Elite Traveler Spring 2020

DISCOVER

elite traveler SPRING 2020 46

Rum’s return Wine & Spirits by Emma Reynolds

Each bottle has advanced security measures, including 11 layers of label protection, guilloché and cryptographic technology

Maybe you’ve spent time in the Caribbean; maybe you want to switch up your classic dram of whisky — no matter the case, rum is back in a big way. Like other spirits, rum brands are finding ways to infuse new life into the spirit through innovative techniques. Once written off as a sweet, simple spirit, rum has now garnered recognition for the flavor complexities that arise when it’s blended and aged to perfection. Just ask master blender Hernan Parra of ultra- premium Colombian rum brand Dictador, who’s made rum for over 40 years. Parra created the Dictador 2 Masters program, where he gives renowned wine and spirits houses around the world cases of Dictador aged rum so they can finish the rum in their casks. The final result combines rums matured on two continents by two very different experts, creating a completely unique expression. Dictador has previously collaborated on limited editions with Hardy Cognac, Château d’Arche Sauternes, Champagne Leclerc Briant, Glenfarclas Distillery and Laballe Armagnac. Most recently, Dictador collaborated with master blender Drew Maysville of Kentucky’s Barton 1792 Distillery to create four unique offerings. Dictador rum from 1979 to 1982 was matured in three types of Barton casks — wheated bourbon, high rye bourbon and straight rye — each final expression picking up fruity or vanilla flavors depending on its cask. There’s also a blend of all three if you can’t choose just one. It’s the ideal collaboration for whisky and rum drinkers alike. $2,000 per bottle, Sherry-Lehmann in New York, +1 212 838 7500, dictador.com The Last Drop calls itself ‘rare spirit hunters,’ which perfectly describes how it acquires most of its expressions: hidden in forgotten corners of distilleries and collections. The cognac cask used in the latest release, the Hors d’Âge 1925 Grand Champagne Cognac, was excavated unexpectedly in 2018 from behind a secret wall in a family’s estate. The cask dates to 1940, and the family hid it to safeguard it from German forces during World War II. This cognac spent much of its life in a former Pineau des Charentes cask, which gives this a rare sweetness that is paired with lively fruity and floral notes. The historic expression is part of The Last Drop’s Limited Bottling range, and there are only 182 bottles. $5,100, thelastdropdistillers.com TAKE TWO// CELEBRATE COGNAC THE LAST DROP 1925 GRANDE CHAMPAGNE COGNAC

ALFRED GIRAUD FRENCH MALT WHISKY HERITAGE

Five generations of the Giraud family have worked in the cognac industry, so when Philippe Giraud started Alfred Giraud French Malt Whisky (an homage to his great-grandfather), he knew he wanted to involve cognac in some way. The company, founded in 2018, has two expressions: the non-peated Heritage (23 casks per year) and the slightly peated Harmonie (seven casks per year). To create the triple-malt Heritage whisky, French malt distillates are matured in three types of casks: ex-rare cognac, new French Limousin oak and American white oak, before being aged in the ex-rare-cognac casks for nearly 10 years. The result? A wonderful palate of brioche, wood, vanilla and nutmeg. $155, alfredgiraudwhisky.com