(Sniff, Taste, Bake)
by Anne Evans
Caribbean rum is a Big Deal in The Cayman Islands, so I thought I should become more familiar with this particular spirit . . .
Rum is a liquor made by fermenting and then distilling sugarcane, molasses or sugarcane juice. It originated in the Caribbean in the 17th century. Rum – Wikipedia. Rums are often graded by their color – white, gold, dark or black. Light rums are commonly used in cocktails, whereas golden and dark rums are typically consumed straight, iced, or used for cooking. Dark rums are often aged in oak barrels and have more complex flavor profiles.
In the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, sugarcane plantations were an important part of the Caribbean economy with most islands engaged in growing and refining the crop. Sugar plantations in the Caribbean – Wikipedia. Not so true today, though sugarcane remains a significant crop on the Caribbean Islands of Barbados, Cuba, Dominican Republic, and Jamaica. which Caribbean islands grow sugar cane – Google Search
Sugarcane is not grown commercially in The Cayman Islands. But that doesn’t stop the locals from producing rum. You’ll find 2 major producers of Rum on Grand Cayman: Tortuga and Cayman Spirits Company.
Tortuga Rum Company
Tortuga is a familiar rum name in The Cayman Islands, with over a dozen shop locations on Grand Cayman and one on Cayman Brac. In addition to manufacturing several different types of Caribbean rum, the shops sell a variety of wine, spirits, mixers, and beer ─ as well as their famous Rum Cakes.
The company website’s “About” page offers an excellent and delightful history of its founding and growth, so I’ll only offer an introduction here and encourage you to visit https://tortuga.ky/pages/about to learn more. Captain Robert Hamaty and his wife, Carlene Jackson Hamaty, were the founders of Tortuga Rum Company Ltd. in 1984. In 1985 they introduced their first Private Label rums, Tortuga Gold and Tortuga Light. Today, the family owned and operated company is the largest retail and duty free liquor business in the Cayman Islands.
The company’s original Tortuga Rum Cake was introduced in October 1987. The recipe is a genuine family tradition, passed down to current owner Carlene through generations of Jacksons. Tortuga Rum Cake is now Cayman’s top selling souvenir and number one export.
Tortuga Rum Company Tours
I am a big fan of tours as learning experiences. Maybe it harkens back to the treks my husband and I made to different wine regions in the US and Europe (or maybe to the many grade-school “field trips” that always heralded great fun and adventure). So, my plan was to get a firsthand exposure to the distilling of rum (but seriously, the baker in me wanted to learn about the baking of rum cakes!)
Tortuga’s website and some of its “less than well-informed” employees suggest that tours are offered of both the distillery and the bakery with differing input as to which of Tortuga’s locations are involved. Indeed, it was an “adventure” to find the tour(s).
The Tortuga Rum Distillery
No go. The Distillery, which is located in the North Sound Road Industrial Park in George Town on Grand Cayman, has been closed for tours since COVID. However, there is a Tortuga Liquor Store there which will be happy to share some samples with you.
The Cayman Rum Cake Bakery
Bingo! Hit the Jack Pot!
On November 12, 2024, we walked into the Grand Cayman Tortuga Rum Cake Factory located in the North Sound Road Industrial Park in George Town on Grand Cayman and were treated to a private tour by Kadia. (I was told that there is also a Rum Cake Bakery at the Tortuga location on Cayman Brac)
Note: If you like to ask questions when taking tours (and I do!) and you don’t like crowds (and I don’t), check the port schedule (and I did) and avoid visiting the bakery when cruise ships are anchored, since they bring tourists that mob the location.
Don’t expect to have a hands-on experience mixing batter. The bakery is viewed through a plexiglass barrier – an innovation perhaps attributable to COVID, or perhaps just to ensure the safety and quality of their product.
If my memory serves me correctly, these are some of the key points I learned during my tour:
- All “Golden Original” (gold box) and “40th Anniversary” (green box) Tortuga Rum Cakes sold on the Island are hand glazed with special 5-year-old, oak barrel aged Tortuga Gold Rum, made from sugarcane grown in Jamaica. These 2 (of the 9 different flavors of Tortuga Rum Cakes produced) are “Exclusively made in Cayman. Exclusively sold in Cayman”.
- The other 7 flavored Tortuga Rum Cakes are made with different rum and/or liqueur and are baked elsewhere.
- If you want the best price on a Tortuga Rum Cake, buy it at the bakery on North Sound Road. However, if you want the best price on Tortuga Rum, buy it at the Duty-Free shop in Owen Roberts International Airport.
- Tortuga Rums are not currently distributed in the United States.
Confused? Well, I certainly was by the time I finished the tour. Maybe the following link will help: Frequently Asked Questions (tortugarumcakes.com)
Cayman Spirits Company
Cayman Spirits Company (CSC) was founded in 1984 and today produces a spectrum of spirits, including a number of rums, under different proprietary labels. Their rums are marketed under the labels “Seven Fathoms Premium Rum” and “Governor’s Reserve Rum.”
Seven Fathoms Premium Rum is their signature product which launched in May of 2008 and acquired its name because it is “ocean aged” 7 fathoms deep in the Caribbean Sea. What does that mean? You will find the answer in the product’s (and Company’s) history here. Cayman Spirits Co. | Grand Cayman’s Handcrafted Spirits | About Cayman Spirits. Additionally, as I recall, our tour guide mentioned that among the advantages of ocean-aging the rum is less evaporative loss of the product as it ages, something not mentioned at CSC’s web site.
Governor’s Reserve Rums, which reached the market in Spring of 2010, now includes 7 rums plus seasonal products “Inspired by the variety of flavors in native Cayman cuisine.”
CSC Tour – The Tasting Room
Our Tour was given by Athena on November 13, 2024. She was both entertaining and knowledgeable.
The tour started as a Q&A session accompanied by tasting in the Distillery’s tasting room.
And there was A LOT of tasting! If you wanted to taste any of their spirits, she would pour it ─ and CSC offers well north of a dozen products! I’ve never had much of a taste for spirits and these days even less so, however I do a lot of sniffing which is part of how I decide what to use in my baking. Well, by the time we finished the tasting session (over an hour long), I was wondering if I was high from inhaling so much alcohol!
Given that the form and source of the sugarcane used for distilling was such a focus of the Tortuga Bakery tour, I had to ask during the CSC tour (remember, I like to ask questions) what form of sugarcane was used for distilling their rums. Athena turned to a young man who, although not part of the tour, clearly was part of CSC’s management for an answer. “Molasses,” he stated. I asked what the source was, and he indicated that he could not share that information. I asked if CSC used the same source consistently, and he indicated that he could not share that information.
While writing this Blog after the tour, I went online to refresh my memory regarding some of the details of CSCs products and operation – and there under “How We Craft Seven Fathom’s Rum,” I found the statement, “We start with the harvest of fresh organic cane at the farms of Grand Cayman’s East End.”
Ah, life is full of inconsistencies, many of which can lead to interesting adventures (although in my experience, that is not the case when baking!).
The Tour Part II – Distillery
Part II of the Tour was the Distillery – short but impressive. A lot can be accomplished in a small space.
The distillery is a single room filled with gleaming stainless steel equipment in which numerous products are processed. As with many Island business, the volume of operation is seasonal and in flux with tourism. That said, in addition to being available for purchase at the Grand Cayman Tasting Room, Island Jaques Scott Wine & Spirit stores, and Blackbeard’s Bear Wine Spirits, CSC’s website indicates their products can be bought online in Canada, United Kingdom, and the United States.
As we began to drive away from the grounds after our delightful tasting and tour, I spied a small patch of sugarcane growing near a picnic area at the property’s boundary. Hmmm … this really did not look sufficient to serve the needs of the production of their Seven Fathoms Rum.
Although I’m not a huge fan of rum as a beverage, I do enjoy baking with it. Check out two of my favorite rum recipes coming up …
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