Renegade Rum
Renegade Rum is a pioneering, terroir-driven agricole rum distillery launched in 2020 by spirits visionary Mark Reynier—best known for reviving Bruichladdich and founding Waterford Distillery. Situated near Pearl on Grenada’s northeast coast, Renegade sets out to radically redefine rum by expressing the full spectrum of Grenadian terroir. Every aspect—from sugarcane variety and specific farm parcel to soil composition, elevation, and microclimate—is meticulously documented and celebrated through small-batch, precision distillation.
Key Features & Production
Raw Materials & Terroir: Renegade cultivates numerous sugarcane varieties, including Lacalome Red, Josh’s Field, and Yellow Lady, across multiple estate farms and terroirs. Each field’s unique combination of volcanic soils, slopes, and microclimates is explored and showcased, making Renegade one of the most terroir-focused rum producers in the world.
Distillation: Renegade employs both state-of-the-art column stills and traditional pot stills to extract the full aromatic potential of each terroir. The “Pre-Cask” range features unaged, single-farm bottlings—designed to spotlight the pure, raw flavors of cane juice and terroir before any oak influence. This approach is rare in the rum world, offering a transparent view of each field’s unique character.
Aging / Bottlings: While unaged expressions are Renegade’s core innovation, the distillery also produces the “Études” line—single-farm rums aged in a curated mix of new American oak and other casks. Limited “Singular Cask Study” releases (such as Yellow Lady cane aged 32 months) further explore the interplay of specific cane varieties, aging times, and barrel types, expanding the boundaries of rum maturation and provenance.
Flavor Profile & Experience
The unaged “Pre-Cask” rums burst with aromas of fresh-cut sugarcane, green grass, citrus zest, ripe tropical fruit, vibrant minerality, and delicate floral notes. The palate is intensely cane-juice-forward, crystalline, and expressive of field, soil, and weather—making each bottling uniquely traceable to its source.
Aged, single-cask, and wood-finished expressions layer in notes of toasted oak, vanilla, caramel, dried and tropical fruits, sweet spice, and subtle minerality or umami—flavors that vary distinctly with barrel type, aging time, and the original cane variety. These rums retain Renegade’s signature clarity and terroir transparency even as they gain depth from maturation.
Brand & Values
Transparency is a core Renegade value: every bottle features a unique “Cane Code,” allowing drinkers to trace the rum’s journey from farm and cane variety through harvest, fermentation, distillation, and even microclimate conditions. This radical openness provides consumers with unprecedented insight into the provenance and craftsmanship behind each release.
Renegade’s philosophy centers on terroir, sustainability, and close partnerships with smallholder farmers. The distillery features cutting-edge infrastructure, but cane is often harvested by hand in Grenada’s steep, challenging fields—preserving biodiversity and supporting the local agricultural community. Every aspect of production is engineered for precision, traceability, and environmental responsibility.
