New Grove Oak Aged

The European Union noticed that enterprises can have a negative impact on society and the environment. The community recommends preventing and counteracting the undesirable effects as part of corporate social responsibility (CSR). The companies can adjust... voluntarily.

On the other hand the Mauritian Ministry of Finance imposed a mandatory 2% social and environmental development contribution on all registered (and profitable) companies. Funded programs must be accredited by the Mauritius Revenue Authority (MRA) at the time of submitting their tax returns.

You won't believe it - everyone is satisfied: local communities, NGOs, state authorities and even the companies themselves. The latter may be compelled to smile as the resistance would be negatively perceived and could affect their reputation. It seems also that Friedman's 'greed is good' is not so sexy anymore. Profit maximization doesn't have to be the one and only goal of business, can you imagine? To console the inconsolable - investments in CSR translate into customer satisfaction and reduce employee fluctuation, which in the long term enhances the company's financial performance.

Grays Distillery is part of the Terra Mauricia Ltd conglomerate. I admire their approach to reporting; materials are synthetic, transparent and aesthetic. The same applies to brand communication; successfully rebranded (2018) in cooperation with WDK Solutions. The endemic plant Latanier Bleu Palm leaf was chosen on the logo. Tropical and exotic colors have replaced the previous black backgrounds. The brand was founded in 2003 but only recently uses the claim '5 Star Rum Single Estate Brand' as well as 'from field to glass' meaning…

...all processes are handled by the Mauritians themselves. They own plantations where they grow 12 sugarcane varieties on 16k hectares. The fermentation lasts 30-hour basing on their own yeast strain. The wash goes through multiple column distillation (94% abv). The purity of the distillate is verified using gas chromatography. The blend is aged for one to three years in used French Limousin Oak barrels, some of them holding cognac before. However, 30% of the distillate ends up in new barrels to gain more complex aromas. The final result is rum and water - without sugar, dyes or other additives.

New Grove is completely transparent about the production process. I can't explain why some distributors and even reviewers provide the incorrect aging period (1-15 years).