In the twenty years I lived on a yacht sailing the West Indies I really enjoyed drinking some great white rums. Back in the US, I missed that clean, fresh flavor of aged molasses-based rum that had been carbon-filtered to remove the color gained during a few years spent aging in oak barrels in the tropics. In addition to the fresh flavor of the rum there was also a slight coconut note attributed to the American oak barrels in which these rums were aged.

Look for a bit of ethanol on the nose as you open the bottle, if there's no ethanol on the nose when you open a full bottle of 87 proof rum something has been added. After a minute or so to breathe ripe papaya, banana and coconut aromas replace the ethanol. The body has more hints of tropical fruit, coconut with a slight vanilla note in the finish.

Like so many things those rums that I enjoyed in the '90s are no longer made. In 2001, Trinidad stopped growing sugar cane commercially but continued to make rum from imported molasses, the end of an era that stretched more than two centuries.

To capture those flavors and aroma that are as rare today as the elusive green flash that signaled the end of another day in paradise anchored in the lee of a West Indies island I had to blend several rums from different islands.

The bulk of this rum is aged rum from Trinidad to which I blended sugar cane and molasses distillates from Guyana and Santo Domingo, as the windward half of Hispaniola is known in the islands.

This high proof blend is carefully diluted with filtered, well water at the Five & 20 Distillery in Westfield, NY over five days. Only by slowly diluting the high proof spirits can the most delicate aromas and flavors be preserved. I choose the Five & 20 Distillery to bottle my rums because they are care about quality as much as I do and their water source has never been part of a municipal water supply to which chemicals such as chlorine or flourides have been added.

Once diluted to 87 proof, bartenders told me they really didn't want another 80 proof clear rum, Hamilton White 'Stache is bottled only in liter bottles. Because 750 milliliters of this stuff just isn't enough.

Enjoy this white rum in moderation in cocktails that call for premium white rum. While this is no substitute for rhum agricole in a 'ti punch I drink it in daiquiris and swizzles with a dash of bitters.

And if you're still reading this, I want you to know there is nothing in this bottle but rum and filtered, well water. No flavors, sugar, glycerine or anything else that you might find in other spirits. And yes, this is gluten and GMO free, but I can't put that on the label due to federal regulations. It seems some Washington, DC offices are not communicating these days. Hopefully that will change in the near future. In the mean time, I hope you enjoy this rum as much as I have enjoyed bringing it to you. Cheers and Salud!

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