Nobletons Distilling House is one of St. Louis’ best kept secrets, producing Rhums using a method rare to the United States, and even more intriguing because it can be found right here in the Midwest. The distinctive technique of Nobletons Distilling House all starts with the man behind the Rhum, founder Demetrius Cain.
Homegrown History
Demetrius Cain began his career as a financial planner by day and bartender by night. His years as a bartender motivated him to set out on his own quest to create the perfect rum. Inspired by the French style of rum making, Cain and his wife purchased a plot of land in the St. Louis, Missouri area, a region known for their French influence. After years of research, experimentation, and working multiple jobs, Cains’ efforts finally began to pay off. Finally, in the Fall of 2018 Nobletons Distilling House was officially established.
Nobletons can be described as a “cane-to-glass distillery” meaning that by eliminating any outsourcing, Cain can ensure that every drop of alcohol is crafted right in the St. Louis area. “We do everything from start-up fermentation all the way through maturation and bottling,” Cain comments in a sauce magazine interview. “Even though it’s the hardest way possible, we want to make something any St. Louisan can pick up and say, ‘This was made here.’”
Rhum vs Rum
Each bottle of Nobleton Rhum includes intricate floral designs on all of their bottle labels. These floral designs are drawn out by Cain’s wife Laura who enjoys painting. “When we first started our journey together years ago, we had very little and buying flowers was a luxury. So I would draw her flowers and told her someday I would get her all the roses and flowers and other nice things she wanted. Although we are still on that journey and luxuries are few and far between, affixed to every bottle are those flowers bouquets to her as a testament of things to come.”
Rum is the all-encompassing term for all styles of rum, dark and light. Rhum Agricole on the other hand, is a different sector of rum as it is defined by its production process, meaning that it is made from fresh pressed sugar cane juice. A large percentage of the world’s rum is made from molasses, whereas Rhum Agricole is produced from sugarcane. “Agricole” means “agricultural” in French, and it is in this style that Rhum picks up that extra ‘H’ in its moniker. This is one of the most difficult methods of alcohol production, due to its specificity and strict distinction within the rum family tree.
As for why Cain would willingly choose such a difficult process to mass produce his Rhum he explains in a Feast magazine interview, “We [St. Louis] used to be a French colony before the Louisiana Purchase, and French territories prominently made sugarcane juice rhum. We said, ‘Let’s create that.’”
Nobletons follows the original French Caribbean Agricole approach by processing sugarcane and leaving out the additives. Where many other rum manufacturers choose to add sugars or flavorings, Nobletons stays true to the French-Caribbean Rhum style. Nobletons’ Duckett Rhum is free of extra flavors or sugars; instead, it’s crafted from just three ingredients: sugarcane juice, water, and yeast.
Duckett Rhum
Nobletons Distilling House has created both Rhum and Rum and has quickly caught the eye of many bar and restaurant owners. St. Louis restaurant and bar co-owner Tim Wiggins praised Cain in a Rural Missouri article: “It was just what I was looking for in a rum… I was impressed by how he distilled it, his integrity, and his mission of staying pure to an Agricole-style of rum making that is rarely seen in the United States… He could make rum from molasses like everyone else and cut out a lot of steps, but that’s not Demetrius…he won’t take shortcuts.”
We are proud to carry such a unique and authentic brand such as Nobletons Distilling House. Vintegrity’s portfolio for Kansas and Missouri is impressive and vast. Vintegrity only serves the finest wines and spirits; check out the rest of our fine selections in our Kansas and Missouri portfolios for yourself!
