Rum Rotation (May 2026)
Sugarfield party of 5
Sipping tips: When you pick these up, I implore you to chew your food before swallowing. Most spirits taste harsh if you down them immediately (shots): you’re blasting your taste buds with high-proof alcohol. Take a small swig, let the liquid sit in your mouth, and hug every crevice for 4-5 seconds (open the taste buds). Down it. You’ll pick up all the flavors and truly know what the beverage tastes like. Once you do that 1-2 times, your palate is ready. Drink away. And to my NY’ers, I am sorry for all that wild language.
The last rotation was April 2026: William Hinton’s 3 year, Down Island Spirit’s Ghana (2020, ~4 year), and Worthy Park’s 12 year. It is *checks watch* 12:37pm on May 23rd, 2026. Which means I’m doing this in real time. Rum in the afternoon is never a bad thing. Alright, here we go!
Today, we’re all in on Doctor Thomas Soltau’s Sugarfield Spirits, based in Gonzales, Louisiana:
Sugarfield produces a range of spirits and liquers — vodka, corn whiskey, peach liquer, etc. — but I will, to absolutely no one’s surprise, focus on Sugarfield’s rum portfolio.
My philosophy on tasting rums remains the same: start with unaged products to understand what you’re tasting, then branch out to aged expressions; that linear journey lets you see what cask-aging does to the raw rum.
Some Louisiana melodies can’t hurt before we dive in, right?
Unaged x White Rum
There is an odd balance of sugar sweetness and astringency on the aroma that makes me feel like green apple, if it were sour, would smell like this on the inside. In trying to place this unaged rum, I think the average drinker would classify this expression’s aroma as being in the vodka wheelhouse, but not quite killing your nose in that rubbing alcohol sense that most vodkas emit. I like it: can see someone who’s into baking using this as a core ingredient akin to Jamaican rum cake makers soaking the goods in Wray & Nephew.
Sweet and sour lemon candy in taste. I can see this rum being a workhorse in cocktails. At 80 proof (40% ABV), the taste will come through, rest for a second, and then go away. But there’s a slight zing in flavor — back to that sweet/sour lemon candy thing — that sits with you for a second.
I do think the average drinker who needs to place it will still feel like it’s in a bucket that tastes closer to vodka if they’re not familiar with rum. For my cane spirits folks, this will feel light and vaguely familiar, but likely preferable in a cocktail vs. neat. My guess: that is the Doctor’s intent.
A mini technical sheet for the keen eyes among us:
Source material: molasses and raw cane sugar (note: I assume that the addition of raw cane sugar helps achieve the sugar-to-water ratio needed to enable fermentation; educated guess)
ABV: 40%
Makeup: Solera-inspired method whereby distillate is drawn from the stainless steel tank (i.e., different batches). Those different distillates are topped off with new make distillate.
Unaged
Method and still: Batch distilled on a column
Yeast and fermentation: Lallemand SR, 5 — 6 day fermentation
Unaged x Cane Juice White Rum
This right here is a reminder of how expressive the sugarcane plant truly is. I cannot stop smelling this rum because of how beautiful the aroma is: grassy galore. Cane juice, man, the smell never disappoints. I think that batch process hones the aroma more aggressively. Or at least that’s how my non-technical brain makes sense of the roar. Just gorgeous on the nostrils. It’s like a lemon candy got splashed by a vanilla wave.
Holds up right through to the taste. Still balanced at 92 proof, but a burst of flavor comes at you. Bright. Maintains that lemon-y, vanilla hug. Ton of grassy and earthy tones. Yea, this one is a winner for sure!
A mini technical sheet for the keen eyes among us:
Source material: 100% raw cane juice. The first press was done at Lula Sugar in Belle Rose, LA. Varietal is the hybrid sugarcane LSU 0299.
ABV: 46%
Makeup: A blend of unaged rums from the same year (2023)
Unaged
Method and still: Batch, hybrid still; pot on the stripping run, 4 tray column on the finishing run
Yeast and fermentation: Lallemand RM yeast, much faster (~60 hours). Ferment to dry over that time from a starting gravity of about 1.060
Other: Experimental Series Batch #008. Cane from the 2023 season, though the finishing runs were done in early 2024. Won gold at the 2025 Tales of the Cocktail. Third in the rum category overall.
Well done, Doctor, well done. Holding onto this one for dear life since it’s Experimental/small batch (i.e., when it’s gone, it’s gone).
Aged x 98.8 Proof
On the aroma, there’s a lot of those anticipated American cask notes — caramel and vanilla. However, it’s balanced by a bright, flowery tinge. The more I smell the liquid, the more I get a cherry-red note at the end, which will make sense once you see the technicals. But also, it’s a beverage that is a fan favorite in my household. So far, I can say that a unique characteristic of doc’s rums is that a lot is going on, yet it still feels like just enough. That is the best language I have to explain what I’m trying to convey.
Sharp and acidic on the taste, but mellow on the finish. Won’t kill you. That’s actually a really nice thing for people not incredibly well-versed in rum. Something to bite on entry, with a calm hug to the chest as it goes down. As opposed to the opposite: roar & more roar. I feel like this would really stand up in just about the only cocktail I allow myself to be familiar with, an old-fashioned.
One more nose and taste: there’s a peppery spice kick at the end I’m a fan of. Overall, well done.
A mini technical sheet for the keen eyes among us:
Source material: molasses
Makeup: Blend of 9 different barrels (8 ex-bourbon, 1 red port)
Aged: 30 — 33 months
Method and still: Batch, hybrid still; pot on the stripping run, 4 tray column on the finishing run
Yeast and fermentation: Lallemand RM yeast, longer fermentation (2 weeks).
Other: Proof around 120 (60% ABV) at the start of the blend, and eventually proofed down to 98.8 (49.4% ABV).
That 2-week fermentation makes a lot of sense now!
Aged x 111.2 Proof
But this is why higher proof should not force thoughts of more (using that term loosely). Because the aroma is much softer on this one, for reasons that will — again — make sense once you see the technicals. Matter fact, I won’t bury the lead: aged in red port cask. On average, this mellows out the distillate (not in a bad way). There’s a balance of soft astringency with those same cherry-red notes that provides a pleasant smell. What may appear as thin is more appropriately characterized as romantic & inviting. I suppose some would see the cask (and country) in that manner, depending on your worldview.
Bites on the palate, expected at 55.6% ABV. A ton more fruit-forwardness in this rum. I don’t know if my brain is playing tricks on me, but it has both the red-fruit notes (raspberry, dark cherries) and a slight hint of that heavy Jamaican fruit-forwardness. The combination of casks on this expression I respect. Rum makers trying things to see what works — we must patronize ($$$) those efforts so that they can continue to experiment, improve, and provide us with the best.
A mini technical sheet for the keen eyes among us:
Source material: molasses
Makeup: Single barrel (red port)
Aged: 3 years
Method and still: Batch; pot on the stripping run, column on the finishing run
Yeast and fermentation: Lallemand SR yeast, longer fermentation (2 weeks).
Other: Series #13
Spiced Rum x 80 proof
Out of my wheelhouse in terms of the type of rum I usually drink. Bear with me.
Alright.
Whoa!
A lot of baking spices. A LOT. The Spiced Rum smells like something a Caribbean person would use to season rice with. Cardamom and nutmeg are the stars in the aroma department, while the black pepper rounds things out.
Pimento Seed on the taste. Undoubtedly. This is why my brain went to rice & peas, because pimento seeds feature prominently in any rice & peas dish. And when you accidentally bite into one, it’s a taste you will never forget or mistake.
The Spiced Rum isn’t that aggressive (i.e., that pimento seed shock to the palate), but it is unmistakably that in taste. Hats off to the Doctor for this expression: gave us something unique and far-reaching in the most natural of ways.
My cocktail people, grab this immediately and go crazy!
A mini technical sheet for the keen eyes among us:
Source material: molasses and raw cane sugar
Method and still: Batch distilled on a column
Other: No extracts used, only whole spice co-macerated in the rum. The blend consists of cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, Mexican all-spice, black peppercorns, and vanilla. Macerated for several months in rum in a stainless steel tank. Racked off the spices and lightly sweetened with cane sugar
As you can imagine, this is how I feel right now (writing this in real time):
It is now *checks watch* 3:32pm. I’ll get this out in the next 10 mins or so.
Cheers and #rumresponsibly
P.S., for my people who really need a crash course on what rum is, please check out the latest video I uploaded on YouTube. You will have all the info you need after watching it.