In less than two years, The Equiano Rum Co. has secured national distribution in over 24 markets. To propel its expansion plans further, they have enlisted the support from two highly respected Global Travel Retail (GTR) experts – Garry Maxwell and Tim Young.
Launched by Ian Burrell in partnership with Foursquare Distillery in June 2020, Equiano holds the title of the world’s first African and Caribbean blended rum. Burrell describes it as “a new style of rum, one that combines two rum cultures: African and the Caribbean”.
The brand is named after Nigerian born writer and abolitionist Olaudah Equiano. Born in 1745, Olaudah was kidnapped and sold into slavery before he reached his teens. Enslaved in the Caribbean for many years, he ended up in the UK where he traded in rum on the side and managed to save the £40 needed to buy his freedom.
The production of Equiano follows Olaudah’s journey. Initially produced at Gray’s Distillery in Mauritius, the rum is made from molasses and barreled for a minimum of 10 years in French Limousin Oak and ex-Cognac casks which impart a natural sweetness. It then heads to Barbados to be vatted with Foursquare Distillery rum that has been barreled in American oak ex-Bourbon casks.
On the decision to create a blended rum, Burrell says: “With blends, you can use heavy rums with light rums, older rums, light rums, and then create your DNA. When it comes to rum, blends are in many ways superior to single casks.”
Foursquare’s rums are a mix of column and artisanal copper pot still and are recognised for their butterscotch and caramel notes. No sugar or additives are used in the process. Equiano carries a recommended retail price of $59.99.Equiano Rum has had success with direct-to-consumer sales in European markets such as France and Italy. Burrell also hails the brand’s performance in Poland. “Poland has been known to love their aged spirits, and they are quickly growing into rums,” he says. “We’re seeing countries like the Czech Republic, Germany and Austria appreciating rums too.”
Now, the company is intent on adding travel retail to its new markets. Young says: “Equiano Rum has an extraordinary story to tell and is a truly unique rum. It is a perfect product for Global Travel Retail, and I am excited to be partnering with Garry in helping consumers across the world discover it’.
Maxwell states ‘I have already had great interest from Travel Retail customers in Europe and I am very much looking forward to attending the IAADFS Show in April to showcase Equiano Rum to customers in the Americas region’.
Recently, the company introduced Equiano Light white rum. The idea behind the blend was to create a lightly aged rum with a flavour profile of days gone by; the subtle notes of ripe sugarcane, hints of natural vanilla and citrus, that were appreciated in classic rum cocktails such as The Daiquiri, or for the new style of long Rum highballs that use various premium tonics and sodas.
It is aged in once used Bourbon barrels for a minimum of 3 tropical years. The Barbadian rum is then skilfully blended with unaged rum made from fresh sugarcane juice from Africa. This “cane juice” rum is distilled in a single column still to produce a 43% ABV light rum that retains all of the natural grassy notes of the raw sugar cane ingredients. It retails for £34.50.
