Holmes Cay Fiji Single Blended Rum
Holmes Cay Fiji Single Blended Rum is a 46% ABV, 750mL single-blended rum from Lautoka, Fiji — a blend of unaged pot-still rum and 2-year tropically-aged column-still rum, all from South Pacific Distilleries, Fiji's last remaining rum distillery. Bottled with no additives and non-chill filtered by Holmes Cay, this is the independent bottler's first Single Origin Edition, selected with the hosts of the Rumcast podcast — and only 2,260 bottles reached the US. Available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
- ABV: 46% (92 proof)
- Size: 750mL
- Style: single blended rum — unaged pot-still + 2-yr column-still, same distillery
- Origin: South Pacific Distilleries, Lautoka, Fiji
- Release: 2,260 bottles (US); Holmes Cay Single Origin Edition No. 1
- Purity: no sugar, no coloring, no additives; non-chill filtered
Pot and Column, One Distillery
"Single blended" is rum's honest hybrid: rums from the same distillery, one from the pot still (big, unaged, funky) and one from the column still (aged two years in Fiji's tropical heat), married without sugar, color or additives. Holmes Cay — the independent bottling label founded by Eric Kaye and Maura Gedid — chose this blend with Rumcast hosts John Gulla and Will Hoekenga and the master blenders at E&A Scheer for its first Single Origin Edition. The verdict is a rum that drinks like "a real mix of Jamaican funk and grassy agricole." Compare with more independent-bottler rums and the Holmes Cay collection at Del Mesa Liquor.
Tasting Notes
Per Holmes Cay: grass, citrus and pepper on the nose; clove and honey on the tongue; a pop of pepper on the finish. Importer Skurnik adds: a fruity, ester-forward nose of banana, burnt sugar and oatmeal-raisin cookies; clove, honey and treacle on the palate; toasted Tellicherry peppercorn and papaya on the finish.
How to Enjoy
Neat in a tulip glass at room temperature — the 46% and the funk both earn it. A drop of water softens the pepper and opens the tropical-fruit side.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a "single blended" rum?
A blend of pot-still and column-still rums from the SAME distillery — not a blend across distilleries.
Where in Fiji is it made?
South Pacific Distilleries in Lautoka — Fiji's only remaining rum distillery.
How limited is it?
2,260 bottles for the US market — Holmes Cay's first Single Origin Edition.
Pot-still funk meets tropical-aged finesse — buy Holmes Cay Fiji Single Blended Rum online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.