In the 21st century, fans of rum—and spirits in general—have become avid consumers of the technical data behind the production and traceability of their favourite spirits. By creating his own classification and the Habitation Velier range, Luca Gargano offers consumers essential information (such as raw ingredients, still type and ester content) to help guide them through the complex world of rum.
Muddy waters
Following many years of research initiated in the late 2000s, Luca Gargano finally established his own classification for rum in 2015. The goal behind the move was to increase transparency in the rum world and provide vital information on how these cane spirits are produced. With the regulations governing these spirits nowhere near as strict as those applied to whisky, the approach addressed a distinct lack of clarity. Indeed, in the rum industry, producers are permitted to add undeclared colouring and sweeteners to their spirits and can base the age of their rums on the oldest component of the blend—unlike whisky, where the age statement refers to the youngest spirit used. Before Gargano’s classification, consumers were left without clear and reliable information to guide their choices and could easily find themselves hoodwinked by statements that had little to do with quality. This stood in stark contrast to other spirits such as whisky obliged to adhere to far more restrictive criteria highlighting the origins of spirits, their age, their ingredients and the type of still used in their distillation.
Take Scotch whisky, for example, and its two leading categories, blends and single malts. A blend is made from whiskies produced from several grains in a process of continuous distillation carried out in the column stills of several distilleries. A single malt can only be made from malted barley in a process of batch distillation at a single distillery. After meeting William Grant’s owner Charles Gordon in 2010, Luca Gargano realized rum needed its own set of categories. Gordon had famously been the first person to bottle Glenfiddich as a malt whisky, in 1964. He labelled his bottles Pure Single Malts. Five years later, Velier’s director published his own classification distinguishing between five types of rum—industrial rums, traditional rums, Single Blends, agricultural rums and Pure Single Rums.
An ode to Pure Single Rum
The last category is the one we’re most interested in today. In Gargano’s classification, Pure Single Rum refers to a rum produced in pot stills at a single distillery and bottled without colouring or additional sugar. The Habitation Velier range was created in 2015 to further promote the category. For Luca Gargano, the goal behind the collection was to shine a light on the producers he had developed relationships with since joining Velier in 1983. The Habitation Velier range features Pure Single Rums aged in a tropical climate and bottled at or close to cask strength. While the majority of the rums selected are barrel-aged, a number of white rums are also found. When it comes to aged rums, Gargano looks for original profiles that he can share with enthusiasts across the globe. Recent bottlings include rums from the distilleries Amrut (India), Papa Rouyo (Guadeloupe) and Renegade (Grenada). For many of these, it was the first time they had worked with an independent bottler. Labels on such bottlings highlight this milestone with the statement “A World Premiere”. Two noteworthy examples are Hampden HLCF 2010 and Foursquare 2013, the first bottlings aged entirely in each of the distillery’s warehouses.
Expressions that join the Habitation Velier are most often produced in the Caribbean. Echoing the innovative approaches adopted by independent whisky bottlers like Gordon & MacPhail and Signatory Vintage, their labels offer a wealth of information. This includes the name of the distillery where the rum was produced (not all bottlers provide this), the origin, the raw ingredients used, the mark (where applicable), the year of distillation, the year of bottling, an age statement, the angels’ share and the quantity of aromatic congeners present. Note that all aromatic congeners are taken into account and not simply esters. Last but not least, each label is illustrated with a picture of the still used in distillation. This commitment to traceability reflects the philosophy behind Gargano’s classification. The categories are designed to create a focus on the ingredients used and each producer’s expertise in distillation.
A sound investment for enthusiasts
Throughout the market, expressions from the Habitation Velier range are consistently sought-after by enthusiasts and collectors alike, for both their flavour profiles and their investment potential. Some of the most popular are the expressions from Jamaica, in particular those produced at the Hampden Estate, for which the joint venture La Maison & Velier is the exclusive worldwide distributor. Some editions of Hampden bearing the Habitation Velier name fetch more than £1,000 at auction. A number of Long Pond bottlings—like the TECA 14 Years 2005 and the STCE 15 Years 2007—attract similarly impressive figures. More recently, a Foursquare White Rum 2015 also caused a stir at auction, selling for between £400 and £1,500. Quite the price for a white rum!
Tasting notes
Foursquare 2015 Habitation Velier White Rum 59%:
We kick off our tasting with the famous Foursquare 2015 mentioned above. Founded in Barbados in 1996 by Richard Seale, in less than 30 years, Foursquare has become one of the most acclaimed and popular rums in the world. Seale and Gargano’s shared love of rums aged entirely in a tropical climate has led the pair to forge a close friendship. Yet ageing is not the focus of this particular bottling. The nose is deeply fresh and pure, and the simply outstanding distillate is characterized by empyreumatic (burnt sugar), rich (sugar cane syrup, Chelsea buns), spicy (cardamom) and fruity (lemon sorbet) sequences. Opening with a mineral attack (slate), this minimalist dimension is also found on the palate. As the tasting continues, this excellent Foursquare then becomes increasingly rich, revealing flavours of cinnamon, almond, cashew nut, orange and tarte tatin. The finish returns to the empyreumatic register found on the nose (toast) and ends on notes of apricot and grey pepper. A rum of the upmost purity and another remarkable Foursquare in the Habitation Velier range to stand alongside the superb 2 Years 2013!
Long Pond 14 Years 2005 TECA Habitation Velier 62%:
Long Pond produces four different marks of High Ester Rum, STCE (550-700 g/hlpa), TECA (1,200-1,300 g), TECB (1,300-1,400 g) and TECC (1,500-1,600 g, the maximum rate legally permitted). It comes as no surprise then that this tasting is rich in esters. The nose is vast and opens on a very rich and organic sequence of aromas (fabric glue, nail varnish, hydrocarbon). Next, we find ourselves biting into chunks of mango that are followed by a wave of salinity. To coin a term, the nose is truly Caroni-esque! The palate is incredibly well-integrated. With the same opulence, flavours of caramel, peach, nectarine, vanilla and fig appear one after the other. A note of very ripe mango then leads into the end of the palate and the finish, and remains with the taster for many minutes (and even hours) after the tasting. While some expressions of Long Pond can be fairly sharp and lively (the 12 Years 2003 TECA bottled for the National Rums of Jamaica is the perfect example), this Habitation Velier is more concentrated and less ethereal. Tasters able to afford the rum time to breathe will be greatly rewarded.
