Chairman's Reserve 1931 Rum

Originally offered as a special limited release in 2011 to mark 80 years of production at St. Lucia Distillers, the 1931 label became an annual release, each time a slightly different blend of rums. It is now a regular release, representing the most "premium" offering in Chairman's Reserve's standard lineup. The blend showcases just what makes St. Lucia Distillers so special, namely their diversity of distillates.

To give a basic breakdown, it's made up of 72% column still rum and 28% pot still rum, all aged between 6 and 11 years, though it is hardly as simple as that. In the column still portion, most is their wonderful "heavy" column distillate, distilled to a lower proof than most column still rum, lending a fuller body and flavor profile. A small portion is also aged in port pipes. In the pot still camp, we have distillate from their three different pot stills, including 14% of the total blend that is distilled from fresh sugar cane juice rather than molasses, in the vein of Rhum Agricole. 

The result of this particularly complex (and in a delightful twist, transparently shared) blend is a rum with many layers of flavors and characters that all come together to give a sense of just what this oft unsung distillery is capable of. Notes of dark chocolate mints, tobacco, and wood spice play alongside bright fruits, banana, grassy freshness, herbs, and caramel in an impressive and carefully considered harmony. Bottled at 46% abv without added sugar or flavorings.