Pin Drop, A Woman-Founded Premium Bahamian Rum Launches In The U.S.

Pin Drop Rum pays homage to her tight-knit community

Hailing from Harbour Island in the Bahamas – known as a “pin drop” of a place by locals and visitors given its intimate setting – Pin Drop Rum is an ultra-premium brand recently launched in select markets across the United States. The small batch rum was created by a collective of creators and friends – Ithalia Johnson, Toby Tyler and Joe Ellison – who wanted to infuse the heart and the rich history of the Bahamas into a truly unique spirit.

The idea for Pin Drop Rum was born around Johnson’s kitchen table. She wanted to create a spirit that reflected her roots and paid homage to her tight-knit community. With Tyler’s experience as a master blender and Ellison’s connections in the island, they produced a new style of rum that amassed a passionate following amongst locals after its release in 2018.

Pin Drop is a blend of Caribbean rum distilled in pots and columns, which yields an elegant, balanced product. Each batch is aged for 10-12 years in bourbon oak barrels. On the palate, Pin Drop Rum offers hints of banana, dried apricot, mango and candied tropical fruit, with a buttery, velvety whisky finish.

“The spirits industry is entering a new era of exploration, which is leading to heightened interest in the rum category and its versatility,” said Johnson. “With the arrival of the Rum Renaissance and fans embracing the spirit like never before, Pin Drop Rum offers a unique style to experience rum from an unlikely place.”

The Bronfman family assisted with getting Pin Drop Rum in the US

The dark rum is best sipped neat or on the rocks, but it also works for a fantastic daiquiri and other cocktails where a strongly flavored rum will shine. For those who want to sip it like a local, the signature Rum & Rain — Pin Drop Rum and fresh coconut water — is the ideal cocktail to be transported straight to Harbour Island.

The signature bottle pays homage to the island’s national flag, with aqua, yellow and black colors that represent the elements of this tropical nation. It is decorated with Johnson’s likeness and a golden palm.

“Pin Drop reflects the Bahamian culture because it came into existence with the spirit of independence,” says Johnson. “We started as an idea at our kitchen table and made our way into the rum world as fearless entrepreneurs. The colors of the Bahamian flag and my face are prominent on the bottle, and we hope that people see the Bahamas when they see and taste Pin Drop Rum.”

Johnson explains that Pin Drop transcends rum’s colonial past by being conscious of it. “I am a black Bahamian woman and I sit at the table where it matters,” she states. “Pin Drop has helped and will continue to help causes in our community, and when people see me representing our rum, there is instant familial pride, a reclaiming or our rum history. Bahamians take pride in seeing the Bahamas on the world’s stage, and they are proud of us, because Pin Drop is becoming the Bahamian rum that could.”

To bring Pin Drop Rum to the U.S., the founding team joined forces with the Bronfman family. With Aaron Bronfman at the helm, the family’s industry tenure and legacy within the spirits and distilling business will take the brand to the next level, positioning it as a rum that stands the test of time.

Pin Drop Rum is on shelves now in specialty liquor stores and bottle shops in Florida, South Carolina and New York for $49.99 (750 ml bottle at 43% ABV), and is available direct to consumers in 32 states.

Source: Forbes