I had started a post on Key West’s First Legal Rum Distillery after my visit there but unfortunately didn’t get too far after my notes were accidently thrown out by the hotel housekeeper. After seeing them featured alongside Wynwood Brewing on the Brewdogs Miami episode, I didn’t want to admit defeat & reached out to one of the folks that accompanied us and asked if she'd do a guest post.

Last summer we met up with Victoria Elizabeth down in Key West. We were Twitter friends and since she lives in Key West, we made plans to grab a beer when I was working there. I already had plans to check out the distillery so I suggested that we meet there. It’s funny how things happen – Victoria wasn’t even aware of the distillery when I brought it up and now she works there part time.

Here’s what Tor shared with us…

Key West’s First Legal Rum Distillery was started by Paul Menta, a Key West local and avid kite boarder. They feature 8 different types of rum: Legal, Local, Vanilla Brulee Dark, Duval Street Spiced, Devil’s Rum, Key Lime, Raw & Unfiltered and 105 Simonton. All of the rums are distilled 6 times and are made with pure Florida sugar cane. All of the ingredients are all natural and they do not use any added coloring or dyes.

I actually work at the distillery part time doing tastings with anyone who comes in. They are open 10am to 8pm daily and we host free tours Monday-Saturday at 3:00 and 3:30pm. The distillery location has a lot of history dating back to the 1900’s when it was Jack’s Saloon. It was also a Coca Cola bottling plant at one time. You don’t see Coke bottles that say “Made in Key West” anymore.

Legal Rum “Mother Rum” – Has notes of butterscotch and pear as well as a smooth finish.

Local Rum – This rum was developed for the “Local” bars in town so they can have a premium rum that was made on the island to serve in well drinks. It is also distilled at a higher tempature.

Vanilla Brulee Dark Rum – We take whole vanilla beans, slice them down the middle then roll them in pure Florida sugar cane. We then infuse them for about 10 to 12 hours.

Duval Street Spiced Rum – We infuse cardamon, clove, vanilla beans, allspice, 3 citrus spices and its finished with basil.

Devil’s Rum – We infuse cinniamon leaf oil and finish with orange zest. Spicy yet refreshing.

Chef’s Real Key Lime Rum – We take whole Florida key limes over to Kermitts Key Lime and have them juced. We then infuse the juice and rinds for about 10 to 12 hours.

RAW and Unfiltered Rum – We barrel age the Legal rum for about 5 months. The unique thing that we do is when we swell our barrels we use sea water vs regular water to add a layer of salt to the charring on the inside of the barrel.

105 Simonton Rum – We barrel age the RAW and Unfiltered for an additional 105 days and also sell it at 105 proof.

Victoria Elizabeth is the owner of TORsAdventures Media. TORsAdventures is where she writes about Life’s Ups, Downs and a few blonde moments along the way. You can find her on Twitter @TORsAdventures.