Meet the Maker: Brinley Gold Shipwreck Rum

Most people love rum for its fresh flavor and as a base in cocktails. Until recently I never really thought of rum as a sipping drink on par with whiskey or mezcal. One such rum is Brinley Gold Shipwreck Rum. With light, carefully blended flavors it is meant to be enjoyed straight, but can also make a killer cocktail.

This rum company is an interesting combination of rum’s history. Rum is actually one of the earliest liquors made in New England and the molasses for its production came from the West Indies. Brinley Rum is based in New Jersey but produces its bottles on the island of St. Kitts.  This high-quality rum brings beautiful flavors and traditions of the Caribbean to the US. 

I recently had the chance to talk to the second-generation owner, Zach Brinley, about rum, St. Kitts, and the family business. 

First, how did the family get into the distilling business? Was it just a trip to the island, a love for rum before heading there, or something else entirely? 

It’s a great story actually. I grew up in Montclair, NJ, and would never have dreamed we’d find our way into this cool business. My father had started a temperature sensor business in NJ and decided to open up a manufacturing facility on St Kitts in 1986. There was a free trade deal the US gov’t had setup with St Kitts & Nevis to help the island’s economy ~ they had just gained independence from the UK in 1983 and tourism wasn’t a huge industry at that point. 

So fast forward to the ‘90s and I found myself a very lucky kid – getting to travel to the island every year. Our rum company started in 2002 when he had to close his business down on the island. The idea was hatched as a combination of wanting to stay invested in the beautiful island and also do something to support this place we’d fallen in love with. The cruise pier had just been built – as had the Royal St Kitts Marriott. We then learned that CSR, Cane Spirit Rothschild – the local rum on the island – had a need for either a partner or investment. We immediately fell in love with the idea and opened up a Rum Shoppe on the Port Zante, the new pier. We worked with our master blender, Michel, to formulate the best-tasting flavored rum we could. We were trying to impress cruise travelers getting off their ships at 10 am in the morning! We wanted to do something natural and a lot easier to sip than the other ones on the US market.

It can be easy to just produce something in a location and lose the local flavor. So, how does the rum continue to be inspired by St. Kitts?

Our rum and rum company are most definitely still inspired by the islands we fell in love with 25 years ago. In the beginning, we were inspired to create a delicious tropical rum that was as natural as the islands themselves. Then as we’ve grown our brand through the years and across the US (we now sell nationally!), we felt like St Kitts ambassadors, spreading the word to salesmen and new customers all over North America. Now during this difficult time, we find ourselves pleased to be able to support the local economy by being able to increase exports from the island — and also to remind everyone to book their trips as soon as Covid 19 is over. We’ve been inspired in creating the rum and now in our love of the island.

St Kitts is a beautiful place and a perfect getaway for food and rum lovers. Can people visit the distillery when they are on the island?

We partnered up with the Fairview Great House, which runs a daily rum tour & tasting for us on this site dating to 1700. We’ve run some VIP tours at our actual distillery through the years – but we haven’t been able to keep up with both the increasing pace of tourism and sales/production growth. We’re taking steps now to put together a full site tasting tour and hopefully even a sugar cane maze! While on the island I highly recommend tasting some other local producers’ excellent rums – our friends at CSR and Belmont Estate have an excellent lineup to sip or mix as well ~ and there are even a few brand new local rums which are fantastic.

As if we aren’t all jealous enough, do you make it back to the Caribbean often?

Before the pandemic I was going down 1 to 2 times per year — and we were even bringing 10 to 30 of our best performing US sales team with us! Now it has been over a year since I’ve stepped foot on the island. I miss St. Kitts & Nevis like crazy.. all the amazing beach bars, perfect sunsets, sea breezes, and most of all the wonderful people. But it does sometimes feel like I’m there since I’m on the phone and working with people on the island on a daily basis. We’ve been happy to do our part and produce and export 1 to 2 containers of Rum per month. I guess we have the US self medicating consumption to thank for that too 😉

Rum was my first liquor love, but what would you recommend the best rum flavor to get started with for non-rum drinkers?

Shipwreck Coconut Rum Cream is the easiest to sip – since it tastes like Coconut Heaven and is only 15% abv. But the truth is all of our flavored rums are easy sippers. I’d encourage someone new to flavored rums to sip our straight Coconut or Vanilla Rum slightly chilled neat. They are very rich in real flavor. They’ll be pleasantly surprised! 

Most people only think of rum as a base for cocktails, but what is your favorite way to use it – straight or cocktails? And when you do make a cocktail what is your go-to?

I personally love to sip our Rums neat, but cocktails are excellent and easy to make as well. There are literally thousands of amazing rum classics — Pina Coladas, Rum Punches, Daiquiris, you name it! 

I’d say our most popular cocktail with bars and restaurants through the years has been the easy-to-make Mojito. With the natural sweetness and real flavor, there is no need for simple syrup – all you need is our Shipwreck Mango, Coconut or Lime Rum, and some club soda, mint, and limes. This year fans have gravitated to a simple rum & club mix — or “Club Coconut”, etc. With the popularity of hard seltzers, our bottle offers a natural cocktail that’s easy to make while being light and refreshing. Also with the Coconut Rum Cream, many fans like to blend it with their coffee as an adult coconut creamer! I think it’s especially good with espresso or cold brew.

Are there any drinks you feel really bring the flavor of St. Kitts to life for rum drinkers? 

Yes indeed! The classic St Kitts Rum Punch is outstanding and really does taste like you’re on the island … even if you can’t be physically on the island. The dash of bitters and grating of nutmeg is a must! Check out the recipe below

On top of great rum, Brinley also supports the Sea Turtle Monitoring Network. The St Kitts Sea Turtle Monitoring Network helps raise awareness about and protect the local turtles and their habitats. A portion of their annual proceeds goes to this amazing organization. So you can enjoy a little rum and help the sea turtles at the same time – who doesn’t love that!

There is a whole world of rum out there to be discovered one glass at a time. Share your favorite recipes and how you like to sip it by tagging us on social @bite_explorer 

St Kitts Rum Punch

• Author: Ashley
• Prep Time: 2 minutes
• Total Time: 2 minutes
• Yield: 1 rum punch 1x
• Category: Drinks
• Method: Cocktail

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Description

You can prepare this classic rum punch in a large bowl, or even a large empty sand pail. Be sure to wear your finest island gear & lei. This will be the BEST RUM PUNCH you’ll ever sip, and if you close your eyes you’ll be standing on a beautiful St Kitts beach. And it prevents Scurvy!

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Ingredients

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• 2 oz Shipwreck Coconut Rum
• 1 oz Shipwreck White Rum
• 3 oz orange juice
• 1/2 oz fresh lime juice
• dash angostura bitters
• freshly grated nutmeg, if available

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Instructions

1. Add all ingredients except nutmeg to a shaker with ice. Shake until well-combined.
2. Strain into a glass over ice.
3. Top with freshly grated nutmeg.

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Notes

If you’re in search of a bottle near you, check out the brand new rum locator to find your closest store