Rum was invented at the Golden Age of Sail which is also known as the era of “the wooden ships and iron men”. At that time rum served two primary purposes: as the best anti-stress remedy and quite often as the only available medicine. However, back then the quality of rum left a lot to desire, because it was fermented from various wastage of sugar cane manufacturing. Strangely enough, many rum brands proudly announce that they use the traditional old-fashioned methods to produce their rum. Unfortunately, the fanatic loyalty to the traditions sometimes can be quite harmful for health. Don’t forget, that a few centuries ago, people lived much shorter lives and had no modern scientific knowledge of effect of toxins on the human health. As an alternative to the unhealthy old-fashioned rum, I manufacture my sipping vintage Spiced Rum using the cutting-edge technologies which I have invented and perfected during many years of experiments. It is common knowledge that the freshly made rum distillate is colourless alcohol full of the by-products born during the fermentation process. These by-products create the specific and recognizable rum aroma, but most of these by-products are also toxic and harmful for health. In the old days, the only available vessels for rum storage were wooden casks. The longer rum stayed in those casks, the longer time was allowed for the harmful toxic fermentation by-products to transform into the less toxic ones. This experience generated the myth that rum aging in wooden casks makes it better. However, it has been scientifically proved that long-term storage of alcohol in wooden casks causes extraction of a huge variety of different substances out of the wood. Some of these substances are toxic and harmful, thus it is the way of replacing one evil with the other. The other common myth is that aging rum in wooden casks enriches it with the attractive dark amber colour. This is not true. Even the longest wooden cask aging will not achieve this colour – the colour achieved resembles the colour of straw, which is pale and unattractive. So here is the “secret” to the lovely amber rum colour – the rum manufacturers are allowed to use burned sugar (caramel), which they use left, right and centre (the same is true for whisky, brandy, tequila and even beer). The caramel itself is a permitted food additive (E150) and is not particularly toxic for health. However, few people know that, when mixed with alcohol, caramel transforms into a dangerous cancerogen called furfural. Here is the brief description of the slow creation process of my Dark Spiced Rum. I handcraft my small batches (no more than 130 bottles per batch) without rush. The high-strength Rum alcohol is delicately diluted with the soft, untreated deep-bore artesian water. The next stage is alcohol purification using natural absorbents only, which is my secret know-how, but I can reveal the secret slightly and tell you that those natural absorbents can only be found in the unique New Zealand’s clean and green environment. I have applied a great deal of good science to my methods. I am pretty certain that I am the only Distiller and Spirit Manufacturer in the world who uses what I call the ‘True Gravity Flow’ technology. So why does gravity play such an important role in my distilling process? It is because pumping against gravitational forces is known to negatively influence/break the molecular structure of liquids. There are no pumps at my Distillery. All liquid movements during the distillation process are achieved using natural gravitation forces only. According to my experience, in New Zealand conditions, the Rum achieves the optimal maturity after six to eight months of aging in a small Ukrainian oak barrel (5-10 L). In order to convert to my unique Spiced Rum I infuse it with the adaptogenic composition formulated by Dr Iryna Kirichuk which she hand-crafts from organically grown spices and botanicals. This sophisticated herbal composition enriches my rum with the unique colour, taste and nose which you will never find in any other rum. The light specific rum aroma creates the background or a “canvas” for the rum masterpiece drawn using the range of botanicals as the colour palette. As you can see, I do not need to employ the commonly used cheap tricks in rum manufacturing such as adding caramel to achieve the desired “amber” colour, or desperate expensive tricks like aging rum in second-hand wooden casks to make it more or less drinkable. As you can read on my labels I am as passionate about your well-being as I am about good taste. I believe that marketing, advertising and propaganda can deceive our brains, but not our livers. The newborn Spiced Rum batch (enough for 130 bottles only) is left to “rest” for at least four weeks. This allows for the rum structure to stabilize and to form the desired molecular clusters. The Spiced Rum is bottled in French-made glass (750 ml) and hand-stoppered with glass stoppers (German patent) which protects the quality of the product and makes it shelf life limitless. The Alcohol strength: 38% by volume. This alcohol level is observed according to Dr Iryna Kirichuk’s recommendations, as this particular strength of alcohol is the least harmful for health. I always explain this effect in detail and the theory behind it during the tastings at the Puhoi Organic Distillery. Good news for vegans: my Spiced Rum is Vegan-Friendly, as no animal products are used in its manufacturing. Good news for everyone: I do not use any on the 45 food additives permitted in the manufacturing of Certified Organic products. This makes my spirits Super Organic! Master Distiller’s serving recommendations: I recommend serving my sipping Spiced Rum at room temperature or “on the rocks” in a tulip-shaped glass. Enjoy the warmth and the natural colour, richness of aroma and deepness of the taste – concentrated by the botanicals from the sun rays. Yours truly, Alex Kirichuk Master Distiller
