American Cane Tells Expressive Stories in Regionally Relevant Rum

A certain kind of alchemy occurs when everything aligns in the production of rum—ingredients, expressive fermentation, maturation—but the story and the “why” behind great rum is another element that can’t be forgotten. Maggie Campbell and Chaz Vest of American Cane are deeply focused on those components that make for interesting rum, driven to tell the broader history of rum production in America—even as they build production capacity and write up their own small piece of that ongoing history.

In this episode, Campbell, Vest, and host Molly Troupe discuss:

• building a background in spirits—from Leopold Bros and Stranahan’s to Germain Robin and Mount Gay—before launching American Cane
• the historical context of American rum, and the heritage that includes black, brown, and indigenous people in its production
• the impact of fermentables such as fresh sugar-cane juice and molasses on the development of flavor
• expressions of terroir in rum via fermentation and ingredients
• building a sugar mill
• taking a staged approach to growing the brand, from sourcing through production

And more.

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