… cocaine Monday in Humacao, Puerto Rico
CBP confiscated 1,493 … into 20 bundles
A Puerto Rican National Guard helicopter alerted … boat made it to Puerto Rico‘s eastern shoreline … law enforcement agency.
A Puerto Rico National Guard helicopter patrolling the …

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The barrels were an afterthought, hidden away in the corner of the rum factory.

And while they were few in number, these “lost” barrels held something rather special.

And now Papa’s Pilar, the rum brand named for Ernest Hemingway’s fishing boat that continues to put out inspired, innovative and just plain satisfying rum blends out of a Florida base, has delivered again.

It’s called “The Lost Cask,” and it’s an extremely limited release of a version of the brand’s “Blonde” rum containing rum from expressions that the company says were “lost” for three years while aging in ex-bourbon casks, then blended by master blender Ron Call.

The brand’s Key West headquarters.

For the uninitiated, the Pilar portfolio (which is owned in part by the Hemingway Estate) has two primary expressions: the “blonde” blend of more lightly aged rums, and the “dark” blend of longer aged rums from across the Americas.

The pair of excellent expressions have spawned several terrific limited-release rums, most notably the Sherry-finish and the higher-proof “Platinum Blonde,” both of which scored very well in these pages.

There are just a few hundred of these “Lost Cask” bottles, which are only on sale at the brand’s Key West flagship location.

And while the the Papa’s blonde is certainly the core, the Lost Cask is its own adventure entirely.

The Lost Cask has a darker amber color than its forebear, with a buttery aroma of vanilla, mocha and caramel.

The flavor profile is marked by butterscotch, a hint of almond, powdered sugar and caramel, with a smooth and round but delicate finish.

The more you sip it, the more its depth emerges, a rum that grabs you by the shoulders like it hasn’t seen you in a decade, a warm embrace of a rum.

It’s bottled at 91 proof, but while the degrees are boldm the experience is not.

In a changing, dynamic world of rum, Papa’s Pilar continues to blend rums from the Caribbean, Central America and Florida and create its own identity of rum, to put its own spin on the noble spirit, in a way that nods to the best of rummaking but also asks new questions and adds new flavors.

The Lost Cask is just a wonderful, endlessly drinkable rum.

Rum Journal Review: 94 Points

— CJ

The post Rum Journal: Papa’s Pilar “The Lost Cask” appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

In a major boost for one of the Dutch Caribbean’s hotspots, United Airlines has announced plans to launch new nonstop service to the island of Curaçao.

Curaçao will become United’s 21st destination in the Caribbean, with flights from Newark Liberty International Airport set to launch on Dec. 7.

In a statement, United said it would be operating the flights weekly on Saturdays using Boeing 737-700 aircraft.

Curacao has few luxury hotels — but the Baoase Luxury Resort, above, is one of the Caribbean’s best.

“United’s global network is a tremendous source of pride for our employees and loyal customers – we’re always looking for ways to grow and expand our network to connect our customers to more destinations around the world,” said United’s International Network Vice President Patrick Quayle. “These new additions help position United as the airline of choice for customers planning their business or leisure travel.”

The Old Quarry golfcourse at Curacao’s Santa Barbara resort.

While United has not been expanding its Caribbean network quite as quickly as competitors like JetBlue and Delta, the carrier has been quietly growing its Caribbean portfolio, most notably with recently expanded service to St Kitts.

Willemstad, Curaçao, the destination’s charming capital.

The new service to Curacao boosts United’s existing service to the Dutch Caribbean, which had consisted of weekly Saturday flights from Houston to Bonaire and daily nonstop flights from Newark to Aruba.

Curacao has seen strong growth so far in 2019, thanks largely to growth in new airlift at the island’s excellent (and newly transformed) Hato International Airport.

— CJ

The post United Airlines Is Launching Nonstop Flights to Curaçao appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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… that have migrated from Puerto Rico to Minnesota following Hurricane … found Marisol Chiclana, a Puerto Rican native who’s lived in … families who recently arrived from Puerto Rico. … ‘One day we … that were arriving from Puerto Rico,’ Chiclana said of a …

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By Alexander Britell

Barbados continues to be one of the hottest tourism destinations in the Caribbean.

The island has seen a 5.2 percent year-over-year jump in stayover visitor arrivals in the first seven months of 2019, according to new data from Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc, the country’s destination marketing organization.

That included a total of 434,961 visitors passing through Barbados’ Grantley Adams International Airport, or a total jump of 21,345 additional visitors in the period, and cementing Barbados’ status as one of the fastest-growing destinations in the region.

On the beach in the south coast of Barbados.

In July alone, Barbados saw an 8 percent increase in visitors compared to the same month in 2018, thanks to what seems to have been a booming Crop Over festival.

“This news augurs well for the future development of Barbados’ tourism industry,” said William Griffith, chief executive officer of Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. “To continuously record year-on-year growth as a mature destination means that we are moving in the right direction. We must continue to look for new opportunities to reinvent ourselves and remain relevant in this competitive market, while building the resilience of the sector.”

The growth came in part thanks to a concerted push by tourism officials on the island to grow airlift, Griffith said.

The Barbados Food and Rum festival is back for its 10th edition in October.

“One of the pivotal elements of guaranteeing the viability of our tourism industry is ensuring that the island remains easily accessible by land and sea,” he said. “The BTMI has worked closely with our airline partners to maintain, and even boost airlift and this has contributed in part to our favorable increases in arrivals.”

That includes newly-launched service from Jamaica to Barbados, along with an expansion by JetBlue of its weekly Saturday service to year-round service from Newark to Barbados.

On Oct. 28, German carrier Lufthansa will launch thrice-weekly nonstop flights from Frankfurt, a major boost for the European source market to Barbados.

The destination has also seen a boost in new entertainment and other attractions, fro the new Festive Fridays experience in Bridgetown to the launch fo the new St Nicholas Abbey Heritage Railway.

The newly-launched Abidah by Accra all-inclusive.

Barbados also recently welcomed the debut of the new The Abidah by Accra all-inclusive resort, a 44-room luxury adults-only property that opened its doors in June.

And the fall will see two significant events: the 10th Barbados Food and Rum Festival from Oct. 24-27, and the November hosting of the Barbados Mindful Living Festival Nov. 22-24.

“We are pressing full steam ahead with our deployments and activations in the market as we seek to drive more business to Barbados,” Griffith said.  “Destination Barbados will be wrapping up 2019 with a burst of energy.”

— CJ

The post Barbados Is One of the Caribbean’s Hottest Destinations appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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