DOWN ISLAND SPIRITS ADDS TWO NEW EXPRESSIONS TO THEIR LINE OF SINGLE CASK RUMS.
Miami, FL JUNE, 2023 – On the heels of their successful inaugural releases, Down Island Spirits is set to launch two new additions to their sought after line of single cask rums. The latest expressions hail from Brazil and Martinique, and bring a wild array of fresh aromas and flavors.
“We were thrilled by the reception of our first four rum bottlings late last year,” said Mike Streeter, the founder and owner of Down Island Spirits. “Our brand aims to truly add to the availability of top-quality cane spirits in the US and we feel that our latest casks from Martinique and Brazil will do just that. They are both exceptionally flavorful rums made by distilleries who have a long history of excellence in the industry.”
Down Island’s 100% cane juice bottling from Martinique was column distilled in 2017 at a well-established distillery in Sainte-Marie, a rural community on the French-Caribbean island. It was aged for 6 years in once-used Bourbon casks and bottled in Florida without the use of additives, coloring or filtration. Like the rest of the Down Island Spirits collection, this expression is bottled at cask strength, 58% abv.
On the nose, fresh aromas of ripe apples, black pepper and musty brine dominate the Martinique 2017, followed by more subtle earthy notes and oak. On the palate, a play of cinnamon, black pepper, grass, vanilla and lemongrass dance on the tongue followed by a finish of allspice, tea and tobacco.
The Brazil Rum bottling from Down Island Spirits was column distilled in Sao Roque at Epris Distillery in 2011. It is an 80/20 blend of cane juice and molasses rum that was aged for 6 years in Amburana wood barrels and an additional 6 years in American Oak. It is free of additives, coloring and filtration, and was bottled at cask strength, 55.1% abv.
The aroma of Brazil 2011 is full of lovely floral and tropical fruit notes with distinct black pepper, spice and brown sugar in the back. The spice punch of the Amburana wood comes forward on the palate and is well-balance with notes of pineapple, breakfast syrup and burnt ginger. The finish is a lovely frisk of Amburana spice, cloves and a hint of anise.
The new Down Island Spirits expressions have garnered early buzz from collectors and enthusiasts due to their origin and overall unique nature of the distillate. “We have been fortunate to draw a loyal group of fans and friends from these very early days of our brand,” said Streeter. “We think that our Brazil and Martinique rums will meet and hopefully exceed the high expectations of our customer base. Early feedback has been incredible.”
Distribution for Down Island Spirits currently focuses on Florida and Massachusetts with New York, Texas and California expansion in the works for late 2023/24. Online retail orders and shipping to 40+ states is available at downislandspirits.com.
About Down Island Spirits
Down Island Spirits was developed in 2021 “by rum geeks, for rum geeks.” Their Single Cask Rum Series enthusiastically focuses on unique, high-quality cane spirits from the best distilleries on the planet. These limited edition bottlings are always presented at cask-strength and untainted by additives, coloring and filtration. Discover more about the brand and upcoming releases at downislandspirits.com and across all social channels.