Chef Distilled Spirits at Key West First Legal Rum Distillery

Key West has a long association with illegal rum. Moonshiners once used the island’s isolation to make spirits with molasses and sugarcane syrup from nearby sugar estates. More recently during prohibition, rum runners would make brief stops there while smuggling Caribbean rum to places further north like Atlantic City, and New York City. The story of legal rum in Key West is far more recent. It began when Paul Menta established the island’s first rum distillery in 2012. 

Menta has been described by Chad Crawford in a documentary about the Florida Keys as “a Florida renaissance man”. He once kitesurfed ninety miles from Key West to Cuba, organized an annual parade to honor Jimmy Buffett, and competed against Gordon Ramsey in a culinary showdown on National Geographic.

Of his many achievements, starting up Key West First Legal Rum Distillery is probably the one that has had the biggest impact. It is the most southern distillery in the United States, one of the highest rated craft distilleries in the country, and a company deeply entrenched into local life in the Conch Republic. The free distillery tour is one of the top things to do in Key West, and the perfect way to understand the ethos of the company while also tasting some rum.

Key West First Legal Rum Distillery is located in a historic building long associated with libations. It once served as a saloon before becoming a Coca-Cola factory over one hundred years ago. During this time, the soft drinks bottled here were shipped down south to Cuba and mixed with rum to make the first Cuba Libre cocktails. The legacy continues with what Menta describes as “Chef distilled rum”. It is chef distilled in the sense that the rum making is strongly influenced by his decades of experience as a fine dining chef.

The process begins with first-press Florida-grown cane sugar that is mixed into a wash, and allowed to ferment for a few days. During this time, the exact brix level and alcohol content is routinely checked, but Menta also regularly samples the fermenting wash just like how a chef would taste a sauce or marinade to ensure that the right flavors are present.

From here, it is distilled in small batches using a pair of pot stills. Both stills, as well as the fermentation tanks are mounted on wheels, just like the commercial cooking equipment in a restaurant kitchen. This is due to Menta’s culinary approach to rum making, as well as the need to move equipment in the event of a hurricane evacuation. After it’s distilled, the rum is allowed to rest in barrels for a few days, and then filtered following a method from the 1940s using activated charcoal, and a chef’s pot hanging from the ceiling.

This unaged, clear rum is bottled uncut as Key West Legend Rum, and also diluted to eighty proof and bottled as Key West First Legal Rum. The rum is clean and dry, with notes of green olive, D’anjou pear, and green grapes. Somewhat similar to an Agricole Blanc, but a lot cleaner.

Key West First Legal Rum is used as the base rum in the Mojito class offered at the distillery. During this class, the instructor combines local ingredients like Florida-grown cane sugar and key lime juice with methods learnt behind the bar in Cuba to make a Mojito unique to the Florida Keys. In addition to learning some cocktail tips and history, participants get a Mojito to drink as well as a bar spoon, muddler, and branded glass.

They also use Key West Green Coconut Rum in their Mojitos. This flavored rum is made by infusing the unaged spirit with the jelly-like flesh, and liquid from locally-sourced immature coconuts. Green coconuts have a subtle flavor that is sweet, salty, and savory at the same time. This rum is very similar to a white rum and coconut water highball, but it is more intense, and the flavors are a bit better integrated. Due to the presence of certain natural polyphenols, coconut water turns pink over time. These same polyphenols are present in this rum, and locals often seek out older bottles with this light pink hue since they’re said to be more flavorful.

The line of flavored rums also includes a Cuban Coffee Rum that is made with an extract of barrel aged coffee beans, and Key West Devil’s Rum that is infused with cinnamon leaf oil. The most popular among these is the Glazed Pineapple Rum. To make this one, Menta flambés slices of pineapple using rum, brown sugar and a brûlée torch. The concentrated juice is then squeezed from the caramelized fruit, clarified, and combined with the rum. The result is a rich rum with notes of ripe fruit and demerara syrup.

It’s easy to see how Menta approaches these flavored rums by concentrating the flavors from real ingredients just as a chef would. A similar approach is taken when ageing rum at Key West First Legal Rum Distillery. The company uses a process to treat their barrels called salt curing, where they roll brand new American oak barrels into the ocean and fill them up with salt water. The reason for doing this instead of simply using tap water is because the sea is just a short walk away while fresh water is pumped over one hundred miles from the mainland to Key West, so it is sustainable while also adding a local touch.

The saltwater swells the wood and keeps the barrel watertight. After the water dries, salt and other minerals crystallize within the wood, and create small cuts on each stave. These cuts allow the rum to have more interaction with the wood as it matures within the barrel. The rum more effectively absorbs the tannins from the wood, but it also absorbs the oceanic minerals as well.

After spending some time in these salt-cured barrels, the rum is bottled as Key West Raw and Unfiltered Rum. It’s rounded and buttery, with notes of caramelized banana, and dried seamoss. Key West Legal Rum’s best seller called Bad B*tch Spanish Marie Rum is also aged in salt-cured barrels. Instead of American oak though, they use French oak casks that previously held Pinot Noir wine for seven years. The aroma of this rum is somewhat savory, reminiscent of fleur de sel and white truffle. There are also notes of starfruit and plum, initially dry and tannic but then sweet and juicy as it opens up more.

Bottles are exceedingly rare, but definitely worth seeking out as profits benefit local charities, and meteorologist Jim Cantore has referred to the “hurricane infused” spirits made by Key West First Legal Rum Distillery as “a rum with no rival”. Similarly rare is the 105 Simonton Rum which is a blend of several casks that are aged for a further three years and bottled at a higher strength, or the 10 Year Solera that was finished in limousin casks made from fallen oak trees that were planted in the mid-nineteenth century, and released to celebrate their tenth anniversary.

The rarest however, is the Colonial Rum distilled by Paul Menta at the Stoll and Wolf Distillery in Pennsylvania using a recipe and methods from the mid 1700s. It is a part of a collaboration with other American craft distillers that also includes spirits made at the George Washington Distillery and Gristmill in Mount Vernon that are currently aging there.

At Key West First Legal Rum Distillery, Menta has some rum maturing in barrels that previously held George Washington’s Rye Whiskey that would be released in the future, and the Colonial Rum is going to be released in 2026. This rum is strong, but smooth rather than harsh, with a faint aroma of buttered popcorn and gasoline. Each sip is warm and sweet, with notes of gingerbread cookies, roasted marshmallow and kettle corn.

This rum would be very similar to the Barbados rum that George Washington served at his inauguration in 1787, and interestingly it is reminiscent of the white rum from Saint Nicholas Abbey in Barbados. Sipping this historic and unique rum in a building closely connected to cocktail culture in both Key West and Cuba as the sun goes down is the perfect way to end the day.