From molasses to glasses— the earliest records can be traced back centuries to the Caribbean islands. It’s said that enslaved workers got creative with the molasses that remained from the sugar cane purification process. Experimenting with fermenting those leftovers– they eventually distilled them into alcohol.  Over time, molasses started being exported to the United States where we used it as a base for rum, too!   Do you know how America  gained independence? Remember the revolution? Let’s revisit the “Boston Tea Party” . The name is cute but misleading. We’ll give you the real tea! It was a political protest that occurred on December 16, 1773, at Griffin’s Wharf in Boston, Massachusetts. American colonists were frustrated with Britain for imposing “taxation without representation”.  You know what was being taxed? Sugar. And consequently, rum!  Since America was making tons of it and the tax was cutting into earnings – we needed to take a stand. Or a dump! And that, we did! 342 chests of tea (imported by the British East India Company) were dumped into the harbor. This event was the first major act of defiance to British rule over the colonists. It showed Great Britain that Americans wouldn’t take taxation and tyranny sitting down. It ultimately rallied American patriots across the 13 colonies to fight for independence! By 1775, records show Americans consumed 3.5 gallons of rum per year.  And when the British got a taste of the “devil’s water” – they were sold, too! For nearly a century (1850-1970) the ships of the British Royal Navy (“grog”) would regularly give their soldiers rum on a daily basis. Imagine we were given a tot (2.4 oz) of rum for lunch by your boss? The 70s weren’t THAT long ago!  ​ Today across the world, rum is revered as a “Universal language” It’s journey represents us all. Especially in this big melting pot. The great experiment we call “America”