Burrell and Seale launch Afro-Caribbean rum

Rum authorities Ian Burrell and Richard Seale have teamed up to create what is believed to be the world’s first Afro-Caribbean rum.

Equiano is said to be a world-first for the rum category

Equiano is a blend of molasses rums from Barbados-based Foursquare Rum Distillery, where Seale is master distiller, and Mauritius-based Gray’s Distillery.

Described as an “east and west” collaboration, Equiano is 100% natural with no added sugar, spices or colourants. It is said to be the first rum containing liquid from two different distilleries based on two different continents.

The rum is named after Olaudah Equiano, a Nigerian-born writer, abolitionist, traveller and freedom fighter, and is said to follow his journey – from Africa to the Caribbean and the UK.

Equiano contains molasses rum from Gray’s that has been aged for 10 years in a combination of French Limousin oak casks and ex-Cognac casks. This liquid is then blended with Foursquare rum that has been aged in ex-Bourbon casks.

Global rum ambassador Burrell and master distiller Seale worked together to produce a blended rum that they believe showcases “the flavours and characters of the Eastern and Western hemispheres”.

“Equiano is a first for a centuries-old craft,” said Seale. “[We] have created an entirely unique blend through a collaboration between two rum distilleries on two different continents.”

Burrell added: “Premium rum is on the rise, and more importantly the consumer that wants quality is demanding clarity, authenticity and intrinsic value in their rum. Equiano is a new style of rum; one that combines two rum cultures: African and the Caribbean.”

Equiano is bottled at 43% ABV and carries an RRP of £49.95 (US$64.00). Each year, a percentage of the profits from every bottle of Equiano sold will be donated to an equality-focused charity.