Stolen Rum introduces new Dark Rum

STOLEN RUM PRESS RELEASE: 06/12/2012

Stolen Rum introduces new Dark Rum and claims another international award.

Every family has a dark horse and in October the guys from Stolen Rum welcomed their one. With the new addition just two months out of the gate it has already followed in the footsteps of its predecessors and been awarded an accolade at an international spirits competition. On October the 1st, Stolen Rum added Stolen Dark Rum to its New Zealand portfolio. On November the 13th Stolen Dark Rum was awarded a Silver Medal at the New York International Spirits Competition.

In the two and a half years since Stolen Rum launched it has received international awards for all of its current products. Co-founders Jamie Duff and Roger Holmes say it’s an honor to know international experts believe their rums are world class. Roger, the palate behind the blends, says, “When blending each variation I believe the final products to be good quality rums, I trust my tongue to tell me this. It’s gratifying to know international spirits experts believe the same.”

The introduction of the dark rum is a move by the New Zealand rum company to offer New Zealand rum drinkers a quality dark rum. With the gold, white and over-proof variations under their belt, Co-founder and CEO Jamie Duff explains it made sense for them to work closely with their distribution partners, Beam NZ, to create a quality dark rum offering for New Zealand’s largest rum category. Beam and Stolen Rum joined forces in April 2011 and together have delivered over 7,000 cases to the mouths of New Zealanders.

Historically, dark rum was a rough molasses based spirit that used high levels of caramel to cover a poorly produced product. Nowadays it can be a well-produced spirit that is aged in black charred oak barrels which contribute colour and flavour. New Zealand has a long and sultry history with dark rum; the New Zealand navy was the last navy in the world to abolish the daily rum ration in 1990. Over 70,000 cases of dark rum are consumed in New Zealand every year, over half the total rum market.

While dark rum in New Zealand is generally a lower quality product, the Stolen Rum team have worked exceptionally hard to produce a world-class dark rum in line with Stolen Rum’s other products. Stolen Dark Rum is a blend of selected dark molasses based rums carefully blended by the hand of Stolen Rum Co-founder Roger Holmes who says ‘this blend is one that pays homage to the traditional dark rums that I was brought up with. It’s richer in flavour and aroma than our other rums, but incredibly smooth. It’s such a great rum, one I am really excited about.”

Stolen Dark Rum stands out with a contemporary, low-fi aesthetic which Marketing Manager Katie Du Fall says will entice a new breed of rum drinker. ‘Dark rum traditionally was a real rogues vice, a devils drink; it was honest and to the point. We have produced a world-class dark rum that is an ode to these dark rums of the past and the rascals that drank them. A stripped-back, candid aesthetic encasing a superb dark rum, it's the dark horse of our Stolen stable’. Kelvin Soh, the designer behind Stolen Rum’s product packaging, crafted the Stolen Dark Rum packaging to pay tribute to this devious and unforgiving history of dark rum.

Globally, dark rum is making a resurgence and shaking the stigma of its dark past with bartenders from cocktail capitals all over the world turning to the rich flavours of dark rum for the classic rum cocktails such as the Mai Tai and traditional punch recipes. Priced in line with other dark rum’s in the market, Stolen Dark Rum will retail for approximately $39.99 – 42.99. Stolen Dark Rum is a world-class and internationally awarded product at an accessible price point.

Stolen Dark Rum Drinks:
1. Waitakere Daiquiri
30ml Stolen Dark Rum
Top with Coca-Cola
Add 1 wedge of lime.

2. White Horse
30ml Stolen Dark Rum
Top with Ginger Beer
Add 2 wedges of lime.

ends

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