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It sounds like a dream job, but making rum isn't all lying on the beach and sampling the product.
Troy Roberts, CEO and distiller of Siesta Key Rum, used to own Internet sports car sites that he sold in 2007.
“I've always been a rum drinker. I mean, I've been drinking rum on Siesta Key from, well I don't want to say when but, a long time ago,” Roberts says. “And I just wanted to do something fun.”
So, he bought a still.
Roberts first looked into a rum cake business since he had been making rum cakes for many years. While researching he came across people setting up small distilleries and decided to make the rum instead.
Good thing too, because Siesta Key Spiced Rum won Best in Class from the 2013 RumXP International Tasting Competition, one of the most prestigious rum competitions in the world held at the Miami Rum Festival. It also won Spiced Rum of the Year from the Caribbean Journal along with other acolytes from various publications.
But distilling is a heavily regulated business. A company must get approval from the Feds, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) and state and local governments.
Currently, the Florida Legislature has passed the proposal to give craft distillers the ability to sell liquor to tour visitors and at tastings. Before, only Florida wineries and brewpubs have this right.
Roberts says this will be good for small businesses and tourism. The new regulation will allow Roberts to add specialized spices to rum that wouldn't necessarily work with the regular distribution channel. For example, he could create a Christmas blend to sell straight from the distillery.
Florida's Retail Beverage Council opposed the bill, saying it would take business from distributors and retailers, according to the Associated Press.
Although the bill hasn't been signed into effect yet, Roberts is seeing distribution success in the form of Publix and Total Wine (which is distributing Siesta Key Rum to 13 different states.)
Roberts says the spirits industry is where the beer industry was before microbrewers. He says the big brewers were more focused on margins, which resulted in a drop in the quality of their products. When craft operations came in, the competition forced everyone to make a better beer. Now it's craft spirits' turn; smaller distillers are taking over where mass-market products are lacking.
Roberts thinks he has found the winning combination of real ingredients. For the spiced rum, Roberts grinds up spices, weighs them, puts them in a tank of rum, adds honey as sweetener then filters it. While big companies use liquid flavorings that are considered all-natural flavors by the TTB, Roberts believes you can tell the difference.
Want to hear about the rum making process? Maybe you're just ready for happy hour, either way; watch the following video to learn about Siesta Key Rum's production.
Petit Punch (Ti-Punch) Recipe
This is how Roberts likes to enjoy Siesta Key Gold Rum. The practice comes from the French West Indies, this is what they do in the islands:
Rum
Lime Juice
Cane Syrup or Simple Syrup (you can make this by boiling sugar and water)
Set out the ingredients and let each guest mix however much they want to.
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