One of the main goals of the Memphis Rum Club is to bring new and exciting rums to Memphis, and thanks to our retail and distribution partners, we have been seeing a lot of new releases hit Mid-South shelves in the last few months.

The Memphis Quarterly Market Report gives a snapshot of rum availability and rum-related news that has changed in the previous quarter of the calendar year.

We'll be highlighting new arrivals to the market, standout bottles on the shelves at our favorite retailers, call out single barrels that are available, and spotlight events at bars and restaurants.

News & Arrivals

Here we'll focus on exciting news and the arrival of rums/brands that previously were not available in our market.

Denizen Arrives in Memphis

For members of the /r/rum or /r/tiki subreddits, the Denizen name should be very familiar– their Merchant's Reserve expression is a formula designed by industry-leading bartenders and tiki aficionados to be the ideal one-bottle solution for the rum portion of a Mai Tai recipe.

Denizen itself is a private label brand, meaning it sources rum from a broker (E&A Scheer), and bottles the resulting product. The brand recently underwent a redesign, bringing fresh life to their 3 expressions, which are now popping up around Memphis. Their 3 offerings are:

  • Denizen Aged White Rum
  • Denizen Merchant's Reserve
  • Denizen Vatted Dark Rum

Hampden Estate Releases 8 Marks Collection

Of all the rum producing countries/regions, Jamaica is most closely associated with the concept of the rum mark (or "marque"). While many distilleries have some identification for a particular "recipe" or process for producing a consistent product, Jamaican producers are well-known for the range of funk that their marks provide, as well as the interesting and cryptic naming of those marks.

Hampden Estate is one such distiller that produces a wide range of marks that they use in their products. For the first time, Hampden released an unaged set of their 8 marks, offering interested enthusiasts a chance to try the individual building blocks of the distillery.

Each 200ml bottle of rum comes with a matching label, but indicating the mark that the rum falls under. A really handy and data-intensive info sheet also comes in the rather large box, providing a breakdown of production methods for each mark, as well as the expected chemical composition.

For those who already love Hampden's rum, this is the perfect set to continue diving into the distiller's toolbox, while for those still new to rum, this could offer an opportunity to step through some increasingly funky offerings.

Store Selections

In lieu of listing every available bottle on Memphis shelves, this section highlights additions to different stores' rum selections throughout the past few months.

901 Wine & Spirits

  • Clairin Le Rocher
  • Denizen Aged White Rum
  • Denizen Merchant's Reserve
  • Denizen Vatted Dark Rum
  • El Amparo Ron Equatorial
  • Foursquare Covenant
  • Hampden Estate 8 Marks Collection
  • Transcontinental Rum Line Jamaica HD 2012 - FORT single barrel selection*

* On clearance at a reduced price of $64.99 + tax

Buster's Liquors & Wines

  • Foursquare Covenant
  • Foursquare Touchstone

Great Wines and Spirits of Memphis

  • Denizen Aged White Rum
  • Denizen Merchant's Reserve
  • Denizen Vatted Dark Rum

Single Barrel Spotlight

We are currently lining up the next single barrel selection. In the meantime, there are still bottles from our previous single casks available; find the details below, including a link to the announcement post, and the retailer that carries each release:

On-Premise Spotlight

This section is dedicated to events or themed nights at bars and restaurants that feature rum, rum cocktails, or rum education.

Cameo Says Goodbye to Tropical Tuesdays

With the planned opening of Marys' B.O.T.E. having been announced last quarter, Cameo decided that the December 5th Tropical Tuesday would be the last of the weekly themed night. For the occasion, Cameo decided to have a "Clear the Beach" menu, featuring their standard menu, with the addition of the Port Light and Cobra's Fang.

I was there handing out stickers and savoring the last few hours of the themed menu, and had a great time chatting with a bunch of prospective Rum Club members. It was a total hit and a great way to send off what ended up being a lightning rod for rum-lovers, and a "home base" for our monthly meet ups.