As followers of our craft rum company will know, John Paul Jones isn’t just the name of our brand. Right from the beginning, the bravery and sense of adventure that an (extra)ordinary boy from Scotland harnessed to become a genuine revolutionary hero has set the tone for everything that we do. Of course, we’re not suggesting for a moment that starting an artisanal rum company is as dangerous as signing up to join a ship’s crew at the age of 13 and fighting in a revolutionary war.
A different type of revolutionary spirit.
But we do feel that we have something in common: we were both inspired by a revolutionary spirit. For John Paul Jones, that spirit was inside of him and spurred him to fight for his beliefs. Our revolutionary spirit is the rum in our bottles. Our quest? To lead the way in readdressing how discerning adults view and appreciate the world’s oldest distilled alcoholic drink.
Spreading the word about the best artisanal rum.
This vision is one of the reasons why we’ve been backed by investors. This has given us the means to expand our company and bring John Paul Jones rum to a wider audience. There are many ways we’re doing this—one of which is the blog that you’re reading—but ultimately we know that the proof of the pudding is in the eating (or drinking!). In other words, if we’re to bring our brand to its rightful place as the connoisseur’s craft rum of choice, we need to show what we’re capable of.
The scene is set for a new arrival.
We have, of course, already created two exceptional rums: our dark rum, Lowland, and our botanical white rum, Ranger, which we named after a ship that John Paul Jones captained with distinction. These unique craft rums, both of which are steeped in Scottish spiral wrack seaweed, have already set sail. We’re hugely proud of them and warmly invite you to try them for yourself.
Expanding horizons.
But, much like a fearless naval hero who refused to rest on his laurels, we don’t want to stop there. There is more to come from JPJ rum; there are other things we’d like to show you about the new heights that rum can reach. Which brings us to our announcement: we are about to Christen a new ship. Providence is finally here.
John Paul Jones Providence Rum – A distinctly Scottish expression.
We’re hugely proud to be a Scottish rum producer. Scotland is the place where our founder, our inspiration and our company were born. It is also, of course, the home of whisky. Rather than be daunted by this matchless heritage (Scotch whisky is the UK’s leading food & drink export by a fair margin), we’ve always viewed the ‘water of life’ as the epitome of what can be achieved if you make the effort and take the time to craft something magical. It’s also no secret that we look to Scotch whisky as the benchmark in terms of the way that it’s produced, respected and enjoyed by drinkers throughout the world.
A truly distinguished aged rum.
The ageing process is a large part of what makes fine single malt whiskies so special. Something magical happens inside those barrels and quite frankly we wanted to see what we could do with it. After a fair bit of wrangling, we managed to secure a barrel that had been used to age an exceptional Islay single malt—Laphroaig. We then filled it with our trademark seaweed-infused rum. All that was left to do was wait.
John Paul Jones Providence.
The result is nothing short of remarkable. We knew that Providence would be good, but we have to say that we’re blown away by what we’ve created. Providence is a highly exclusive release, with fewer than 150 bottles are available for sale, it is about pushing the boundaries of what rum could be. The spirit is every bit as smokey as its whisky counterparts, however underneath the explosion of peat is a sweet warm and spicy toffee note, so characteristic of high-quality rum. We’ve always been convinced that there’s no reason rum can’t be every bit as characterful, complex and sophisticated as a fine Scotch whisky. Providence is our way of proving that point.
There’s no need to take our word for it.
We’re not the only ones who are enthralled by Providence. We’ll publish in full in due course, but here’s a snippet of what Jonathan Ray, the highly respected veteran drinks editor at The Spectator, had to say:
They’ve come up with a punchy, deeply moreish spirit, the like of which I’ve not tasted before.
Which is exactly what we’d hoped for.
Pre-order John Paul Jones Providence Rum.
Perhaps you’d like to see for yourself? If so, Providence is now available to pre-order directly from us. Experience a rum that reaches new heights. Each bottle comes numbered and with its own display box.
https://johnpauljones.uk/collections/shop/products/providence-pre-order
Team JPJ
]]>The inspiration for our brand came from looking out to sea across the beach where the fearless naval hero John Paul Jones had been born. When weighing up the risks of launching a new company or waiting for the Covid clouds to clear and returning to a ‘proper job’, we felt inspired to set out on our own voyage of adventure.
Scottish craft rum is the only fitting tribute.
John Paul Jones was born in Arbigland. He became a sailor at the age of thirteen and went on to become a revolutionary hero—the ‘father of the US Navy’. More than one hundred years after his death, his remains were found preserved in a rum-filled coffin. If we were to be inspired by John Paul Jones, who was nothing if not courageous, only one spirit would do. And, to be worthy of a revolutionary hero’s name, it’d have to be very, very good.
The special ingredient that binds our rums together.
We knew we wanted to craft rum with a Scottish spirit and looked at the coast for ideas as to how we could bind our liquid and our story together. We saw seawater (not much good in premium rum), pebbles (ditto) and seaweed. Which made us wonder. Why not steep our rum in seaweed harvested from the very beach that John Paul Jones knew so well? We loved the idea, so we set to work perfecting what is now ‘Lowland’, our flagship seaweed infused spiced rum.
Spiral wrack seaweed.
Spiral wrack seaweed grows abundantly on the coast of the Solway Firth, so we thought that using it to flavour our dark rum and botanical white rum would be a fitting tribute to our eponymous revolutionary. We also discovered pretty quickly that it works fantastically well—we now know why spiral wrack is known as the ‘olive of the sea’.
The birth of Lowland and Ranger.
When creating our original dark spiced rum, Lowland, we wanted to find the perfect balance of botanical flavours. Eventually, we decided on using Scottish spiral wrack seaweed, root ginger and peppercorns. When we knew the balance was perfect, we aged the rum in charred American oak, just as John Paul Jones would have wanted.
What seaweed brings to our Scottish craft rum.
Rum, ships and sailors go hand in hand. We wanted to celebrate that in every way we could, so we set out to transfer the allure of the sea into every sip of artisanal rum. Spiral wrack seaweed imparts a light salinity that perfectly complements both our botanical white rum and our signature dark spiced rum. The maritime salty notes from the seaweed enhance our revolutionary spirits in the same way as a fish supper tastes that bit better by the sea. It’s hard to explain, so please do try it and find out for yourselves.
Seaweed infused botanical white rum – a voyage into the unknown.
There are other rum brands that make seaweed infused dark rum, but as far as we’re aware we’re the only first and only one that uses seaweed in a botanical white rum. ‘Ranger’ is a craft light rum of the highest quality that we steep in whole, food-grade apples, limes and, of course Arbigland’s own spiral wrack seaweed. What results is a botanical white rum that leaves all others in its wake.
White rum vs Gin
Artisanal white rum tends not to be treated with the same reverence as craft gin. We think that might be due its use it as a neutral base in cocktails. Frankly, there’s not much point in taking the time to impart a white rum with natural botanical flavours if it’s destined for a rum & coke. So most major white rum brands don’t bother.
Using seaweed in ‘Ranger’ artisanal white rum.
White rum can be better than gin if you put in the effort; we took every bit as much care developing Ranger and we did with Lowland. Ranger white rum isn’t aged in oak (this would impart colour), which means that lighter flavours—such as those of Scottish spiral wrack seaweed—can shine. The slight saltiness is offset beautifully by citrus from green apples and zesty whole lime, resulting in a layered and rewarding clear spirit.
The Ranger Rum & Tonic
Ranger rum is a complex, subtle rum that works brilliantly in an R&T. We hope to lead the way in encouraging people to switch to this future classic, and we’re certain that Ranger is the best rum for rum and tonic.
We’d recommend using a neutral quinine tonic water and trying the following rum and tonic ratio.
A new ship ready to set sail.
Providence, the third expression of John Paul Jones Rum, is nearly ready to launch. Keep watch for more…
]]>Our most recent blog explored what being a producer of ‘artisanal rum’ means to us on the good ship John Paul Jones. Now we’ve explained why making craft rum that deserves to carry the name of a revolutionary hero isn’t easy, we thought the time was right to guide rum afficionados in how best to enjoy the fruits of our labours.
You’re allowed to keep it simple.
Of course, enjoying our seaweed infused artisanal rum needn’t be complicated. You could simply buy a beautiful miniature rum gift set, adorn your bespoke JPJ tumbler with delightful clinking ice cubes and settle down to a rum on the rocks. But for those of you looking for a more lavish experience, we thought we’d share some ideas for showstopping rum cocktails—and some fabulous food pairings—to take your appreciation of our craft rums to the next level. Also, as a tribute to the birthplace of our brand (and that of the intrepid sailor himself), we thought it’d be nice to introduce a distinctly Scottish theme.
Navigating artisanal rum inspiration.
Our exquisite botanical white rum, Ranger, lends itself to all sorts of wonderful foods and exciting cocktails. As with all of our range, we warmly encourage everyone to try it neat. If you’re happy simply sipping Scottish craft rum from your favourite glass, so are we!
Ranger Rum – neat recipe idea.
If you’re looking for canapes to take your experience up a notch, you’ve come to the right place! We’re talking saline notes from our spiral wrack seaweed, hints of apple and lime, and (of course), Scotland. So what could be better than oysters? You don’t really need to do anything with oysters, just shuck them and eat them raw while sipping your Ranger Rum from the empty shell. If you’re really looking to impress, however, then this recipe from the legendary seafood chef Nathan Outlaw should do the trick.
Crispy Focaccia Oysters with Oyster Mayonnaise.
Ingredients:
For the oyster mayonnaise:
For the fried oysters:
For garnish
Method:
Using a food processor, make the oyster mayonnaise by blending two oysters, the egg yolks and lemon juice for a few seconds. Then, with the motor running, slowly add the oil. Once made, combine the mayonnaise with the reserved juices from the oysters and set aside in the fridge.
For the oysters, put the flour on one plate, the beaten egg on another and the breadcrumbs on a third. Season the flour with salt and pepper. Meanwhile, bring the oil or deep fryer up to 180˚. Next, roll the oysters in flour, dip them in egg and coat well in the breadcrumbs. Once they’re all coated, drop them straight into the oil and fry for 1 minute. Drain well and serve in the shells with lemon wedges and Ranger botanical white rum.
Light rum cocktail:
We really recommend trying a rum & tonic. Simply replace the gin in a G&T with our botanical Ranger Rum and make as you prefer. Add a slice of apple for a different and delicious garnish.
Light rum and tonic food pairing:
Rum & tonic goes wonderfully with smoked salmon (especially if you can find some top-quality artisanal Scottish produce). We love serving smoked salmon on shop-bought blinis, with a dollop of crème fraiche and a squeeze of lemon. The perfect way to start the party with a Ranger craft rum & tonic.
Making the most of our Lowland craft rum.
Not that we’ve dealt with the light, it’s time to explore Lowland, the darker expression of John Paul Jones rum.
Food pairing:
Lowland pairs brilliantly with chocolate. Now, while chocolate doesn’t originate in Scotland (nothing wrong with that), that’s not to say that people here aren’t making some of the very best. Coco Chocolatier are based in Edinburgh, and their bars begin in the country of origin before coming to Scotland, where the real magic starts. We’re sure you can see the parallels, so why wait to try us together?
‘Not so Stormy’ dark rum cocktail:
Once again, our flagship, seaweed infused botanical dark rum is perfectly enjoyed simply by sipping. But it’s also true to say that a dark rum cocktail that uses John Paul Jones Lowland Rum will always be better than a dark rum cocktail that doesn’t. We’re all for great cocktails, and we’re proud to call the ‘Not so Stormy’ one of our signature serves. You can discover this and many more of our rum cocktail recipes here. We’ve also made some demo videos of this and other great rum cocktail recipes that might inspire you to expand your rum horizons.
Dark rum cocktail food pairing:
It might sound wildly adventurous, but consider replacing a bottle of red wine with a jug of rum cocktail for a special Sunday lunch. Remember to channel the spirit of our revolutionary hero as you acknowledge the rapturous reception your guests give you. Also, instead of chicken, roast a haunch of Scottish venison. It’ll be the best meal you ever have.
If you try any ideas above, especially if you take on the Crispy Oysters, we’d love to hear about it. We might even reward those who excel.
Team JPJ
]]>It’s strange how quickly words come into fashion. At some point in the last twenty or so years, people started describing all sorts of things as ‘artisanal’. Fast forward to today, and the word has become almost everyday parlance (particularly in the world of marketing) for all sorts of things, even those that it probably shouldn’t have. That’s why we thought that we’d use this blog to explore what we mean when we describe John Paul Jones as ‘artisanal rum’ and why it actually makes a lot of sense when applied to what we do. We’ll also get the chance to meet the people who create our craft rum and find out what made them want to enter the world of premium artisanal rum.
Artisan came into English in the 16th century from the French, which came from the Italian word ‘artigiano’, which effectively means ‘skilled craftsman’. The origin of the word comes from the Latin noun ‘ars/artis’, which translates as ‘method’ or ‘skill’. So it’s clear that when we talk about ‘artisanal rum’ or ‘craft rum’, we’re describing something that’s taken skill and expertise to make. In the world of artisanal rum, that means that the makers take pride in their product and how it tastes, which isn’t something that could readily be said about the major players in the mass-produced rum industry, for whom volume, consistency and, let’s be honest, low costs are the biggest priorities.
When we made the decision to set sail on our craft rum journey, we were inspired not only by the adventurous, revolutionary spirit of John Paul Jones but also by the Scotch whisky industry. We’ve always admired the way that great Scotch whisky brands have managed to grow and expand internationally without compromising time-honoured techniques or sacrificing quality. A lot of this has to do with the strict regulations that need to be met to call a drink ‘Scotch whisky’ and the tireless work of the Scotch Whisky Association, who should get a lot of credit.
As the oldest spirit in the world—rum has been made since the 1620s—rum is not nearly as strictly regulated as Scotch whisky. Essentially, if you’re making a spirit from distilled sugar molasses (you can read more about what rum is made from here), you can call it ‘rum’. What that means is that you don’t necessarily have to adopt artisanal rum methods to bottle and sell craft rum. As a result, there is a lot of distinctly average rum out there, which we weren’t interested in adding to, let alone attaching the name of John Paul Jones. Right from the beginning, and taking inspiration from Scotland, the home of John Paul Jones and our one of our founders, we wanted to make craft rum, in Scotland, with all the care and attention that’s associated with the very finest Scotch. Our exceptional range of botanical rum is the result, and we’re very proud of it.
We sat down with Ollie and Finn, our founders, to ask them about their passion for craft rum and their take on JPJ’s future.
Finn Gill:
For me, being an artisanal rum producer means taking the time to produce small batch rum in a way that larger spirits manufacturers simply can’t. As they need to produce huge amounts and maintain a large margin, they tend to prioritise volume and cost over taste and quality. We never wanted to create just another rum, as there is enough standard stuff out there already.
As well as producing botanical rum of the very best quality, we also wanted to challenge convention and put a bit of pressure on the big players to up their game. As we grow John Paul Jones Rum, we want consumers to expect more from a spirit that’s often been overlooked. Ultimately, we want to build a real connection between our brand and passionate rum drinkers. We’re keen to create a dialogue between us and our customers that teaches them about how great this spirit can be when done properly. If we raise the bar, others will have to up their game if they don’t want to be left behind!
Ollie Blackett:
I grew up in Scotland and have always been inspired by the famously unwavering high standards of whisky production. When we made the decision to launch our business, we knew from the outset that fine whisky should be the benchmark. We really believe that our rums can proudly stand alongside the great single malts in terms of quality, flavour and artisanal production methods.
The main difference, though, is that whisky isn’t steeped. They don’t add flavour after distillation. So we asked ourselves instead what their approach would be if they did, and went from there. One thing we knew for certain was that we would never add sugar or any artificial colours or flavours. That would be unconscionable in the whisky world, so it’s totally out of the question for John Paul Jones.
Finn Gill:
Growth and more growth. Our analysis of consumer trends in alcohol, food and lifestyle suggests that consumers are pushing for more transparency as to the way their spirits are produced and the level of quality inside the bottle.
We’re happy to see the smaller artisanal rum producers like us pushing the big beasts to a higher standard. Raising the quality of rum leads to more people enjoying it, which will only make the category grow, so we would welcome a rum boom and see ourselves leading the way.
Finn Gill:
We want to bring the John Paul Jones Rum brand to everywhere we can. Our ambition is to share the story of Captain John Paul Jones with rum drinkers new and old the world over.
We’re really proud to be an artisanal rum producer, but it’s no secret that our ambition is to grow into a household name brand. We know that we can do that without compromising our standards, as the great Scotch whisky brands have shown us that it’s possible.
]]>Our last few blogs in this ship’s log have been about our remarkable premium rum and the massive amount of care (and quality ingredients) we put into it. We hope you’ll forgive us for this, it’s just that we’re so proud of our infused dark rum, Lowland and its botanical white rum sibling, Ranger, that we’ve been champing at the bit to tell you all about them!
Creating a UK artisan rum brand isn’t only about products.
Building a successful botanical rum company isn’t just about what’s in the bottles, though. The quality of the ingredients and the taste of our artisan rum is our first priority, but if we’re going to revolutionise the premium rum industry and truly raise the bar, we need to make sure that the world gets the message!
Emulating our revolutionary hero.
It’s no secret that we have big ambitions for our seaweed infused premium rums. After all, if you’re happy with being just another UK artisan rum brand, you don’t name your company after a man who sailed to the other side of the world and risked everything to fight for a cause he believed in. We know we have something truly ground-breaking, so we want rum aficionados across the globe to sit up and take notice.
John Paul Jones Rum successful fundraising.
To fulfil our vaulting ambitions we needed investment, so we took our Scottish rum company to market and offered savvy investors the opportunity to back us. Which we’re delighted to say they did. We’re proud to say that we have now secured investment totalling £200,000, at a valuation of £2m. This is, of course, great news for us and we’re pleased that our investors share our confidence in what we’re doing. But we’re absolutely not resting on our laurels and patting ourselves on the back. The way we look at it is, we’ve raised enough money to charter a crew and ready a ship. But we have yet truly to set sail. This is a craft rum adventure that’s only just beginning.
What the investment means for John Paul Jones Rum.
The money is, honestly, the least exciting part of our investment journey. What truly gets our revolutionary juices flowing is what it enables us to do. We’re investing in traditional and digital marketing and are working with an expert team who are helping us spread the word. We also have a calendar full of opportunities to exhibit at trade shows, which is still a hugely successful channel for us, as the advantage of meeting our customers face to face is that they can taste and ‘sea’ for themselves how our seaweed-infused botanical rum leaves others in its wake.
Retailers are coming aboard.
Our voyage to widespread renown has to include being listed in major retailers; John Paul Jones Rum deserves to take its place on the shelves. So you’ll understand how pleased we were when, late last year, retailers such as the world-famous Fortnum & Mason and leading farm shop Daylesford Organic chose to make our botanical white rum and spiced dark rum available to their discerning customers. We’re also available to buy across Europe on Amazon. We feel that this is a sign of big things to come and warmly encourage other online and offline shops to do their clients a favour and join the revolution. Just drop us a line here.
We are Christening a new ship.
In what is perhaps the most exciting development of all, we’ve channelled some of our investment funds into launching a new product that’s set to make real waves in the industry. We’ve kept this one under wraps for a while and it’s a real thrill to be able to tell you about it. We decided to age our Caribbean white rum, in Scotland, using a quarter-cask that formerly held the very finest Islay Scotch whisky. This is, to the best of our knowledge, the first occasion on which this has been done. Once again, we will infuse the rum with our signature spiral wrack seaweed, which we harvest ourselves from the beach that John Paul Jones himself first learnt to sail.
We name this ship Providence.
The result is Providence which, like its sister Ranger, we have named after one of John Paul Jones’ ships. As you might expect from its ageing process, Providence is an exceptional, unique, smoky dry rum. We are proud to announce that Providence comes untouched by caramel colouring, chill filtration or added sugar. We only put down a single cask, so just 150 bottles of this highly exclusive artisan rum will be available at £70 each. Providence is presented to buy in a premium cardboard sleeve and each bottle will carry a unique bottle and batch number. This super premium smoky seaweed infused rum is sure to become a highly sought-after modern classic, so you’ll need to be quick if this is a ship you’d like to board.
We’re always available to talk.
We hope you’ve enjoyed reading about our progress. And remember, whether you’re an investor, a retailer, an expert or simply a fan, we’d love to hear your thoughts as to how we’re getting on. Feel free to drop us a line with thoughts, comments and suggestions.
Now, if you’ll excuse us, shore leave is over. We need to get back aboard!
JPJ
]]>Once we had a vision and a revolutionary hero to emulate, we set out our ethos for John Paul Jones rum. These four statements mean a lot to us; every decision we make relates to them in some way. They are the four everlasting pillars of our omnipresent philosophy. That’s why we think they’re worth delving into a little deeper in this blog.
Getting into the premium rum business isn’t easy. There are, of course, the big fish dominating the marketplace, but there are also scores of businesses like ours who are all competing for the remaining premium rum market share. Getting on the treadmill with an ordinary, everyday product and battling to differentiate ourselves using branding and marketing simply didn’t appeal: we knew we wanted to shake things up with something spectacular. Something better. Something revolutionary.
Rum in oak.
We made a pledge on day one to create a trailblazing rum that defied convention. That’s why we decided to age our rum in charred American oak, which to the best of our knowledge no other rum brand has ever done. This method adds a point of difference to our manufacturing process, yes, but it also adds complexity to our Lowland Rum, giving it smoky notes and flavours that excite connoisseurs and a level of smoothness that leaves our competitors green with envy.
Spiced, aged rum.
It's not just our use of charred oak that’s revolutionary. The fact that we both age and flavour our Lowland Rum is highly unusual— convention has taught consumers to expect either an aged rum or a rum that has had flavour added. We reject this convention. Whoever sails under the John Paul Jones colours deserves a rum that cuts no corners.
Treating light white rum right.
And we didn’t stop there. We also took a pioneering approach when we revolutionised the premium white rum arena: our botanical white rum is the first ever to be infused in with seaweed. Ranger white rum isn’t aged, so it doesn’t see wood in the same way as Lowland, but we nonetheless treat this often-overlooked spirit category with a level of reverence that few others do. The advice we were given was not to bother making too much of an effort to create white rum, as ordinary drinkers would only drown it in mixer. But our minds were made up and our hearts were set. We knew we could create a botanical premium white rum so good that its destiny was to be enjoyed with tonic water, leaving the conventional (and slightly tired) G&T in the good ship Ranger’s wake.
From the moment we came up with the idea to flavour our rums with spiral wrack seaweed—which we harvest from a beach only metres from where John Paul Jones was born—we knew that bold, adventurous flavours were the way to go.
The first rosemary infused premium white rum.
We steep our white rum, Ranger, in seaweed, fresh apple, lime and, in another first, rosemary. This composition was inspired by our desire to bring culinary traditions and age-old flavour combinations to life in a whole new way. It’s without doubt one of our most successful entries into uncharted waters. White rum, but not as you know it.
Spiced and aged dark rum.
For our dark rum, Lowland, we complement the saline notes from the spiral wrack with the classic spices of black pepper and ginger, creating a bold and daring rum that tickles the senses, exceeds expectations and puts our premium dark rum— Lowland —in a class all of its own.
We refuse to use essences, powders, or anything artificial in any processes in the production of our premium rum. To add our unique flavours, we only use whole, food-grade botanicals. This genuinely revolutionary approach gives our range of premium rum a matchless flavour and an honest quality that no other rum can emulate.
To give our premium white rum, Ranger, flavours of apple, lime and rosemary we steep the spirit in slices of apple, lime peel and sprigs of fresh rosemary. In the same way, Lowland Rum gets its spicy notes from being infused with black peppercorns and whole knobs of root ginger. This is not even close to commonplace in the industry. We are determined to raise the standards of flavoured spirit producers, championing transparency and the quality all rum drinkers deserve.
Whether it’s creating a botanical aged dark rum, using rosemary in a white rum, introducing the flavour of seaweed or pioneering the use of food-grade, whole ingredients, every one of our decisions flies in the face of ‘the done thing’.
The rum industry has been sailing on the winds of convention for too long…
…So pour yourself a rum & tonic and let’s raise a toast to the road less travelled.
It’s what John Paul Jones would have wanted.
]]>
Before we set off on this voyage, we want to make clear from the outset that the only thing John Paul Jones rum has in common with the everyday stuff is the use of sugarcane. We hope, in time, to be seen as a category onto ourselves; the future is one where there are only two types of rum: JPJ and everything else.
This colourless, transparent liquid is what you’re left with after you’ve distilled sugarcane and filtered the liquid. All rum starts out as white rum. The resultant spirit is normally quite rough and has a neutral, fairly harsh flavour. Most mass-produced white rum stays like this, hence why light rum has become known more as a spirit to be used in cocktails, where its flavour is masked by other ingredients. White rum is normally unaged, and any flavours (vanilla, coconut etc.) it has are almost always synthetic and have simply been added to the spirit before bottling. It’s also commonplace to add lots of sugar to white rums to take the edge off. Yikes.
JPJ Ranger is a white rum, but that’s about the only similarity we can think of to the above. We only use the finest-quality spirit, distilled in the birthplace of rum, which we then flavour by steeping the rum in food-grade, real ingredients. These botanicals include crisp apple, zingy lime, fresh rosemary stalks and our trademark spiral wrack seaweed, which we harvest from the beach a stone’s throw from where John Paul Jones was born. Ranger is the first white rum to be infused with seaweed, and you can see this ‘first of its kind’ mentality doesn’t end there. The result is a glorious botanical white rum with a briny coastal finish. There’s no need to inundate Ranger Rum with other ingredients: simply add good-quality tonic and savour the flavour of honest ingredients.
Dark rum is quite simply white rum that has been aged in wooden barrels. The spirit adopts its colour from the barrels during the ageing process. Or at least it should. Unfortunately, however, this is rarely the case with most dark rums you see on supermarket shelves. Your everyday dark rum is actually white rum with added burnt sugar (caramel) to give it colour. It’s never seen a barrel. Any flavours you get from it come from synthetic ingredients which they’ve added to make the rum taste like it’s developed flavour from ageing in wood.
Lowland Rum is our signature expression of a dark rum. We take the white rum (the same premium spirit that we use in Ranger) and age it, in Scotland, in charred American oak barrels. This is a natural process. Over time, the white spirit takes on subtle notes of flavours from the wood, along with its lovely deep amber colour. We then steep the aged spirit before bottling, using knobs of fresh ginger, black peppercorns and our signature spiral wrack seaweed. Our refusal to take shortcuts or use anything than quality botanical ingredients results is a dark rum of incomparable quality. Try it and see for yourself.
Aged rum is the term for rum that has seen wood (i.e. that has been aged in barrels). By and large, the barrels will be dark wood, and will impart colour and flavour to the spirit. Not all aged rum is dark in colour, however, as some white rums are aged , then have their colour stripped by carbon filtration. This is quite rare, however. Again (and you might notice a pattern here), many mass market rums have sugar added post ageing to simulate the roundness and viscosity that only exposure to barrels can bring authentically.
JPJ Lowland Rum is aged in the UK using charred American oak. To the best of our knowledge, we are the only rum available who use this choice of wood. Typically used in the production of bourbon, our barrels have had a layer of charcoal burnt into the inner layer of the wood. This ‘char’ layer removes the harshness of the alcohol, rounding the mouthfeel and adding a touch of unique flavour. Over time, the rum develops exceptional notes of smoke, vanilla and spice. It should go without saying that we do not use any misleading colouring or chill filtration.
We then, of course, infuse the rum with the raw ingredients mentioned above, before bottling. In the case of Ranger Rum, we don’t age it, but we do steep it in seaweed and other ingredients to give it the unique and exceptional flavour. One thing is consistent however: we use no added sugars—our liquid has no rough edges to smooth over. No corners cut. Just quality.
Spiced Rum is rum (white or dark) that has had flavour added before bottling. Almost all manufacturers don’t bother to age these rums, as they’re destined to be drowned in mixer anyway, so they are caramel coloured to trick the consumer. Some of the most overused spiced rum ingredients include clove, cinnamon, vanilla and star anise. Mass market producers of these rums save time and money by using essences of ingredients rather than the real thing and—no prizes for guessing—lots of sugar. Hence the sickly stickiness and the morning headaches.
Ranger Rum and Lowland Rum are both botanical rums. We flavour both with our unique spiral wrack seaweed. We source real, food-grade, quality ingredients and then allow them to impart their flavour via a natural infusion. This process is a little bit like making tea: the ingredients are lowered into the spirit until all the glorious flavours have passed from raw ingredient to liquid. No artificial ingredients. No use of flavour extracts. No added sugars.
We take as much care to steep our white rum as our aged dark rum. This is extremely rare and somewhat ground-breaking. In fact, you could almost say we were throwing off the shackles of convention and entering new territory…
Remind you of anyone?
Team JPJ
Light rum and dark rum differ in terms of the production process, flavour profile, and colour. Light rum is created through a distillation process that includes charcoal filtering. This results in a rum with subtle sweetness and almost no colour. Dark rum on the other hand is created through a longer aging process with heavier molasses and sugar content resulting in a rich flavour profile with a deep golden hue. The difference between light and dark rums also impacts how they can be enjoyed - light rums are best appreciated neat while dark rums are ideal for sipping or cocktails.
The main difference between spiced rum and unspiced rum is the presence of spices or flavourings. Unspiced rum is made by simply infusing a base spirit with sugarcane, while spiced rum uses a blend of natural ingredients to create an enhanced flavour profile that can be sweet, spicy, smoky or fruity. Spiced rums tend to be darker due to the infusion of these additional ingredients and are often enjoyed in mixed drinks with juices and other beverages. Unspiced rums are usually lighter in colour and best enjoyed neat or on the rocks.
The main difference between Jamaican rum and other rums is the type of fermentation process used. Jamaican rums are fermented using a unique pure cane juice method that imparts unique flavours, aromas, and textures to the spirit. Other rums, including Cuban and Puerto Rican rums, are made from molasses which creates a sweeter taste. Additionally, many Jamaican rums are aged in ex-bourbon or sherry casks which adds a subtle flavour of coconut or vanilla to the rum. Lastly, some Jamaican distillers also use dunder - a byproduct of sugar production - as an ingredient in their rum production process which further enhances its flavour.
The main difference between aged rum and non-aged rum is how long the spirit has been matured. Aged rums typically spend several years in oak barrels allowing the spirit to develop a richer aroma, flavour, and colour. Non-aged rums are not stored in barrels and instead rely on artificial flavouring to give the rum its characteristics. Aging also brings out softer notes of caramel, honey, or vanilla while non-aged rums tend to have a sharper flavour profile. Additionally, aged rums tend to be more expensive than their non-aged counterparts as they require more time in production.
]]>If you’re asking, ‘What even are the main ingredients of rum?’ Wonder no more. Rum begins its life as sugarcane. More specifically, most rum is made by distilling molasses, which is the dark treacle residue that’s left over after crystallised sugar has been made from sugarcane juice. Traditionally, that’s why rum tends to come from areas where sugar is grown and produced, such as the Caribbean.
Now that’s a much more interesting question! The thing is, while we’ve established that rum can essentially be very simple, not all rums are created equal. In fact, many mass-produced cane spirits mimic natural or ‘spice’ flavours by using a large amount of artificial ingredients or unnatural flavour extracts. There is a high lack of transparency across the category, another obvious example is the widespread practice of adding sugar after distillation (up to 25g/L) to ‘cover’ a lower-quality spirit underneath.
Taking this one step further, many famous and popular ‘dark’ rums don’t gain their colour from ageing in wood at all: they’re actually just white rums with added colourant (E150a). This is so they look like a quality aged rum, as the average shopper associates dark spirits with a more premium liquid. The reason they don’t taste like it is that the makers have chosen to avoid the expertise, time and expense it takes to make the real thing. Hence why many rums struggle to make it past the Coca-Cola mixer and Tiki cocktail bars.
Our inspiration John Paul Jones, the legendary naval adventurer, wouldn’t have accepted anything but the best. There are no shortcuts to excellence, so right from the beginning we knew we had to create flavoured rums in a different way. Believe us, the proof is in the drinking!
We make rum the proper way. We don’t add any caramel colouring, artificial ingredients or flavours. We also never add sugar to our rum after it’s distilled. These are techniques that run-of-the-mill rum brands use to mask the flavour of the spirit, which is only necessary if the spirit needs to be masked! Instead, we steep (this is the technical term for infuse) our rums in food-grade ingredients. This means John Paul Jones Rum is actually more similar to a Scotch Whisky (often regarded as the gold-standard in spirits production) than a standard rum when it comes to how it’s made.
We’ve explored how less revolutionary rum brands synthetically reproduce the flavours and colours of a quality dark rum, so now we should give you the lowdown on how we do it. Properly. All of our rums start as a white rum, which we import from the Caribbean into Scotland (see our recent blog for more on the rum’s origin). In the case of Lowland Rum, we then age it in charred American oak, which imparts both colour and subtle flavours from the oak. These notes of vanilla, herbs and spices are achieved naturally. We age Lowland for the perfect amount of time to achieve a consistency of colour and flavour. Once it’s ready, we steep the newly aged rum in food-grade botanicals (including, of course our signature ingredient, spiral wrack seaweed) before we bottle it.
Every rum on the planet begins its journey as a white (transparent) spirit, known as white rum. Most white rums do not see any ageing or wood contact at all, hence their clear appearance. Your standard, headache-inducing white rum is normally unflavoured and raw. This is why drinkers tend to view white rums almost like a harsh vodka—something that desperately needs a mixer or to be used as in cocktails.
This brings us to the first ever seaweed infused white rum. John Paul Jones Ranger rum doesn’t go into barrels for ageing. But, that’s about all it has in common with pretty much any other white rum you can think of. Unlike its outdated predecessors, Ranger is steeped in beautiful food grade botanicals (we’ll go into in more detail on the botanicals in our next blog). This results in Ranger having a flavour profile that doesn’t need to be hidden: you can enjoy it neat or with tonic water and savour the taste of the natural botanicals.
In our next blog, we’ll be explaining the different types of rum. We’ll also explore our steeping process and the botanicals we use to impart flavour into our range. In the meantime, why not buy a bottle or two and enjoy the taste of a truly revolutionary rum?
Until next time…
Ollie, Finn, Jack
]]>Welcome to the new John Paul Jones Rum blog!
This is the place where you can keep up to speed with our quest to revolutionise the way we think about rum. It’s been a long time coming, but we’re pleased to say we’re now in a position to start our own rum diary. We’re prepared for an adventure into uncharted territory and we’re ready to set sail. We dare you to come along…
Hearty thanks.
Before we set out on our new journey, we’d like to start by saying a massive thank you to every single one of you who has supported us so far. Starting your own small batch premium rum company is not for the faint hearted, and we wouldn’t have got as far as we have without the kind words, custom and encouragement of our loyal crew. Thank you.
All in the same boat.
As for this blog, we’d love for it be as interactive as possible. The more feedback we get, the more emboldened we become, so please do tell us what you think. If you have any ideas you’d like us to write about, or if you’ve discovered something you think John Paul Jones Rum fans ought to know, we’re all ears. Just drop us a line on Facebook or Instagram and we’ll be sure to get back to you.
What’s in a name?
We didn’t start this blog off to give history lessons, but it’s probably worth taking a moment to explain our name. Most people in the UK are familiar with John Paul Jones through the influence of the Led Zeppelin bassist but, as great as he is, our brand is not a tribute to a titan of 1970s rock n roll. We (and John Baldwin) took inspiration from the original John Paul Jones, a Scottish sailor who fled the land of his birth to become perhaps the most famous sea captain in US history—a revolutionary who became known as the ‘Father of the American Navy’. After his death in 1792, JPJ was interred in a rum-filled coffin, embalming a renegade hero in a legendary spirit.
Kindred spirits.
John Paul Jones is our brand, our ethos, and our inspiration. It’s not just a name to us. There are two main reasons for this. The first is that one of our co-founders, Ollie, happened to grow up in the same place as JPJ was born. The second is that this fearless captain (JPJ, that is) exemplifies the spirit of adventure that we share. OK, we might not be risking life and limb in sea battles, but when Covid redundancy beckoned, we were faced with a choice: see out furlough and start interviewing, or have a go at starting something special. After years of listening to the fabled adventures of the hero whose spirit we share, we chose the second option. As JPJ himself said, ‘Those who will not risk, cannot win.’
What sets our rum apart.
Rum is the oldest spirit in the world; it is said to have originated in the Caribbean in the 17th century. So the key for us was to create something new and exciting while still respecting the legacy and traditions of this magnificent drink. That’s why we choose to flavour all of our exceptional rums with spiral wrack seaweed. And not just any spiral wrack seaweed. We pick ours from a specific beach, just a stone’s throw from where the legendary naval captain himself was born. This gives our rums a truly exceptional and unique flavour, as well as creating a lifelong link between us and our heroic namesake.
What is rum made from?
In a word, sugar. More specifically, rum is made from molasses, which is the residue left after the sugar in the sugarcane juice has crystallised. In the 17th century, sugar was grown in abundance in the West Indies, which is why the area remains synonymous with the world’s best rums.
Is John Paul Jones rum from the Caribbean?
Originally, yes. All of our rums begin their life as a white Caribbean rum. We bring this specially selected rum to Scotland, where we infuse it with our secret ingredient, Scottish spiral wrack seaweed.
To create our ‘Lowland’ Rum, we age the spirit in charred American oak, the very timber from which John Paul Jones’ ships were decked. This gives the rum a golden colour which, when combined with fresh ginger and food-grade black peppercorns, creates our signature Lowland Rum—a spirit like no other.
What does the future hold for JPJ rum?
Quite simply, we want to revolutionise the way people perceive flavoured rums. The days of poor-quality spirit made using artificial flavours and drowned in Coca-Cola must be put behind us: our bold future is one in which rum is revered in the same way as a fine Scotch whisky. Our white rum—Ranger—the first and only spirit of its type to be seaweed-infused—is flavoured using fresh apple, lime and rosemary and is destined to be enjoyed with tonic water. Gin has become a bit ‘pipe and slippers’; Ranger Rum is rounded, exciting and goes hand-in-hand with a great time. There’s a new sheriff in town.
In short, our ship of ideas is heavy with cargo and our crew is champing at the bit of discovery.
We hope you enjoy the ride.
Team JPJ
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