Cobblestone Brands launches rum
Star & Key Rum is the second spirit brand from Dublin-based Cobblestone Brands, following Four Corners American Gin.
The brand produces a single-estate rum from Mauritius made with fresh cane juice. Star & Key Single Estate Rum is made by Nick Wiehe, one of Cobblestone’s owners, on his eighth-generation family estate, Labourdonnais. It is one of the oldest estates in Mauritius, with the Wiehe family cultivating 1,500 acres of sugarcane and fruit orchards for 400 years. The brand claims Mauritius’ volcanic soil and subtropical climate are perfect for sugarcane cultivation, while its year-round warmth and Indian Ocean air enhance and accelerate the ageing process. “Star & Key Rums capture a sense of place with unparalleled authenticity and character,” said Gary McLoughlin, the brand’s marketing director. “Mauritius was one of the first places in the world to cultivate sugarcane and, hundreds of years later, it is still the island’s main crop. “Fresh cane juice retains everything it draws from the soil and climate throughout the growing season. Star & Key Rums utilise both red and yellow cane varietals grown on this one-of-a-kind estate to produce distinctively different rums.” The brand has launched with two expressions, the VSOP and a Passion Fruit Rum. The latter is made with rum that has been aged in Cognac and Bourbon casks and infused with fresh passion fruit, which is also grown on the estate. It offers ‘vanilla and ripe orchard fruits’ on the nose, is ‘juicy and citrusy’ on the palate with a ‘crisp, lingering’ finish. The expression has an ABV of 40% and retails for US$34.99 / €33. Star & Key VSOP Rum is a single cask release that has been aged for four years in Cognac casks. The nose is ‘sweet with toffee, butterscotch and nutmeg’ while the palate is ‘rich and smooth’. It finishes with ‘cinnamon, toasted oak spices and chocolate orange’. The expression has an ABV of 43% and retails for US$44.99 / €39. Star & Key won two Master awards at The Rum & Cachaça Masters 2024, both for its VSOP expression.
