Platinum Rum from Vitae Spirits in Charlottesville.
“I became a microbiologist because I was making crappy beer,” says Vitae Spirits founder Ian Glomski. “I took a microbiology course to find out what was wrong.” He learned well, earning a PhD in molecular and cell biology from the University of California, Berkeley, and working as an anthrax and infectious diseases expert at UVA medical school before leaving in 2014 to distill rum full time.
“To make good liquor you have to be able to make a good beer, since that’s your starting material,” Glomski says. His Platinum Rum is clear and clean, with a light sweetness just right for a mojito or (Glomski’s favorite) a classic daiquiri. “Just rum, lime juice and simple syrup,” he says. “Because I really like to taste the rum.”
Trading with his neighbor Brian Ashworth at Ace Biscuit & BBQ, Glomski uses sugarcane grilled on housemade hickory and oak charcoal to infuse his Golden Rum with smoky caramel flavor, then—in a truly full circle spirit—he gives the rum-infused cane back to Ashworth for smoking the pig. $36.99 per 750-milliliter bottle. VitaeSpirits.com
Vitae Spirits was selected as a winner in our 2016 Made in Virginia Awards. Click here to view the full list of winners.
Gold-N-Stormy
Vitae Spirits, Charlottesville 1 ½ ounces Vitae Spirits Golden Rum 2 slices of lime 3 ounces Reed’s Extra Ginger Brew Muddle lime slices in a rocks glass. Add ice and rum. Fill glass with ginger brew.
