Seattle, Washington I don’t expect many of you consider Classic Yacht magazine to operate as your lifestyle magazine, whatever that is, instead subscribing to it as a vehicle for information on classic boats and classic boating. There are plenty of lifestyle yachting, cigar, fashion, home and wristwatch magazines in the world, so we are enjoined by our publisher to stick, more or less, to our topic.

If you have a yen to explore the Gothic Teenager and Vampire lifestyle, you must search elsewhere. And to reinforce my own total dearth of fashion sense, I have never been accused of being a scion of the Good Life in respect to my own “personal style” and thus do not find I have an entourage of groupies surrounding me, hanging on my words for the utterance of “the next great thing.”

And I suspect you don’t either! Yet every now and then it’s important to bring a sense of style and gravitas to any important topic, and perhaps even to gently suggest what might constitute the proper approach to small items of luxury and comfort that enhance our lives as Classic Boaters. Without doubt, this has been one of the most severe and disquieting winters in anybody’s memory.

Thus, I ask you to indulge me while I stray from the course of my usual observations about boat builders, shipwrights and the nature of our obsession while I introduce you to another of my interests, and one that I believe should be one of yours as well. This is especially true these days, when small comforts may come to count for something. The topic of the moment then is rum.

Not Scotch, not bourbon nor rye, not beer or wine, nor tequila or vodka, but stolid, unfashionable rum, the drink of sailors and guzzlers since the discovery of the New World. You see, rum and our kind of boats go quite naturally together. The Americas themselves were built on the backs of men and women who were sold off to suffer through “The Middle Passage” between Africa and the islands and shores of America.

This trade, as any schoolboy might remember, was The Triangle Trade, and it fueled the growth in this hemisphere for three centuries. Sugar and molasses were distilled into rum in New England, from whence it was shipped to Africa in exchange for gold and slaves. These poor people in turn, became human cargo traveling “The Middle Passage” to the Caribbean Islands and the southern shores of our own land, where they raised the sugar cane that was shipped to New England.

And the whole process began all over again, in a tangle of sugar, rum and slavery. Hence, for better and worse in respect to wooden vessels, the kind I pay attention to, no other spirit is so closely aligned and associated with history as is rum. It was, at one time, the very lubricant and currency of trade. So here, after my years of endless and dutiful research into the topic, is your lifestyle tutorial on what to keep on board if, as I do, you wish to honor the maritime traditions of those who came before us. But first, a word from our sponsors!

You must understand that when we speak of rum, we do not intone the names of certain vile spirits that are popularly sold in supermarkets and by the gallon at liquor stores around the world. Such swill is not the stuff of legends, giving rum a bad name and being generally beneath contempt. These drug store spirits are not the rums gentlemen drink aboard, nor are they the rums that reflect the artisan craft that launched a thousand ships.

Perhaps an unscrupulous purser slipped such swill into the hold of a ship bound east for trade, but no selfrespecting sailor would accept less than a reasonable facsimile of decent rum. We speak of rums with history, veritable naval traditions, and the kind of stuff you need to have on hand and especially on board. British naval tradition is where we start.

It is replete with vivid stories, probably the most celebrated of which involves none other than Lord Nelson himself. When Nelson expired from his wounds at Trafalgar, it was thought best to bring him home where he could be buried properly as a hero. There being no way to keep the Admiral from decomposing on such a long trip short of pickling him, it was decided to stash him in a barrel of Pusser’s Rum drawn from the ship’s stores.

Consequently, the Admiral’s shattered body was placed lovingly within the cask. However, on returning to England, when the corpse was withdrawn from the barrel, it was found that the contents within had been drained dry. The sailors of HMS Victory had, for various reasons, drunk of Nelson’s Blood. An apocryphal story you say? They say not, and Pusser’s sells fl asks of rum called “Nelson’s Blood” to this day.

If you obtain a flask of Nelson’s Blood, you can read their representation of the tale, printed boldly on the porcelain flask and decide for yourself how much store to place in this tale. In 1970, the Royal Navy discontinued a three hundred year tradition of issuing every rating and officer a measure of daily rum. The commonly accepted reason is that by this time, the art of running a warship had become so complex that the rum ration was viewed as naught but a distinct disincentive to careful work.

The questions of supplying the crew fresh water and untainted foods that presented sailing ships with such problems were long since solved, and all told, despite the ceremony and unhappiness that accompanied this event, we can all agree we’d rather not have men deep in their cups with their fingers on such powerful buttons. Which begs the question of how they went aloft in the 18th century so besotted, but we all know those were different times, with iron men and all that.

Without even going into the importance of rum to other seamen through history, I hope to have made my point. Should you go forth upon the briny and carry any spirits at all with you, make sure you know a bit about rum, the true and complete sailor’s spirit. And that’s where we take a turn! Today, artisan rums can be obtained that will truly spin your head around in respect to just what rum is, and isn’t. Rums of quality are distilled almost everywhere sugar cane is grown.

Indeed, a holiday comprised of visiting the ports that rum is shipped from would likely be quite a jolly one indeed, and with good sailing between anchorages as well. This includes large swaths of the Caribbean and South America, where the spirit is most popular. Now, I could spend a lot of space telling you of the different styles of rum and the hundreds of distillers and manufacturers, small and large, who ply the trade.

But instead, I’ll list a few of my own favorites, some of the styles, and urge you to seek your own as well. Traditional Navy style rums are frequently associated with Jamaica, but in fact, Pussers, probably the best known of these, headquarters on Tortola in the British Virgin Islands although the rum is distilled elsewhere. Jamaican rums like Coruba and Appleton can embody a lot of the naval spirit in rums that are more refined and delicate.

I myself am not a big fan of the naval rums, but for mixing and big, bold flavors, they have a large following. The rums of Martinique generally fall into another category called “Rhum Agricole.” These are made from fresh pressed cane juice, and have an entirely different character than rums made from molasses. Such rums are higher in alcohol content (proof), are usually grassy or herbaceous tasting and are frequently not best as introductory products for newbie guzzlers.

The “rhums” of Neissen, St. James, Depaz, Clement and the like are examples of this style of rum. “Rhum Agricole” like molasses based products (usually called rum industriel) are available in styles from clear to dark. Generally, darker rums have been barrel aged for longer periods. White rums are usually thought of as younger products. Guatemala produces some of the richest and most luscious rums. If you like sweet, dark, caramel flavors, be sure to try Ron Zacapa 23 Anos, or for a slightly drier rum in similar style, Zacapa’s 15 Anos.

These are consistent award winners. As rums of Spanish speaking nations, they are called “Ron” on the bottle. Rhum is the French appellation. I myself dote on the rums of Venezuela and will never be without a bottle of Pampero Aniversario onboard. This is a classic dark rum, aged in used whiskey casks for 6 years and with a subtle sweetness that reminds me of all the best aspects of the rum flavor in a good dish of Bananas Foster.

Santa Teresa, Diplomatico and Cacique are other well-known rums from this country that so troubled our former President. Top labels regardless of origin include such names as El Dorado, who make incredibly fl avorful rum from demerara sugar in a unique style that goes well with cigars. Then there are rums from Barcelo and Flor de Cana, again representing another national style, this time the Dominican Republic.

Barcelo Imperial is a rum of great taste and refinement and would be a welcomed offering on board any properly stocked Herreshoff or Trumpy. I could go on, but should I? I think you get the point. Rum is even distilled here in the US, far from most local sources of cane. And we have a broad range of highly talented and quality oriented producers, so don’t stop at the Bacardi or Captain Morgan’s shelf! You will have done me, and yourself, a huge disservice if you do.

I have no interest in Captain Morgan, except that I do fancy Geena Davis in the role she filled so well in “Cutthroat Island.” But she’s the only Captain Morgan I can abide! I have this to say regarding the “whiskey plank” itself. You know what the whiskey plank is, don’t you? It’s the last plank to be hung on any job. It marks
the end of the build insofar as the hull is concerned, and if you’re the guy who hung those boards, you’ll probably want to bring a glass of your favorite poison to "the moaning chair" in the corner of the shop where you can survey the fruits of a long labor.

Unfortunately for the sake of this happy little lifestyle article and, I would add, the poor schlep who built the boat, you can’t call rum “whiskey (as in rye or bourbon), or whisky (as in Scotch whisky) for that matter.” Rum is rum, ron or rhum, but it is never whiskey. So I propose we all break with tradition just this once and pour ourselves a nice glass of Ron Atlantico, Appleton XO or Mount Gay Extra Old.

Goslings Black Seal from Bermuda with ginger beer is very nice too, and makes the famous Dark and Stormy they drink on that island, and elsewhere when sailors gather. Looking at the finished hull with such a glass in hand strikes me as the only proper way to do it. We could always substitute some Barbencourt 15 year or Angostura 1919 from Trinidad. Tell me these far away places, reachable only by sea, don’t completely enhance the allure of rum! Go ahead.

Explain to me you’d rather drink a spirit that it’s most ardent admirers claim is at it’s best when it tastes like peat moss, or one that has to be filtered through charcoal to make the grade! Puleeeze! Rum is for sailors, sailors are for rum. Ever may it be so! You need to do some research on the topic! Shall we begin on your boat, or mine?