RUM FIRE
Jamaica
Rum Fire is a traditionally made, Jamaican rum produced at the historic Hampden Estate in Trelawny, Jamaica. Its exceptional fermentation and distillation result in a high-ester, high-proof artisanal spirit of unparalleled aroma and flavor. The story behind the brand is the stuff of legend; the origin of stolen rum "John Crow Batty" in the parish of Trelawny and a testament to old school bartender quality assurance by lighting the spirit on fire to assure proof and purity. It is Hampden Estate's first rum brand, but its history is Jamaica in a bottle.
Tastes like Cinnamon Rum right? Good guess, but let's start over. Rum Fire contains no additives because the Jamaican government has a law (Jamaica Excise Duty Act) that in short, reads, they only want Rum in their Rum, please and thank you. Okay, let's begin class now, shall we? Rum Fire is made by the fermentation of locally sourced, Jamaican molasses. Molasses is the byproduct of sugar refining and contains both fermentable sugars and other organic / inorganic compounds, aka, the "essence" of the sugar cane plant. After water is added to molasses in Jamaican Cedar vats at an appropriate ratio, the wild yeast in the air, water and on surfaces at the distillery convert the sugar in the molasses to ethanol. At Hampden Estate, fermentation times are very long, and for Rum Fire that is 14-20 days. Wait, don't you mean hours? No, we aren't talking about 99% of other distilleries, we are talking about Hampden Estate. Once this 2-3 week fermentation is complete, the rumbullion or fermented wine is then transferred to the pot stills. Hampden Estate has only pot stills, which are known as double retort pot stills to be exact. The wine is batch distilled to allow maximal transfer of the aroma and flavor, developed during the fermentation process, into the distillate. Then, the distillate (rum) is contained and slowly reduced by spring water that is collected in an open air reservoir in Cockpit Country, a short distance outside the Estate. This natural spring water slowly lowers the distillate's proof to standard Jamaican bottling proof, (126 proof or 63% ABV). Finally, the rum is bottled on site at Hampden Estate, labeled as Rum Fire.
Website