Hand-Crafted Artisanal Recipe, Gold and Silver rums
(link to PDF: Gubba-Rum-August-1-2014)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Steve Gubb (617-964-6299 / Steve@GubbaRum.com)
Gubba Rum Looks to New Orleans and South Florida Markets
After another great Tales of the Cocktail, Gubba Rum hopes to stick around permanently
(New Orleans, LA – August 1, 2014) Gubba Rum, one of America’s newest and smoothest rums, has set its sights on entering the New Orleans and South Florida markets—and it’s only natural.
After all, Gubba Rum has wowed the crowds two years running at NOLA’s Tales of the Cocktail, most recently on July 19 when folks lined up early to sip Gubba Silver mojitos paired with key lime pie at the historic Hotel Monteleone. So why not make the rum a permanent fixture in the bars, restaurants, and liquor stores of the Big Easy? And since it pairs so flawlessly with key lime pie, a South Florida staple, Gubba Rum might as well try its luck in the Sunshine State too. Indeed, it was just this spring when Gubba Rum sold out a case as the surprise hit at the Miami Rum Festival.
Its recent success in the Gulf States builds on the momentum of a busy year in which Gubba Rum has landed a distributor and also garnered favorable reviews from Cape Cod to Boston to Worcester, the home turf of owner and namesake Steve Gubb. Gubb was as optimistic as ever after a whirlwind week in New Orleans.
“Our goals at Tales of the Cocktail were to let the world know that the brand that was looking for a market in 2013 has now found one—Massachusetts—in 2014,” Gubb said. “Gubba Rum has arrived, and continues to grow and surprise. That was why we were at Tales—to maximize brand exposure and further the latest marketing efforts.”
Gubb arrived in New Orleans on a Wednesday and headed directly to a rooftop cocktail pool party at the Monteleone. Thursday was for tasting several different styles of rum—aged, flavored, and more—and a big bash at Harrah’s Casino, while Friday included samplings of whiskeys, gins, and vodkas from around the world. “If you don’t pace yourself, the days can easily begin to blur, to say the least!” Gubb joked.
All eyes—and palates—were focused clearly that Saturday, however, on the Gubba Rum Snack Stand in the Monteleone lobby, where the crowd started to build around 11:30 once word got out that the hotel chefs had prepared their mouth-watering key lime pie to pair with mojitos made with Gubba Silver, the natural coconut-infused counterpart to Gubba Gold, which is made with natural vanilla. By noon, nearly 150 people were waiting for the stand to open. Everyone had the chance to sample Gubba Silver and Gubba Gold as straight spirits—a smart move that stole the show in Miami too because it shows off just how very, very smooth Gubba Rum is.
“It happens at every tasting,” Gubb said. “Although they have not necessarily heard of Gubba Rum, after experiencing its great taste and amazing smoothness, they can’t forget it.”
Both the Gold and the Silver are step-up rums that are sure to compete with top-shelf brands, especially at its very competitive price.
The first 50 women at the tasting were given black Gubba Rum tank tops, and Gubb joked about which would be more popular, the rum or the shirts. Both went quickly, along with the pie. “The response was wonderful, as many people were raving about the taste of Gubba Rum, and wanted to know where to get it in NOLA or wherever they lived,” Gubb added.
For those who were disappointed to learn that Gubba Rum is distributed only in Massachusetts—for now—Gubb was pleased to note that new friends and contacts made at Tales are now helping him enter the South Florida and New Orleans markets. The brand exposure from the 2013 Tales proved invaluable in Gubba Rum’s initial launch, and this year’s event will surely bolster its marketing efforts.
Friends made at last year’s Tales of the Cocktail stopped by to enjoy the rum again this summer. Two Thirsty Guys, bloggers from Atlanta, made a point to come over and say hello, as did other old friends. Gubb also enjoyed seeing Allison Goldberg, the owner of Fruitations Craft Sodas, and Cocktail Mixers, who came to the snack stand for a visit. Gubba Rum’s smoothness makes it taste fantastic straight or on ice, but when mixing cocktails, Gubb said, “Fruitations are incredibly delicious products that we love. Great spirits and mixers make great cocktails even better.”
For rum lovers, it doesn’t get any better, any smoother than Gubba Rum. Distilled in Colorado, each batch goes through a six-month infusion. Neither Gubba Gold nor Gubba Silver contains any extracts or additives, and both are in the process of being certified as organic spirits. It’s a recipe sure to get attention in Boston and Miami and New Orleans, and anywhere else rum drinkers appreciate quality. Now it’s on to the San Diego Spirits Festival, August 23-24, 2014.
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For more information about Gubba Rum or to speak to Steve Gubb, please call 617-964-6299 or email at Steve@GubbaRum.com.
