The glitzy country of Monaco will be getting its own rum by way of Italian distributor Velier! But it won't be as straightforward as you might think.

As the country is far too small to grow its own cane, the new expression, dubbed "Mother Mesccia" and will be the first to don the label of "Extra Virgin Rum", will use cane distillate sourced from Haiti's own Saint Michel de l'Attalaye, which will then undergo a second distillation in Monaco.

If that name strikes you as familiar, it's because Saint Michel de l'Attalaye is responsible for producing the highly popular Sajous expression of Clairin! Thus using Cristalline sugarcane from Sajous, which will undergo an extended fermentation with wild yeasts, before first being distilled to 30% ABV in a Muller pot still in Haiti, and then undergoing a second distillation in an Ulrich Kothe pot still in Monaco.

The expression's name Mother Mesccia takes heed from a historical trading relationship between Velier's hometown of Genoa, Italy, and Monaco, where shipping vessels would exchange rum for other agricultural goods. The new expression will be bottled at 49% ABV and be an unaged white rum.

This is a project that's been talked about by Velier's chief, Luca Gargano, for some time, with the idea to create the new category of "Extra Virgin Rum" referring to sugarcane juice rums distilled in a pot still, as opposed to the more traditional molasses being distilled in pot stills or cane juice distilled in column stills. 

Kanpai!

88 Bamboo Editorial Team