The jungles of Panama are a long way from Alabama.
Yet, that’s exactly where Hatton Smith II, a Birmingham native and owner/creator of Campesino Rum, found himself living off-the-grid and falling in love with the culture and beautifully raw landscape of his new environment.
“After watching Apocalypse Now and reading The Heart of Darkness in high school, I decided that I wanted to get as far away from home as possible and go live rogue, off-the-grid in the jungle. There, I found a place where I could live without any connection to the modern world and hike into jaguar habitat while exploring the depths of the jungle,” says Smith.
And it didn’t take long for him to meet the “campesinos,” or local farmers, that would inspire the idea for his rum. “[The campesinos] were like my guides to the jungle. They were magic with their craft, and individuals that seemed to be larger-than-life characters. They were masters of the machete, built their own houses, grew their own food, and provided for their families.” Smith quickly befriended these farmers as they brought coconuts, tobacco, and fresh fruit to his farm in exchange for the rum he was distilling on the property using an old still previously owned by the family of Manuel Noriega, a former Panamanian dictator. Smith fondly notes the inviting familial culture, warm hospitality, kindness, and nights spent sitting around the campfire drinking rum with the campesinos.But if living in the jungle influenced Smith’s future career trajectory, it was his family legacy in the coffee business that guided his path. Smith recalls traveling all around the world visiting coffee farms with his father, Hatton Smith I, owner and CEO emeritus of Royal Cup Coffee.
“As a kid, my family would travel to different coffee producing regions to do farm tours in Central America. Coffee is grown in a lot of the same countries as sugar cane so there’s a lot of similarities to rum.” Today, Smith’s taken his in-depth knowledge of coffee production and melded it with his passion for Central American culture and rum to create a line of quality-aged spirits that would make the campesinos proud.
“What sets Campesino Rum apart from almost all other rums on the market is that it has zero added sugar, coloring, or flavoring. Most rums out there today, even in the high-priced ‘premium’ category, are sweetened and colored. Campesino brings rum to the people the way it should be—unadulterated.”
The line includes two blended expressions: Campesino Silver Rum and Campesino Aged Rum. Both are distilled, fermented, and matured at origin in distilleries across Barbados, the Dominican Republic, Panama, Nicaragua, and Trinidad and Tobago, and every bottle states the blend composition and percentage of the juice inside. The Silver expression is aged in ex-bourbon oak barrels for a minimum of two years before going through a charcoal filtration process that produces a clean, delicate flavor ideal for mixing and cocktails. Bourbon fans will appreciate the Aged expression, a blend of rums from Barbados, Panama, and the Dominican Republic that have been aged in ex-bourbon barrels for six to eight years.
The result is a solo sipper that can hold its own with notes of wood, oak, burnt orange peel, and honeycomb on the palate. The Silver is best suited for seafood dishes or daiquiri blends, while the Aged dominates during the winter season or when paired with wild game like duck or venison, says Smith. Nashville is Campesino’s second market and the place Smith currently calls home.
“I moved to Nashville to launch Campesino in Tennessee in March of 2020, and my first night in the city was the night the tornado hit. My apartment complex in East Nashville got a direct hit from the tornado. Our distribution partner in Tennessee, Best Brands, was hit at their warehouse as well. Two weeks later, COVID hit, and we didn’t end up selling our first bottle until late July 2020. It was quite the challenge, but now I am proud to say Campesino has quickly become one of the best-selling rums at Nashville bars and restaurants.”
Campesino Silver Rum and Campesino Aged Rum can be found at spirits retailers and bars around the city or can be purchased online for $25 and $40, respectively. (Campesino; campesinorum.com)
Rum Old Fashioned
- 2 oz. Campesino Aged Rum
- 2 dashes mole
- 2 dashes angostura bitters
- 1⁄4 oz. of local honey
Stir Campesino Aged Rum, honey and bitters in a mixing glass with ice for 30 seconds.Strain into a rocks glass. Garnish with a flared orange peel.
Sweet Tea Mojito
- 2 oz. Campesino Silver Rum
- 3 oz. of sweet tea
- 7 pinches of mint
- 3 lime wedges
- 1 oz. soda
In a Collins glass, muddle lime wedges and mint. Add in 2 oz. of Campesino Silver. Stir. Add in crushed ice and sweet tea.
