Renegade Rum – Making Waves in Grenada

Renegade Rum Distillery, Grenada

Wine & Rum.
Two spirits not usually mentioned in the same breath. But in visiting Renegade Rum, a new distillery and entirely new concept in producing rum, we were reminded more of making a fine wine, than rum. With a new distillery set amongst cane fields on the north-eastern part of the island, and a concept akin to some of the finest wine making, Renegade Rum is making waves in Grenada and quite possibly the rum-world.

We just returned from a trip to the spice island, Grenada. We were seated on the plane next to a young man who mentioned he was going to Grenada on business. Ironically, he was the Sales Director for a new rum on island named Renegade Rum. It was a fairly long flight, so we had ample time to find out more about the brand and their unique concept. He was nice enough to take our information and after arriving in Grenada, we received an invitation to visit this fairly new facility. There we met Ruari, the son of Renegade Rum CEO Mark Reynier. He walked us through Renegade’s vision and unique approach to creating their rum and offered us tastings of their current rums.

Ruari Reynier, Renegade Cane Rum

It was extremely interesting to hear how Renegade applies the same methodology and philosophy of the world’s greatest vignerons – terrior – to create this most unusual rum. The French wine term terroir refers to the interaction between the soil, microclimate and place on a vine or any growing plant. Starting from scratch on Grenada, Renegade had the chance to identify a wide variety of terroirs throughout the island, each one influencing how their cane grows and the flavors they can derive from it.

Sugar Cane at Renegade Rum Distillery

The Renegade Cane Rum Vision.
Reyniers’ vision to create a terroir driven truly natural rum comes in part from his background in wine and his success with the concept in another spirit, whiskey. Specifically, Waterford Whiskey. In creating Waterford Whiskey, the focus is on the barley, whereas, with Renegade Rum, the focus is on the sugar cane. No molasses, just pure sugar cane. As stated on their website, “Is it possible to create a rum that can be taken as seriously as the world’s greatest single malts? Using terroir as our building blocks & sugar cane only, the source of rum’s natural flavour – no molasses – that is what we seek to answer.”

Horizontal fermentation, Renegade Rum Distillery
Pot Still, Renegade Rum Distillery

Renegade Rum currently grows 6 varieties of sugar cane planted in 12 different sugar cane “farms” on Grenada. Each farm or “terrior” was carefully chosen based on different elevations and topography and each terroir produces a cane whose expression carries its own unique flavor.

The Rum.
Expressions from several of the different terrior’s have been bottled without being aged, and make for a very unique tasting experience. These expressions are labeled with the farm name and are considered Pre-Cask. We wondered if our palates could discern the difference between terroir expressions, and we could! Several Pre-Cask rums have already won awards: Pre-Cask Hope was awarded a Double Gold medal from the Fifty Best. Pre-Cask Lake Antoine (Lower) and Pre-Cask Nursery were awarded Gold medals.

Dunfermline Pre-Cask Rum, Renegade Rum
Rum Tasting at the Renegade Rum Distillery

In addition to the Pre-Cask expressions, Renegade has recently released their first aged cane spirits: ÉTUDES. There are currently two ÉTUDES available: New Bacolet and Pearls – each named for the farm that produced the sugar cane for these aged expressions.

New Bacolet and Pearls, Renegada Cane Rum (photo courtesy of Renegade Rum)

Aging for the two ÉTUDES occurs in premium French and American Oak casks, before being bottled naturally at 55% ABV. Approximately 6,000 bottles of each are being released worldwide.

The Cane Code on a bottle of Lake Antoine Pre-Cask

The Cane Code.
Another thing that stood out to us is Renegade’s level of transparency in the production and content of their rum. Just one case in point, the Cane Code. Every bottle of Renegade Rum has a Cane Code on the back of the bottle. When the code is entered on the website, it will open up a wealth of great information and graphics regarding the origin of that particular rum. It even includes a sound clip from the field where this rum was harvested! Try it! Input the Cane Code from the photo above here.

Eventually, Renegade hopes to produces Cuvee’s or blends of the expressions. Given the number or terrior’s and types of cane, this could lead to unlimited new blends.

There is so much more to the Renegade Rum story and process that we literally cannot cover it in one small article. We encourage you to explore the story and the detailed info on their website. We’re looking forward to learning more about Renegade Rum as they continue to develop and to experiencing more of their rum. As our tasting at the distillery proved, Renegade Rum is not just unique, it is good!

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Top Things To See & Do in the Caribbean Before You Get Too Old To Travel

WOW!  We thought it would be fun to put together a list entitled “Top Things To See & Do in the Caribbean (and Bahamas) Before You Get Too Old To Travel” based on our wonderful readers suggestions and you once again came through! Just as you did with the Ultimate Rum Therapy Beach Playlist, you sent in a LOT of excellent submissions and we’ve compiled these in a list by island. If we have already written a blog post on this adventure or location, we included a link for more info and pictures. I’m sure there are many more things worthy of a mention here, so if you see something you think should absolutely be on the list, comment below and we’ll update the list from time to time.

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So, sit back, prepare yourself for a little Tropication and see how many of these things you’ve already experienced or which ones you want to put on your own tropical “to do” list!


Anegada

Walk, swim and snorkel Loblolly Bay
Enjoy a rum beverage at Cow Wreck Beach Bar
Linger over a lobster dinner while barefoot on the beach

Anguilla
Walk Shoal Bay from one end to the other
Treat yourself to a stay at beautiful Cap Juluca on Maunday’s Bay
Enjoy the food at the restaurants of Sandy Ground, Anguilla – especially the Lobster Creole
Take a catamaran ride out to Prickly Pear Cay for the day

Antigua
Enjoy an amazing sunset from Shirley Heights
Take the Xtreme Circumnav Tour
Check out the parties and fun during Antigua Sailing Week
Spend the winter in Antigua, lying in hammock at Curtain Bluff or the beach at Pigeon Point

Bahamas
Experience the party at the Independence Day Celebration in Freeport, Grand Bahamas
Climb the Elbow Reef Lighthouse in Hope Town, Abaco to check out the view
Check out the amazing beauty of Treasure Cay Beach on Abaco
Enjoy an original Goombay Smash (or two!) at Miss Emily’s Blue Bee Bar on Green Turtle Cay
Swim with the pigs on Big Major Cay, Exuma Cays
Swim with the nurse sharks on Compass Cay

Barbados
Take the Mount Gay Rum Factory Tour

Bequia
Visit the Moonhole – or at least sail by it and take lots of pictures
Enjoy a Lobster Pizza at Mac’s
Visit the Old Hegg Turtle Sanctuary

Belize
Ambergris Caye – Swim with sharks at Hol Chan Marine Reserve. Spend a day line fishing, spear fishing, and snorkeling with manatee. Bring your catch to a private island where it’s cooked on the grill while you relax on hammocks or snorkel the mangroves looking at seahorses. Take a day trip to the mainland jungle to spot wildlife (including monkeys) and check out Mayan ruins.

Bonaire
Go diving – it’s beautiful!

Cayman Islands
Swim with the stingrays at Stingray City
Visit Rum Point, Grand Cayman
Watch the sunset on Seven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman

Culebra
Walk Flamenco Beach

Diving & Snorkeling
The Wall, St. Croix
Underwater snorkel trail at Buck Island, St. Croix and Trunk Bay, St. John
Dive Speyside Tobago
The Rhone, Salt Island
The Indians, BVI
Snorkel The Caves, Norman Island

Dominica
Hike to some of the spectacular waterfalls in the ultra-lush rainforest
Buy tasty fresh locally grown fruit and spices at some of the roadside stands

Guadeloupe
Snorkel or dive at the Jacques Cousteau Underwater Reserve
Take the rum factory tour on Marie-Galante (just south of Guadeloupe)

Grand Camanoe
Snorkel Diamond Reef

Grenada
Shop at the Spice Market and bring home some fresh spices

Happy Island
Order rum punches and visit with owner Janti

Jamaica
Ziplining
Take the Appleton Rum Factory Tour
Watch the sunrise from Blue Mountain Peak in Jamaica
Order Jerk Chicken, Pork or Fish at Scotchies
Climb Dunn River Falls or visit YS Falls
Horseback ride & swim at Chukka Cove
Spend a day at Floyd’s Pelican Bar, a bar 1/2 mile from shore
Jump off the cliffs at Rick’s Cafe, Negril

Jost Van Dyke
Have a Painkiller at the Soggy Dollar Bar
Enjoy some “stress free” time at Ivan’s
Enjoy a BBC at Gertrude’s
Go to the Bubbly Pool on JVD and then hit up Foxy’s Taboo after for a drink or two
Attend a Halloween, New Year’s Eve or Full Moon Party at Foxy’s and party ’till dawn
Bring home a bottle of Foxy’s Firewater Rum
Check out EVERY beach
bar on JVD
Explore Diamond Cay

Mexico
Swim with the Whale Sharks in Cancun
Ride a golf cart and enjoy some authentic Mexican food on the island of Holbox, Mexico
Explore, snorkel or dive some of the cenotes in the Yucatan Penninsula of Mexico
Explore the Tulum and Chichen Itza ruins
Zipline and snorkel (not at the same time!) in Isla Mujeres, Mexico

Monserrat
View the Soufrière Hills Volcano and be awed at the forces of nature

Mustique
See the mansions of the rich and famous
Go to Basil’s Beach Bar for the Mustique Blues Festival

Nevis
Visit Old Bath House Ruins and The Nisbet Plantation
Have lunch at the Montpelier Plantation and Beach
Just GO to Nevis!

Norman Island
Experience the Shot-Ski at Willy T’s
Snorkel The Caves
Take the plunge at the Willy T’s
Snorkel or dive The Indians (close to Norman Island)

Petit Tabac
Explore the island and imagine finding Jack Sparrow’s hidden stash of rum

Puerto Rico
Explore El Yunque
Walk the cobblestone streets of Old Town Puerto Rico
Tour the 400 year old Fort El Morro

Saba
Hike Mt. Scenery

Sailing
S
ail the British Virgin Islands and The Grenadines

Salt Island
Dive the Rhone

St. Barths
Enjoy a Cheeseburger at Le Select
Find the rhum at R. St. Barths and the infused rhum’s at M’Bolo

St. Croix
Bioluminescent Tour in a Glass Bottomed Kayak
Visit St George Village Botanical Gardens
Lyming by Sandy Point and Rainbow Beach on a Sunday
Take the Cruzan Rum Factory Tour and enjoy a delicious Cruzan Rum cocktail at the end
Spend a day on beautiful Cane Bay Beach
Be the first person in the U.S. to see the sunrise at Point Udall
Watch the sunset from Coconuts on the Beach
MontPellier Domino Club to see the drinking pigs and enjoy some Mamma Wanna and the best bushwacker on island
Snorkel the underwater trail at Buck Island
Dive the Wall by Cane Bay Beach and dive the Frederiksted Pier
Find seahorses at Frederiksted Pier
Check out the grounds at Mount Washington Plantation
Sail to Buck Island and explore for the day

St. John
Take pictures at the picturesque overlook of Trunk Bay
Snorkel the underwater trail at Trunk Bay
Kayak with a friend to a secret pocket beach
Try to see every beautiful beach on St. John
Enjoy some Key Lime Pie

St. Kitts
Explore Brimstone Hill
Explore Plantation Homes
Hit the Shiggidy Shack and Reggae Beach Bar & Grill for sun, fun and rum!

St. Lucia
Eat lunch between the Pitons at Hotel Chocolate
Stay at Jade Mountain Resort and stare at the Pitons in the comfort of your own in room pool
Snorkel/Scuba between the Pitons

St. Maarten/St. Martin
Watch the planes land right over your head while enjoying a rum punch at Sunset Bar & Grill, Maho Bay
Enjoy a drink while watching the bridge go up and the yachts go through at the Sint Maarten Yacht Club
Go shopping in Marigot at the outdoor market and in Philipsburg for watches, diamonds and Guavaberry Rum
Eat fanstastic French pastries at Sarafina’s Bakery
Walk Orient Beach from one end to the other
Drive, then hike to the top of Pic Paradis

St. Thomas
Spend the day at Magens Bay
Take the skyride up and enjoy the view of Charlotte Amalie and a Bushwacker

St. Vincent
Visit Wallilabou and visit the filming site of Pirates of the Caribbean

Tobago Cays
Snorkel with the turtles at the Tobago Cay Turtle Sanctuary

Tortola

Visit with Winston at the Nature Boy Beach Bar on Long Bay Beach
Float in the Limin’ House pool while sipping Sebastian’s Rum and stare at the view
Go to a Full Moon Party at the Bomba Shack AND Trellis Bay
Visit the Callwood Rum Distillery in Cane Garden Bay
Watch the sunset from BananaKeet Cafe

Turks and Caicos
Have a few drinks at Jack’s Shack, Grand Turk
Boogaloo’s Conch Shack, Providenciales
Go Bone Fishing

Vieques
Kayak the Bioluminescent Bay

Virgin Gorda
Spend lots of time exploring The Baths

Check out our Blog Directory by Island for even more pictures and island adventures!

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Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

Island Windjammers

And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by….
Sea Fever by John Masefield

For those of you that have followed us for a while, you know that not only do we love beautiful tropical beaches, island vacations and rum, we have also grown to love sailing…so, when we got an invitation to participate in a week long sail on the Tall Ship Diamant through Island Windjammers, we jumped on it! The Diamant sails from Grenada through the Grenadine Islands on a 6 day sail for most of the year, but also offers several longer cruises.

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The Diamant has 6 cabins for 12 guests and a crew of 6. Meals and most beverages are included – and believe me, you are well fed! During our 6 day sail, we covered 144 miles and saw 9 different islands – some of them completely uninhabited. The sailing was incredible, the food was amazing and the sights were…well, indescribable.

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Tobago Cays, The Grenadines

We boarded not knowing any of our fellow passengers or crew, but left with lots of new friends!

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Our shipmates and new friends enjoying some Rum Punch on Happy Island

We took, oh, about 2,000 pictures during our sail and so we thought we’d give you the highlights of our trip through pictures. As they say, take only photographs and leave only footprints!

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Our berth for the week, Cabin #2. Diamant Deck Configuration: Roll your mouse over the diagram to see pictures of cabins.

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A beautiful beach on Carriacou

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Carriacou Sunset

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Princess Margaret Beach – Bequia

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Enjoying  Lobster Pizza at Mac’s in Bequia

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Conch Fritters for Happy Hour

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A great cheese plate (complete with jalapeño mice) for the wine and cheese party.

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Had a great time gettin’ happy at Happy Island.

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Kite surfers giving us a show at Happy Island

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Enjoying the cultural walk, er – bar crawl on Mayreau

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Shopping, island style, on Mayreau

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We were treated to a rainbow over Sweezle Time – the name of the new dinghy

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Enjoyed a picnic and an afternoon in the sun in Tobago Cays

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Snorkeling with the turtles in Tobago Cays – awesome experience!

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Captain Nervo demonstrating the proper rope swing dismount. Apparently he’d done this a few times before…

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Every evening during Happy Hour, Brandon served up the infamous Diamant Rum Swizzles (or Sweezles as Capt. Nervo calls them). I asked for Brandon’s recipe and he said, oh, just a bit of this juice and that juice and some rum. Hmmm…code for TOP SECRET RECIPE??  Anyway – they’re delicious!

One last day of sun, sand and snorkeling on beautiful Sandy Island. We look pretty stressed, huh?

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One last sunny sail back to the island of Grenada. Great adventure, great time.
Thank you Island Windjammers!

To find out more about Island Windjammers, check out their website:
http://www.islandwindjammers.com/default.aspx
Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/IslandWindjammers
Email them at:
[email protected]
Or call:
877.772.4549

To see more posts on The Grenadines and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

 

copyright©Rum Therapy Beaches, Bars & More, Tropical Travel Guide, 2013
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC