Industry | Alcoholic beverage |
---|---|
Founded | 2013 |
Founder | Paul Joseph Menta Tony Mantia |
Headquarters | , U.S. |
Area served | U.S. |
Products | Rum |
Website | Official website |
Chef Distilled is an American rum distillery founded in 2013 by Paul Joseph Menta [1] in Key West, Florida, in the former Coca-Cola bottling plant on 105 Simonton St. [2] The rum is distilled on site in two custom-made copper pot stills made by Vendome Copper and Brass Works in Louisville, Kentucky.
The distillery and methods of using the Key West heat, humidity and pressure temperature combinations to produce distinct flavors in the rum was featured on The Weather Channel with Jim Cantore which premiered the first day of the 2014 hurricane season.
Chef Distilled was opened on the 5th of December, 2013, precisely at 5:32 pm - the same day and time when the 21st amendment of the US Constitution was ratified. This is an official anniversary of the company. [3]
Paul Joseph Menta (born March 1, 1966) is a professional kiteboarder, [4] [5] acclaimed chef [6] and restaurateur of Key West eateries [7] [8] who is also currently serving as the Speaker of the House of the Conch Republic, the micronation that seceded from the United States on April 23, 1982, in protest over a United States Border Patrol blockade which severely damaged the tourism economy of the Florida Keys.
Paul Joseph Menta has established the Chef Distilled philosophy as “chef first, then distiller”. [9] With his culinary background, he compares similarities between healthy cooking and the spirit distilling process, the company prides itself in producing rums with only native Florida ingredients like unrefined Demerara sugar from Belle Glade, Florida, instead of molasses, [10] without any preservatives or artificial flavoring, the Chef’s flavored brands use whole vanilla bean stalks and real Key limes grown in the Florida Keys. The simplicity of ingredients and method of distilling six times and filtering out fusel oils that result in headaches [11] produces a cleaner rum. [12]
Key West First Legal Rum is the flagship 80-proof white rum that is brought out of the still at 147 proof with the lower proof giving it more flavor, the name pays tribute to the history of rum running and moonshiners that abounded in the Florida Keys during the prohibition era. White Light is a lighter clear rum that is distilled at a higher proof around 170 to start, which just like vodka gives it a light or neutral flavor, it is then cut with spring water to bring it to 90 proof. [13] The dark rums are brought out of American oak casks twice a year; the salt cured barrels are first soaked in ocean water taken directly from the nearby Simonton beach to give a unique local mineral flavor. Key West Raw and Unfiltered is 80-proof and 105 Simonton, whose name reflects both the distillery address and the proof of the spirit itself. [14] The Chef’s Rum line currently features the flavored rums Vanilla Brûlée Dark, Devils Rum, Mint, and Key Lime with Green Coconut, Glazed Pineapple, Duval St. Spiced Rum, Chocolate Soufflé and many more in the works through the federal label approval process. [15]
Bundaberg Rum, colloquially known as Bundy, is a dark rum owned by Diageo. It is produced in Bundaberg East, Queensland, Australia, by the Bundaberg Distilling Company. In 2010, the Bundaberg Distilling Company was inducted into the Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame.
Vodka is a clear distilled alcoholic beverage. Different varieties originated in Poland, Russia, and Sweden. Vodka is composed mainly of water and ethanol but sometimes with traces of impurities and flavourings. Traditionally, it is made by distilling liquid from fermented cereal grains and potatoes since the latter was introduced in Europe in the 18th century. Some modern brands use corn, sugar cane, fruits, honey, and maple sap as the base.
Bourbon whiskey is a barrel-aged American whiskey made primarily from corn (maize). The name derives from the French House of Bourbon, although the precise source of inspiration is uncertain; contenders include Bourbon County, Kentucky, and Bourbon Street in New Orleans, both of which are named after the House of Bourbon. The name bourbon might not have been used until the 1850s, and the association with Bourbon County was not evident until the 1870s.
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McCormick Distilling Company is a distillery and alcoholic beverage importing company in Weston, Missouri. Established by Ben Holladay in 1856, the distillery has been registered in the National Register of Historic Places and is the oldest distillery west of the Mississippi River that is still operating at its original location.
American whiskey is whiskey produced in the United States. American whiskeys made from mashes with at least 51% of their named grains include bourbon whiskey, rye whiskey, rye malt whiskey, malt whiskey, wheat whiskey, Tennessee whiskey, and corn whiskey.
Rum is a liquor made by fermenting and then distilling sugarcane molasses or sugarcane juice. The distillate, a clear liquid, is often aged in barrels of oak. Rum originated in the Caribbean in the 17th century, but today it is produced in nearly every major sugar-producing region of the world, such as the Philippines, where Tanduay Distillers, the largest producer of rum worldwide, has its headquarters.
Downslope Distilling is a craft beverage distillery in Centennial, Colorado, United States.
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Watershed Distillery is a microdistillery in Columbus, Ohio founded in 2010 by business partners Greg Lehman and Dave Rigo. The distillery was the second distillery opened in Central Ohio after prohibition, and Watershed brought to market the first legally distilled bourbon whiskey in Central Ohio post-prohibition in 2012. The distillery offers tours to the public and was the first distillery in Ohio to open a restaurant on-site in February 2017, following the passage of Ohio House Bill 351 in 2016. The distillery offers six spirits: vodka, two types of American style gin, bourbon, nocino and a bottled Old Fashioned cocktail.
J. Rieger & Co. is an American distillery founded by Jacob Rieger in 1887. Located in Kansas City, Missouri, it was shut down in December 1919 due to the onset of federal Prohibition. The brand was reestablished in 2014 by co-founders Andy Rieger and Ryan Maybee, becoming the first legal distillery in Kansas City since Prohibition.