Interview With Bones Rum Creator Matt Razook

Have you heard about Bones Rum yet? Hell, I didn’t even know about it until last week when I saw a mention of it on the On-St.John Blog. You’re about ready to get the low down on this new brand of rum straight from the pirates mouth.

When I first read the story about Bones Rum my first instinct was to start mixing my next drink. After that I wanted to find out more about this brand of rum with a kick ass name. I was able to track down Matt Razook, the owner of Bones Rum, and talked him into doing a little RumShop interview to inform all you Castaways about this new rum.  I told him the Castaways are the coolest bunch of island loving, rum drinking scallywags this side of the equator and would love to know about his medicine. After hearing that and a little arm twisting, Matt relented and this is what he had to say.

Matt Razook’s Bones Rum Interview

1. You had me at Bones Rum! How did you get the idea to start your own rum company?

I have an entrepreneurial background and have been involved in both retail and liquor industries. So, I decided to fuse the two together by creating my own brand of rum and introduce it to the marketplace in a very unique way. I have 2 retail locations (St. John & St. Thomas). The stores are 1 part Daiquiri Bar, 1 part T-shirt shop and 1 part fun. The rum is sampled for free and guests are invited to “Pour your own Rum”. This is of course very popular. Every once in awhile, the town drunk shows up but it works out fair for everyone most of the time. Also, a documentary on rum is played on a flat screen and a handout on the history of rum and pirates is given to guests. Additionally, a full line of premium branded merchandise, rum cakes, glassware, etc, are offered.

2. What is your favorite rum cocktail?

Painkillers – love them! We serve them frozen. But beware – they go down even easier this way!

3. What makes the Bones Rum different from the other rum companies?

We truly are a small batch operation. Our first bottling run was only 101 bottles. The extra “1” bottle was to send to my dad. My master blender (Shane Jeffers) has been producing and bottling rum since he was a kid and really understands rum. We have only one rum. It’s a dark, aged rum and is unusually smooth – truly a sipping rum. Our slogan is “Smooth Rum for the Rough Seas”.

4. What is your favorite Caribbean island and why?

That’s easy. St. John. St. John makes even the “unspoiled” Caribbean islands look …..”spoiled”! 2/3 of St. John is a national park and is very well taken care of by the US Park Service. The remaining 1/3 is developed but in a mostly “good” way. It’s a nice mix of high-end tourism with a genuine carefree, bohemian feel. It also has a pretty amazing selection of great restaurants.

5. Where can fellow pirates go to get their hands on some of your medicine?

The rum is available now at the retail locations on both St. Thomas and St. John. It will be in distribution throughout the Virgin Islands by the end of the first quarter of 2011. (web address is www.BonesRum.com but it’s not up yet.)

Bones Rum in St. Thomas...Yes Please

6. How did you come up with the name Bones?

First, it’s a reference to the iconic “Skull and Bones” symbol that has been adopted on the bottle label and company logo. But the true inspiration is the Billy Bones Character in Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Treasure Island” Billy Bones was a pirate and a drunk who loved rum.

7. What does the future hold for Bones Rum?

I plan to have 2 more retail locations in the Virgin Islands by the end of 2012. After that, I hope to have the rum picked up for US distribution. Florida would be a good place to start!

8. Last questions – If you were stranded on a beautiful tropical island in the middle of nowhere and you could only bring 3 things with you, what would they be?

That’s easy:

1.A fishing pole.
2. My Labrador Retriever, Jake.
3. And of course, a bottle of Bones!

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There you have it. How bad do you want to mix your own cocktail in the Virgin Islands right now?  Yeah, me too.

Love the slogan Matt, “Smooth Rum for the Rough Seas”. I think I’ll go to pour a Kracken to sip on.

Cheers Castaways,

RumShopRyan