A decade or so ago, while driving through KwaZulu-Natal cane fields, Clinton Wyness began wondering why South Africa was the only sugar cane-producing region in the world that didn't have its own rum.
He still doesn't have an answer, but what he does have is Zulu Rum, an exceptionally smooth molasses-based spirit.
It's available in three varieties: Clear Zulu Rum, which is light and great for cocktails; Zulu Gold Rum, with a raisin flavour; and the dark Zulu Impi Rum.
The product has been on the shelves for just over a year with surprising success. It is the most-sold spirit at Durban's King Shaka International Airport, and is available at around 160 outlets throughout the province.
A first order of stock has just been shipped to New Zealand, of all places, after a big Australasian distributor took a liking to the product.
Wyness and his partner, Wayne Oliver, had a specific idea of the flavour profile they were looking for in their beverage.
They approached a distiller, an old friend, who created a batch of samples, none of which quite hit the mark. He went back to the lab and started again. This time, said Wyness, he got it spot-on.
'Rum is usually a harsh drink. We like to think this is the smoothest on the market. I've drunk rum from all over the world but nothing comes close to this.'
How they make it so smooth is a trade secret.
'Colonel Saunders has nothing on us. When we die the recipe dies with us.'
It takes time and commitment to convert a market. The fact that it is the first local rum has given the producers an 'in' with bars and retailers in KZN.
Nevertheless, potential drinkers need persuading. Rum has a hardcore reputation.
'The ladies say they don't drink rum, even though research shows that women are 4-million cases of rum ahead of men, thanks to cocktails,' said Wyness. Warming to his pitch, he says Zulu Rum's purity means no morning-after headaches - ever.
Source: The Times, via I-Net Bridge
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