Recycling Bottles

[Edward Hamilton]

In the islands it is a common practice to recycle rum bottles back to the distilleries where they are washed and re-used. I recently had a discussion with a relatively small vodka producer in the US and suggested that if he would offer his customers the opportunity to recycle their bottles they would jump at the chance, especially in places like San Francisco where people are some of the most environmentally conscious in the country.

If given the opportunity to recycle your empty rum bottles would you endorse the practice. By recycle I don't mean melting them down to make more glass but rather reusing them without wasting most of the energy required to melt the glass, make new bottles and then distribute the remade glass back to the bottler.

In the not-to-distant past, Coca-Cola reused almost all of their bottles on the local level. Now you can hardly buy a Coke in a glass bottle. A growing number of US states charge a deposit on beverage containers so why not save more energy and re-use the glass. I know that as consumers we don't go through as many rum bottles as commercial enterprises but as consumers would you endorse a company that was trying to do the right thing in regards to the environment?

When you consider that the alcohol beverage trucks are on average less than half full does this make sense to you?

[Capn Jimbo]

As we skip merrily down the lane to environmental oblivion, recycling is a terrific idea. Along with taxing manufacturers for the environmental cost of cleanup, laws requiring recycling and any other scheme that promotes simple sanity.

The mantra of "growth, growth, growth" is way past sustainable and now it's time for profit through efficiency and effectiveness.

[Lew Barrett]

I have great difficulty "throwing away" some of my rum bottles, many of which I consider attractive, interesting, etc. I'm particularly fond of bottles like 1919, which are both functional and beautiful. So yes, I'd encourage recycling of those. I can't keep them all and a lot of energy and thought went into many of them!

[Tiare]

Originally Posted by Lew Barrett

I have great difficulty "throwing away" some of my rum bottles, many of which I consider attractive, interesting, etc. So yes, I'd encourage recycling of those. I can't keep them all

Me too..

Some of the spirit bottles here can be given back for recycling.

[Rumpelteazer]

How about if we take the empty bottles back to the distillery they re-fill them for us for half price

[Edward Hamilton]

In the islands you can buy bulk rum at many of the distilleries. It is dispensed at what look like a petrol pump with a meter. Filling bottles is impractical, most people bring jugs with much bigger mouths than bottles. The nozzle is much larger than the opening on a bottle.

[Tiare]

Like a gas station..something similar will never ever happen here...

[RumBarPhilly]

Originally Posted by Edward Hamilton

In the islands you can buy bulk rum at many of the distilleries. It is dispensed at what look like a petrol pump with a meter. Filling bottles is impractical, most people bring jugs with much bigger mouths than bottles. The nozzle is much larger than the opening on a bottle.

This could redefine "Keg Stands"...

[RobertBurr]

Originally Posted by Edward Hamilton

In the islands you can buy bulk rum at many of the distilleries. It is dispensed at what look like a petrol pump with a meter. Filling bottles is impractical, most people bring jugs with much bigger mouths than bottles. The nozzle is much larger than the opening on a bottle.

In St. Vincent, most of the locals bring their own bulk containers to the distillery twice a week to refill for about a dollar. They prefer their very strong rum "fresh" from the newest batch just distilled.

I am always amazed at how their very strong rum can smell like butterscotch candy and deliver a mouth feel unequaled by anything except, perhaps, kerosene or lighter fluid.

[Edward Hamilton]

Originally Posted by RobertBurr

I am always amazed at how their very strong rum can smell like butterscotch candy and deliver a mouth feel unequaled by anything except, perhaps, kerosene or lighter fluid.

At 160 US proof, St Vincent Strong Rum is strong by any measure, but it is also fresh from the still. On St Vincent Tuesday and Friday are the public sale days and most rum shop owners want the freshest rum they can get the hands on. Most distillers rest their fresh rum a few days to, on Martinique, a few months as part of the AOC designation. While the rum rests the lightest alcohols which you equate with kerosene or lighter fluid evaporate since they are more volatile.

It is also interesting to me that in the islands, more than a few people who are used to drinking molasses-based rum describe rhum agricole as smelling and tasting like kerosene. And at the same time, many French rhum agricole drinkers on Martinique describe molasses-based rums as smelling and tasting like kerosene.

One of the things that seems to be lost on most rum drinkers is that not all rhum agricole, or molasses-based rums are created equally. St Vincent Strong Rum is very different compared to the overproof rum from St Croix or the stronger Puncheon rum from Trinidad.