MATURATION: Aged separately by batch and type of still in ex-Bourbon barrels, then blended and rested in oak vats for an additional six months. Average age of the blend is 5 years. You must create enough of your original spiced rum to fill one 700ml bottle (included in Chairman’s Reserve Spice Kit) nutmeg. It is note quite as medicinal as some SLD output. Say a 100% Vendome Pot Still but it carries those notes as well.

Chairman’s Legacy is a tribute to Laurie Barnard, the “Chairman” of St. Lucia Distillers who inspired and created the iconic brand Chairman’s Reserve. His vision to define and reinvent the Saint Lucian rum category was unlike anything the rum category had seen before or has seen since. While other distilleries were purchasing column stills to increase production, Laurie was investing in eclectic barrel types, small pot stills, a proprietary yeast strain, and sugarcane. He believed that the best rum was not achieved from one barrel, but by blending different components together of different ages, finishes, styles, and base materials. MATURATION:Five and six year old rum is tropically aged separately by batch and still type in ex-bourbon barrels before being expertly blended. The first phase of the competition will entail the submission of your spiced rum concept via this form. You must include your vision, inspiration, intended spice blend, ideal serve, and explain how and why you would want to promote this product in the beverage community. During the first weeks of August, a panel of industry professionals in each country (Saint Lucia, United States, & Europe) will select 15 finalists total to move on to Phase Three. These 15 finalists will be announced on August 21st and will compete in a live remote international competition on September 6th, in which they will virtually present their rum to an esteemed panel of international judges. Finalists MUST be available and flexible on September 6th and while we will do our best to coordinate the timing of the live virtual event, depending on the location of finalists, the competition hours may be in the morning or at night. This virtual event will be open to the public for viewing. Concluding the competition, we will announce three winners: one from the USA, one from Saint Lucia, and one from Europe. Chairman’s Reserve Legacy. Saint Lucia Distillers (SLD) have been very busy these past few years. Rapidly expanding their rum portfolio, especially in the export market. Building upon the Chairman’s Reserve name in the shape of a continuous 1931 release, they have also released several single casks and limited edition rums under the Chairman’s Reserve banner.

No matter how you like your rum, these quality tipples won't do you wrong

Luggers won a gold award at the 2019 International Spirits Challenge in the flavoured or spiced category, and once you try it, you’ll understand why. If you’re a fan of slightly sweet, yet incredibly complex rums, this deserves a place in your drinks cabinet. It’s like drinking Christmas, except it’s as enjoyable in the sun as it is on a cold night.

There’s a huge range of prices too, from affordable bottles costing under 20 quid right up to exclusive rums that cost hundreds of pounds. What types of rum are there? For this tasting, I lined up these three versions of my Chairman's Reserve in Glencairn glasses neat, all being 3% ABV apart from the next. This one is at 46% ABV, the Legacy is at 43% ABV, and the Forgotten Cask is at 40% ABV. As one would guess with decreasing ABV% the tastings got smoother with each decrease by 3%. Not fair, so then it became, "Here comes the water!" A few drops in each changed everything. The 1931 greatly improved but still had a strong after burn, and the Legacy dropped down to almost the ranking of my Forgotten Cask due to a bitter after taste. I still could not rank the 1931 higher than my top 3 rums, which all happen to be from Dictador.It is more complex than the nose and the intial sip might suggest. It is kind of a hybrid between the Admiral Rodney range and the 1931’s. With a bit of Chairman’s Original thrown in for good measure.

I made a major effort on a rum running trip to central Florida to finally get my hands on two of these bottles. This first bottle in numbered 7669 and bottled in 2017. My second bottle is numbered 7744 and was also bottled in 2017. I also acquired one bottle of their Legacy on this trip. A week before that, I locally found three bottles of their Forgotten Cask, which was my final inspiration to make this trip. Being fully vaccinated from COVID-19 also helped me to make a run for it. RUM BLEND: Chairman's Legacy showcases the art of blending pot and column still rums. In addition to traditional molasses-based rums, “Legacy” features the addition of sugarcane juice distillate, a trademark of Laurie since the day he grew sugarcane around the distillery to isolate the signature proprietary yeast Chairman's Reserve is so famous for. Just as with whisky, the flavour can vary considerably, based on a wide range of factors – from the raw ingredients used to local methods of production and ageing. In Jamaica, for instance, pot stills typically produce golden and darker rums, while in Cuba columns are usually used to create a lighter spirit. How much can I spend on a bottle of rum?

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Laurie wanted to see a blender being able to use a variety of different rums from different stills and aged in different types of wood. A palette of rums, if you like. By 1999, Saint Lucia Distillers had such a palette in place and they released a rum which is now enjoyed in over 60 different countries – Chairman’s Reserve Finest Saint Lucia Rum.