Belizean Blue - Signature Blend
What a treat we have in store for you this month with Belizean Blue. The packaging is gorgeous, and the contents are just as good.
Belizean Blue is a brand from the Navy Island Rum Company. You may be familiar with Fine and Rare 1731, another of their brands, if you were subscribing to our box back in May last year, when we included a bottle of Fine and Rare 1731 British Indies XO. If not, then you can at least read up on it on or site soon. We’re currently in the process of uploading some of our older articles so everything can enjoy them.
"Aged for up to 7 years in ex bourbon oak barrels and crafted in Belize from locally grown, fairly produced sugarcane, this unique rum blend has a sweet and spicy flavour profile"
But for now, let’s take a look at this month's delicious rum!
The brand Belizean Blue is a unique rum brand distilled, aged & blended in Belize by Travellers Liquors Ltd. Situated in Central America along the Caribbean Sea, Belize is a small and sparsely populated country that relies heavily on agriculture and tourism. With the Belize Barrier Reef as a key attraction, the country’s low mountains, lush jungles, coastal plains and beautiful lagoons offer rich biodiversity.
The Blue Morpho, also known as the Belizean Blue, is among the largest butterflies in the world. Belizean Blue stands for fair Belizean rum, bringing you an authentic taste of the region.
Blue Morphos are a truly stunning butterfly. Evoking this is certainly setting the bar high! Will it deliver?
Belizean Blue is a blend of the finest Belizean rums aged for up to 7 years in ex bourbon oak barrels. Crafted in Belize from locally grown, fairly produced sugarcane, this unique rum blend has a sweet and spicy flavour profile with hints of coconut and vanilla.
This versatile ‘Signature Blend’ can be enjoyed neat or on the rocks, but also provides an excellent basis for creating cocktails. Belizean Blue is distilled, aged & blended by Travellers Liquors Ltd, a family-owned company based in Belize.
The colour is a beautiful hue of deep amber. The nose has notes of vanilla, toffee and soft baking spices, cinnamon and nutmeg. On the palate the profile is delicate & sweet yet full of flavour with notes of vanilla, sweet toffee, caramel and soft spices. There is a long, sweet and spicy finish, and the overall experience is incredibly smooth.
Belizean Blue is a signature blend developed in direct cooperation with a local distillery. This authentic rum comes straight from the source, bringing the best of Belize to a broader international market. Belizean Blue is distilled, aged
& blended by Travellers Liquors Ltd, a family-owned company based in Belize.
The distillery is located in the capital city of Belmopan, with access to local molasses from the two sugar factories in Belize. The distilled spirits are then shipped an hour from Belmopan to Belize City where they blend, age, bottle and distribute the products. The company was founded in 1953 by Jaime Omario Perdomo, a self-educated entrepreneur and creator of award-winning blends. He first concocted blends using rums from other distilleries, over time branding the blends and eventually acquiring the present distillery. Since Don Omario’s passing, the second generation has managed the distillery as well as the bottling, blending and distribution facility. Incorporated in 1985, it remains a family-owned firm to this day.
Travellers Liquors Ltd. is Fair Trade Certified – as is the entire sugar industry in Belize. In addition to their initiatives to recycle and reuse bottles, they have also built a wastewater treatment plant at the distillery and are exploring options for transporting vinasse for use as fertiliser.
I love a regional blend, as it gives a unique sense of flavour profile coming from various distilleries in the area. However, it’s always nice to get a more detailed snapshot of one distillery and the sort of flavours they’re producing. So, let’s find out a little more about Travellers.
Travellers Liquors began was first founder in 1953. The company was founded by Master Blender Omario Perdomo and it gained its name from the success it achieved in serving travellers along the main route to and from Belize City.
In 1992, the company completely upgraded its distillation facility, stepping away from other distilleries which use acids to speed up the fermentation process. For its rum products, Travellers employs high- test molasses with natural fermentation, coupled with a double-distillation method for smoother taste. Apart from traditional distilled products like rum and vodka, Travellers also produces liqueurs and wines from Belizean fruits and is the only Belizean refinery that does this.
In 1995, Travellers passed standards set for vodka by the U. S. Bureau of Tobacco, Alcohol & Firearms, clearing the way for its first shipment of 1,600 gallons of Cane Juice Vodka to the U. S. for sale in 39 states. A year later, Travellers captured two awards at the Annual Rum Tasting contest, the only company of the 131 who entered to win in two major categories. Not bad at all!
It was in 2005 that the first shipment of One Barrel rum came to the United States. A single pallet of 75 cases was delivered to H A P L.L.C. in Mesa, Arizona. From those humble beginnings One Barrel has grown to be distributed in over twenty states. Travellers Liquors distillery is located
in Belmopan, the capital city of Belize. Travellers uses local molasses, fermented and distilled in a triple column continuous still. The aging shed is in Belize City. Business offices, the bottling plant and shipping are also at the main facility in Belize City.
So not only is Travellers a prominent distillery from Belize, it’s also a unique one, and it’s rums produced here that are blended into the bottle of Belizean Blue, to give you a unique sense of Belizean rum.
If you like this rum and are interested in looking out any other Belizean Rums, Fine and Rare 1731 have a couple in their collection, again blended from rums from Travellers Liquors Ltd, a 7 year and a 12 year, both made from blends that are then aged in bourbon barrels in the warehouse of the distillery. The tasting notes, and ones that are likened to a Belizean style are that of “sweet and spicy with notes of ripe fruits”.
