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TBRC at the Movies

TBRC at the Movies

 

Popcorn at the ready! We’ve a top-billing, star-studded cast, and a desire to match movies, moments, and delicious Rums! We think it’s an Oscar winning performance, but then again, you’d expect us to be giving ourselves 100% on Rotten Tomatoes right?

That Boutique-y Rum Company Cinema Themed Release


We’ve five Rums, all with a Cinema connection. Two of which are new producer locations for Boutique-y Rum. A dead-cert in the form of a Sauternes Cask finished Foursquare, some more of the delicious long-aged Rum from Haiti, and a high-proof offering of our extremely popular Casa Santana.

So grab your jacket, and let's go to the movies!


Casa Santana. Six years old.

Casa Santana (Columbia), Batch 5 - 6 Year Old / 57.7% ABV

Multi-Column Rum, Multiple Distilleries


Inspiration: The Big Lebowski (1998) - Starring Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, and Steve Buscemi.

"I’m The Dude. So, that’s what you call me. You know, that or, uh, His Dudeness, or, uh, Duder, or El Duderino, if you’re not into the whole brevity thing.” - The Dude

A return to Casa Santana, our favourite Colombian ageing house, where the blending team originally of Cuban origin age and blend Rums of different origins and profiles into flavour bases for use in the private label lines they bottle, as well as their own solera rum brand.

We’ve previously bottled the 12 year old, and the Boutique-y Drinks 10th Birthday release saw us bottle the 6 year old for the first time at an ABV inspired by 7” singles (i.e. 45 RPM / 45% ABV). We said there would be a release at full proof, and here we are!

The cinema connection is a deep cut. A cult favourite, The Big Lebowski is more than a stoner's delight. The story winds back and forth, but in one scene the actions of the Dude’s buddy Walter leads to the Dude's car being wrecked, and as they are driving along eating burgers - well - there's a track on the stereo. I’m gonna say no more!

The label is a homage to the scene, and instead of the Dude, Walter, and Donnie, we’ve [L-R] Boutique-y Pete, NPD team-whizz Josh, and Boutique-y Dave making his first appearance. And not a White Russian in sight!

Tasting Notes by Boutique-y Pete:

Nose: Lots of creamy vanilla ice cream and caramel, with gentle notes of cherry stones, fresh orange. Delicate jasmine.
Palate: A warming rush of rich, sweet toffee and caramel, with a lovely hit of juicy mango and ripe pineapple.
Finish: Lots of dried raisins and sultanas give way to a nice touch of oak and peppery warmth.

"The dude abides" - The Dude


Foursquare Distillery. Twelve Years Old

Foursquare Distillery (Barbados) Batch 7 - 12 Year Old / 50.7% ABV

Pot & Column Still Rum, Single Distillery

Sauternes Cask Finish


Inspiration: Independence Day (1996) - starring Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, and Bill Pullman.

“We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We’re going to live on! We’re going to survive! Today we celebrate our Independence Day!” - President Thomas J. Whitmore

Linking Barbados and their recent Independence - i.e. the world's newest republic is the obvious film connection (thanks Simon!) and we love the simplicity of this one. And what do we need to say about Foursquare Distillery that hasn’t been said a million times already. A fab, delicious, easy going blend of pot and column still distillates that have been aged in ex-bourbon cask in Barbados for around five years, before being re-racked into ex-sauternes cask for the remainder here in the UK. Presented at a very approachable ABV of 50.7%

The label (designed by Grace J. Ward) is all about that giant flying saucer that destroys the White House and Washington - or at least that's what we see. I guess it depends how much rum you’ve been drinking.

Tasting Notes by Boutique-y Pete:

Nose: Lots of dried stone fruits; dates and sultanas, with a lovely jammy sweetness. Creamy toffee.
Palate: Super soft onto the palate and packed with a sweet fruitiness. Gentle ripe peaches and a hint of tart pineapple.
Finish: Long dry finish packed full of oak and delicate baking spices.

“Welcome to Earth!” - Captain Steve Hiller


Haiti. Eighteen Years Old

Haiti, Batch 4 - 18 Year Old / 57.2% ABV

Traditional Column Still Rum, Single Distillery

 

Inspiration: The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988) by Wes Craven. Starring Bill Pullman, Cathy Tyson.

A welcome return to Haiti with a brand new label for this release, and batch four being the very last of our stocks of this batch. A beautiful 18 year old rum made from sugarcane juice, with a split of ‘at source’ in Haiti and UK maturation. We love the way this drinks and the 57.2% ABV just works beautifully.

The Serpent and the Rainbow is a horror film that draws on voodoo, and zombies - all of which stretch the imagination, but also sets the film against the political struggles which still echo on today.

The film poster has the “Don't let them bury me! I'm not dead!” coffin scene and it still gives us the willies. Bill Pullman again - this Cinema release isn’t a Bill Pullman fan club. The evil Peytraud torments Dennis Alan with “When you wake up scream, Doctor Alan, scream all you want. There is no escape from the grave.” Chilling eh? Our label, designed by Grace J. Ward brings a happier scene, and a nod to the jail cell scene later. Kinda. Without the ‘being buried alive’ bit obviously.

Tasting Notes by Boutique-y Pete:

Nose: Lots of ripe pineapple, pear and banana, with creamy caramel.
Palate: More creamy caramel and crisp underripe pineapple. Gentle herbaceous notes.
Finish: Lovely oak-y grip with tart plum, green tea and peppery warmth.

“Whatever happens, death is not the end.” - Peytraud


Ten Cane. Fourteen Years Old.

Tencane (Trinidad), Batch 1 - 14 Year Old / 60.4% ABV

Pot Still Rum, Single Distillery


Inspiration: The Big Sleep (1946). Starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall.

“How do you like your brandy, sir?” - General Sternwood
“In a glass” - Philip Marlowe

Not so much about The Big Sleep specifically, more a Phillip Marlowe homage. The Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall 1940’s era Black and White film Noir. Rain mac, fedora, detective kinda’ thing.

The Tencane story is one of a big company - LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton - having sights on a genuinely premium project, spending a lot of money setting it up back in the early 2000’s, but perhaps giving up on it too early - or maybe just cutting their losses as the world wasn’t ready for such a thing perhaps. A rum made from freshly pressed sugarcane juice, distilled in a pot still, and matured - at least originally - in Trinidad. When the project was mothballed, the casks of Rum that hadn’t been bottled found themselves in Barbados at Foursquare Distillery, and then eventually in the hands of a famous Rum Merchant here in the UK, and that’s where we got our cask. Some detective work required to track all this down perhaps?*

A closed distillery, a complex maturation bill, and a truly unique offering. Will LVMH ever undertake such a thing again? Is the word ready for a brand with such styling? Who knows - best grab a bottle of this long aged Rum while you can eh?

We love the beautiful simplicity of this label designed by Grace J. Ward. Somewhere, the casefile awaits discovery: “The Case of the Mysterious Maturation”.

Tasting Notes by Boutique-y Pete:

Nose: Figs, prunes, and a honeycomb sweetness rub up against tobacco and leather, rich bourbon vanilla and a hint of pimento.
Palate: Sweet, jammy blackberries, tamarind and under ripe pineapple. Fresh zesty orange.
Finish: A warming finish. Lots of tannic, toasty oak. Dried hazelnuts and white pepper.

*Well - just in case you don't want the detective work...

  • Origin – Trinidad
  • Distillery – 10 Cane Distillery
  • Distillation Date – 31.05.2008
  • Marque – BTXCA
  • Classification – Cane Juice
  • Still Type – Pot Still
  • Cask Type – Ex Bourbon & Ex Rum
  • Description - Aged in Trinidad for 4 years in ex bourbon casks, transferred to vat until April 2013 and refilled into ex bourbon casks, then shipped to Barbados, Aged in Barbados for 3 years the shipped in tank to UK November 2016, refilled into used rum casks Dec 2016. Released August 2023.


“I liked that. I'd like more.” - Vivian Rutledge


Secret Distillery number eleven. Jamaica. Fifteen Years Old.

Secret Distillery #11 (Jamaica), Batch 1 - 15 Year Old / 63.5% ABV

Pot Still Rum, Single Distillery


Inspiration: Frankenstein (1931). Starring Boris Karloff

“You're crazy!” - Victor Moritz
“Crazy, am I? We'll see whether I'm crazy or not.” - Henry Frankenstein

We’ve a visit to our latest ‘Secret Distillery’ from Jamaica and batch ones means an initial release. Oh, and it’s a monster of a Rum!

This is all about the genius of Jamaican Rum to service a need - to try and find a way around certain export conditions - primarily to Germany - and perhaps the folly in such experiments. Mirrors with Dr Frankenstein's quest to create life and ultimately how that worked out for him and the monster he created.

How's this for lab work? C<>H - a high ester marque - 1300-1400 gr/HLPA. A rare marque due to its extreme intensity. Medium molasses content, high cane juice vinegar, high dunder addition, medium water content, and high muck addition. 10 days of alcoholic fermentation, 10 days of dead wash, for a total of twenty days, with the wash being around 2-4%ABV. Double retort pot distilled. Aged continentally for 15 years and bottled at cask strength.

This is perhaps more complex than the human palate can truly unlock. It's a blending marque rather than a beverage Rum if we’re honest, but no Rum collection could be without one. Absolutely packed full of tropical fruits, but with a lovely softening due to the long years in oak. It's almost more of a textural experience than a flavour one. A little of this goes a long way.

Tasting Notes by Boutique-y Pete:

Nose: An overload of pineapple, green banana, and tart Victoria plum. Green sugar cane bark, rich sultanas, and a sweet biscuit crumb base!
Palate: Lots and lots (and lots) of under ripe pineapple, zesty lemon peel, more green sugar cane bark. We mentioned the under ripe pineapple right?
Finish: Still wallowing in lots of under ripe pineapple and green sugar cane notes. A little jasmine florality interweaves. Delicate grip.

“Look! It's moving. It's alive.” - Dr Frankenstein


So that’s our review, but don’t forget that there is a fantastic selection of whisky headliners, and scotches to look out for, and you can find out more by checking out the blog on That Boutique-y Whisky Company website.


Buy these releases online at Master of Malt and other exceptional spirits retailers. All on and off-trade enquiries should be directed to Maverick Drinks.