Fair spirits company brings Belize rum to the UK

By Tara Craig

Published: 03 October, 2013

The Fair spirits company has brought its premium rum to the UK, following success in France.

Fair Rum originates in Belize, using sugar cane grown with organic and sustainable farming methods on small plots, then hand-harvested to maximise the yield and protect the land. Growers belong to the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association and work to fair trade standards.

Fair works closely with The Fairtrade Foundation, meeting more than 200 rules and guidelines to ensure that it pays the farmers at a fair price. Paying a fair price enables them to cover the production costs, live from farming and educate their children.

Fair Rum is made from molasses from this sugar cane and then aged for five years in American oak barrels. Once aged, the rum is shipped to Cognac, France where master distiller Philip Laclie fine-tunes it before bottling. The bottles are supplied by a French glass maker.

It has a complex, aromatic structure. A mix of amber and gold in colour, Fair Rum has notes of chocolate, coffee and grilled bananas. The rum has a smooth mouth-feel with palatable hints of vanilla and chocolate.

"Following the success of the Fair vodka, we wanted to launch an aged spirit, something more noble", founder Alexandre Koiransky explains. "As soon as I set foot in Belize, I knew I wanted to help the country's producers."

Fair Rum is distributed by La Maison du Whisky in France, and Coe Vintners in the UK, with an RRP of £38.00 for a 70cl bottle.

The Fair spirits company was founded in France in 2009 by Koiransky and is the first fair trade spirits brand. The company is dedicated to high quality products that are sourced ethically and sustainably.

Its first product, a quinoa vodka, was the result, said the company, of 'a two-year joint research project between French distillers and Bolivian farmers'.

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