#FreshOnTheShelf: Spytail rum launches amid category comeback

Truman and Orange, a Cape Town-based premium spirits company, has launched Spytail Black Ginger Rum, a premium spiced rum imported from France. Based on a 19th-century French tradition of ageing Caribbean rum with fresh ginger and spices in the barrels, it is distilled in the Caribbean and then aged, spiced and blended at a small family distillery in the Cognac region of France.

Submarines of old inspire the name and the bottle’s round shape is based on a bathysphere, a primitive form of submarine. The distillery where it is made is located near the river Charente where some of the world’s first submarines were built and tested.

The Spytail bottle has a porthole embossed on the front and back and hidden within it are the coordinates of the final resting place of Jules Verne. The navy blue and orange striped label, based on a French Naval signal flag, is adorned with engineering details from original submarine designs. The heavy stopper is crafted from metal and embossed with the words ‘Voyages Extraordinaires’, a nod to underwater adventurers.

The new rum is available nationwide in liquor stores and bars and restaurants in a 750 ml bottle, with 43% Vol Alc. and will be priced at approximately R350 bottle.