Introducing Virago Spirits
|
As we search for new products, I love coming across new rum bottlers. While I was initially interested in Virago Spirits rum I was extremely impressed with their distilling process. Those products won't be available for a few years. Luckily, their sourced rums are fantastic! They really show off Virago's blending abilities. Here's a look at their distillation setup:
We distill our spirits on a vintage, direct-fire, 2,500-liter Charentais-style alembic still – one of only a few operating in the United States. The process is laborious and slow and requires significant patience, skill and attention-to-detail. The results, however, are spirits and liqueurs of uncompromising quality, balance and depth of flavor.
-
Direct-fire adds layers of depth and complexity of flavor – much as with grilled food.
-
Distilling “Low and Slow” – where a single distillation can take upward of 12 hours and a complete distillation cycle (three ‘broullis’ distillations + one ‘bon chauffe’ distillation) requires upwards of 48 hours – maximizes our ability to separate out the crude portions of the distillate and to concentrate flavor.
-
Glycol-chilled water cooling allows for precise control over the temperature of the final distillate, providing for a smoother, more aromatic product.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PRODUCTION
Virago Four-Port Rum is a blend of pot- and column-distilled rums, aged up to 8 years, from four ‘ports’ across the Caribbean that harmoniously balances the bold spice and earthy funk of British-style rums with the softer, more seductive profile of Spanish-style rums.
-
Barbados, 8-year-old rum, pot and column distilled
-
Jamaica, 4-year-old rum, pot distilled
-
Nicaragua, 5-8-year-old rum, column distilled
-
Panama, 6-year-old rum, column distilled
In our continuing series of cask-finished products, Virago Four-Port Rum Finished in PX Sherry Casks offers lush aromas of pipe tobacco, oxidized sherry, and cinnamon rum cake alongside warm notes of butterscotch toffee, stone-fruit cobbler and toasted walnut.
PRODUCTION
A distinct blend of pot- and column-distilled rums from four ‘ports’ across the Caribbean:
-
Barbados, 8-year-old rum, pot and column distilled
-
Jamaica, 4-year-old rum, pot distilled
-
Nicaragua, 5-8-year-old rum, column distilled
-
Panama, 6-year-old rum, column distilled
