Blackwater Distilling, the Kent Island facility known for Sloop Betty Vodka, announced the release of its second spirit, white and gold Picaroon Maryland Rum. The rum begins with raw sugar, rather than the typical blackstrap molasses of most rums, which is final product of the sugar refining product.

“Picaroon is an old word for rogue or scoundrel,” says Blackwater CEO Christopher Cook.”We’ve really gone against the grain and created a different rum, and we wanted the name to reflect that brash, uncompromising character.”

Cook goes on to explain that the rum defies the typical formula in many ways, from the raw sugar used in the fermentation to the one-of-a-kind structured copper packing in Blackwater’s column still. He recommends that Picaroon be sipped neat or on the rocks. See sample recipes below for other ideas.

As far as the tasting profile is concerned, distiller Jon Blair says the cane syrup from Brazil jumps out right away. In the white rum, there’s a nose of tropical fruit and vanilla and the gold rum contains an in-house caramel that creates a sweetness and toasted marshmallow flavor.

Picaroon rum will soon be available at various liquor stores and bars in the Baltimore area, most notably Rye in Fells Point, where Blair bartends on Thursday nights. Of course, you can also get it straight from the source at Blackwater Distilling, which is open regularly for tours and tastings.

This is the second brand of rum now distilled on the Eastern Shore, along with Lyon Distilling in St. Michael’s, which makes white, dark and barrel-aged rums as well as corn whiskey and rye.

To read more about Maryland’s burgeoning distillery scene, which just launched its own guild, check out our upcoming July issue.

The Pocomoke

• 2 oz Picaroon Maryland White Rum
• ¾ oz fresh squeezed lime juice
• ½ oz simple syrup
• ¼ oz Maraschino Liqueur
  Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice, shake, and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry.

Queen Anne’s Revenge

• 2 oz Picaroon Maryland Gold Rum
• ½ oz fresh squeezed lime juice
• ½ oz Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters
  Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice, shake, and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a slice of ginger root.

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The tours educate visitors about the history of distilling in Maryland; the science of fermentation, distillation, and barrel-aging; and the production processes of vodka, rum, and whiskey. Like any good tour, it concludes by having visitors taste Blackwater’s flagship Sloop Betty vodka and Sloop Betty Honey, and also get a sneak peek at their upcoming rum (to be released by the end of the year).

Another element to the tour is Blackwater’s weekly infusion of its products, allowing visitors to sample flavored spirits like apple pie, blueberry pie, and peach-ginger and sending them home with a mason jar and featured recipe kit to try out the infusions at home. 

“There’s so much that goes into a handcrafted, small-batch spirit,” says Blackwater CEO Christopher Cook. “We want people to be able to come in and see the entire process from start to finish. But the process doesn’t end at the distillery, and we want to show off the things people can do at home, like make your own delicious natural flavors rather than going to the store and buying a vodka or moonshine flavored with mass-market essential oils or some chemical creation.”

So, next time you’re crossing the Bay Bridge headed for a beach weekend, get a break from traffic and stop off at the Kent Island distillery for knowledge, samples, and a recipe to take home.

You can read more about Blackwater and its flagship Sloop Betty vodka in the August issue, on newsstands now!

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