Sea Hagg Rum

Heather Hughes sees rum as a nautical drink, so as founder, along with partner Ron Vars, they named their distillery Sea Hagg. They started production on July 4 last year. Currently, they produce, market and sell several varieties of rum at a warehouse office park on Lafayette Road in Portsmouth.

Hughes had ties with Louisiana so they purchase blackstrap molasses there, bringing in huge containers of the syrup that are mixed with spring water and yeast. One copper still helped them produce 500 cases last year and they just brought in another to increase production. After the distillation process, the rum is stored in new oak barrels that lend tones of oak to the finished product. Hughes says she is going for a New England flavor profile.

Their blueberry rum is made with low-bush berries from Maine and this summer they’ll produce a peach and strawberry rum, using the real fruit, not extracts, for flavor. A simple recipe for a refreshing drink is two ounces Sea Hagg Blueberry Rum and two ounces of lemonade.

Sea Hagg rum retails for $27.99 at the New Hampshire Wine and Liquor Outlets.