EMAIL.
Here is a bit of a preview of Smuggler's Rum (Connecticut Valley Distillery)....
Welcome to Connecticut Valley Distillery. We hope you’ll take a brief journey through our
website and learn about the spirits that we make and our small batch production methods.
Our spirits are hand-crafted from start to finish in small batches using only the finest ingredients and hands-on techniques. Our copper pot still began legally producing spirits in Connecticut in the 1990’s.
We take our time, carefully watching over every step of the spirit making process. This allows us to fine-tune a delicious spirit beverage that harkens back to a time well before mass production, a time when quality and flavor were of greatest importance. Our team always puts the quality of our spirits first. We hope that you will agree that it makes a difference in taste and complexity.
At Connecticut Valley Distillery, we are passionate about our product and inspired to bring to you, our friends, a remarkable spirit beverage not experienced in Connecticut for many generations.
Smuggler's Rum
The Molasses Act of 1733 threatened the colonies with economic ruin, taxing the raw products used to make the most popular beverage of the day. The tax was strongly opposed by the New England colonists who turned to smuggling to avoid paying the unfair tax which was designed to eliminate the source of molasses (the raw material needed for rum production) and destroy the New England rum industry. Two hundred years later, the prohibition era similarly gave rise to bands of skillful smugglers who supplied all tiers of New England society with spirits to help them cope with the hardships of lean times. Many plied their trade by the light of the moon, supporting their families with their stealthy pursuits. Just as in colonial times, smuggling effectively cancelled the intended consequences of the law.
Smuggler’s Rum was created to pay homage to those smugglers who kept the rum industry alive. This premium white rum represents the dreams of owner Rich Gummoe who studied distilling with Kris Berglund of Michigan State University and Christian Carl, one of the oldest producers of German distillation systems. Driven to know more about fermentation, Gummoe was one of two students from the United States to be accepted to live and learn from a producer of fine Sake in Japan.
Gummoe’s skillful blending of pure spring waters gives Smuggler’s Rum the crisp notes of New England.
I will search deeper and report back -- I will continue to seek other distillers not listed in guides. Till then. ...