Annie Maier and Nicole Sodrick sponsored a well-attended outing to the Muddy River Distillery located on the Catawba River in Belmont Saturday afternoon March 16, 2019.
Lunch
The group gathered at Nellie’s Southern Kitchen for lunch prior to the tour of the local Distillery.
Tour
Much is to be learned from taking a tour of the Muddy River Rum Distillery. The rum brew may start out as a simple recipe of sugar, molasses, water, and yeast, but it’s the extra love, attention, experimentation, and perseverance that Rob and Caroline Delaney put into each batch that makes it the hallmark Muddy River brand.
The distillery was founded in 2011. In a few short years, the production has grown to 3 stills that run 18 out of 24 hours and produce 1200 bottles of rum per day.
Processing starts with the fermenting of a recipe into alcohol and is defined as Heads, Tails or Hearts. Caroline’s experienced palette judges the path each product takes.
Alcohol batches called Hearts will eventually turn into the final rum. There are 3 categories of final product.
- Silver Rum is clear in color and is bottled and sold as a young product and is often used as a mixer rum.
- Queen Charlotte’s Rum is aged 1-4 years in oak barrels and has the distinct amber color and a smooth mellow taste.
- The infused rums have 3 distinct flavors. Basil Rum, Coconut Rum, and Muddy River’s best seller, Spiced Rum.
Infusion must be a popular technique because there are cigar producers that are making cigars infused with Muddy River Rum.
This was the most fun outing. Everyone enjoyed lunch, the tour, and tasting of the various rums. Our tasting glasses were a gift to take home and yes, we did purchase bottles. It was noted that North Carolina law only allows five bottles per year per person to be purchased at the Distillery. The local ABC stores carry the Muddy River brand.
Many thanks to Annie and Nicole for arranging this wonderful outing.