Mount Gay's Trudiann Branker is Barbados' first woman Master Blender
July 3, 2023
Trudiann Branker has always been fascinated with science.
She is particularly interested in finding balance between science and art – they are both about observation and interpretation -- that goes into chemistry.
“It is often like blindly putting a puzzle together with pieces that change over time,” said Branker. “I have always been fascinated by this and as I was studying at Howard University, my eyes were opened to the world of blending and distillation.”
That curiosity led to further studies at the Siebel Institute of Technology in Chicago and the Institute of Brewing and Distilling in England before returning home to work with Banks Barbados Brewery.
“It was clear by then that I was destined to work in beer and spirits,” said Branker who, in 2014, joined Mount Gay – the world’s oldest running rum distillery – as Quality Assurance Manager.
Five years later, she was elevated to Master Blender, the first woman to hold the position in Barbados.
Following Jamaican Joy Spence who was the world’s first woman Master Blender, Branker has opened the door wider for Caribbean women to consider the science of rum-making a career option.
“Personally, it is an incredible honour to have my signature across each bottle of Mount Gay,” she said. “It comes with a great amount of trust and I only have arrived here thanks to my passion and dedication to blending. It also shows that Mount Gay champions those who work hard and are dedicated to their craft, regardless of gender.”
What does the role of Master Blender at Mount Gay entail?
“Ultimately, it is about ensuring that our core range – Eclipse, Black Barrel and XO – has a consistent nose and taste,” pointed out Branker who has dual degrees in Chemistry and Biology from Howard University where she met many women who were on the same career trajectory. “I check in daily on how our rums are ageing. They are aged in American Oak, Bourbon and Cognac barrels, aged from two to 17 years. The climate in Barbados is hot and humid which means our rums age much quicker than other spirits like a Single Malt or Scotch Whisky would in a cooler climate. It is important for me and my team to nose and taste our rums as they get ready to blend. Once they are blended, we taste to ensure the balance is correct.
“Everything we do is by hand and I don’t have one specific automated formula for our blends. In fact, I keep everything in a notebook rather than saved on a computer. It is a painstaking process, but one I feel is important to making Mount Gay stand out”.
Mount Gay molasses house (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
Branker responsibilities also include the blends for Mount Gay’s limited-edition releases, including the annual Master Blander Collection, Black Barrel Cask Strength and any other with the Mount Gay name.
“This is a more playful job that allows my team to explore different barrel finishes and methods,” she said. “Every year, we release our Master Blender Collection that allows me to push the boundaries a bit. Many of these limited releases incorporate older rums, so I spend a lot of time nosing and tasting our older stocks and choosing which might blend well with a younger rum aged in a barrel we don’t typically use. Or I choose an older rum and finish it in a barrel that we have not used at Mount Gay. The difficulty here is that we must work well in advance. So rather than working on this year or next year’s release, we are working three to five years ahead while observing the next release before it is bottled. It is a challenge, but one that my team and I love.”
An early riser, Branker is in her office around 7 a.m. to start the busy work day.
“It begins with nosing and tasting when my senses are alert and receptive to noticing even the tiniest nuance,” she noted. “After I have taken my nosing and tasting notes, I settle in for my first coffee of the day about 11.30 a.m. as I catch up with my team. After lunch, we head to the bonds with the team leader to review the barrels, select any that need to be sampled and check barrel quality. My team and I then work on lab scale blends. Often, I try to take some time to walk through our estate, taking the time to appreciate the beautiful cane fields that surround our distillery.”
Trudiann Branker nosing the PX Sherry Cask Expression in bond (Photo contributed)
Succeeding Allen Smith who was in the position for over 25 years, Branker said he was extremely helpful in helping her learn the fine line between the art and science of making rum.
“When I joined Mount Gay as Quality Assurance Manager, Allen took me under his wing and I spent a few years learning all I could from his years of knowledge,” she said. “He spent a great amount of time teaching me how each barrel imparted different notes on both pot and column still rums. Our days were spent discussing and challenging each other and his trust in me gave me the confidence to step into his role when he passed the baton upon his retirement.”
The Coffey Still, that produced sugarcane brandy, was decommissioned in 1974. The late Reynold ‘Blues’ Hinds, who was Mount Gay’s longest serving employee before retirement, restored the still that is now up and running (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
While relishing her role as a trailblazer, Branker embraces her support network that is mainly women.
Several are in key positions in various aspects of rum production, including fermentation and distillation.
Jackyn Broomes is the Agricultural Manager while American Maggie Campbell, previously Privateer Rum President & Head Distiller, joined Mount Gay in October 2021 as the Estate Rum Manager. She oversees the entire lifecycle from sugarcane production through to the finished product.
“On our Quality Assurance and Blending team, we are 85 per cent women and I am inspired, supported and pushed by each member of my team on a daily basis,” said Branker. “Women were never traditionally in our roles. Seeing a group of strong women making the blends for the world’s oldest running rum distillery every day really does make my heart sing.”
To say that ‘women ah run tings’ at the Mount Gay Distillery, that is the only parish among the 11 to be named after a woman patron saint, is not far-fetched.
Visitors to the historic distillery located about a 40-minute drive from Bridgetown, Barbados’ capital, will run into energetic tour guide Tina Forde as they explore the original landscape and buildings where it started in 1703.
Mount Gay Tour Guide Tina Forde (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
Personable, articulate and extremely knowledgeable about Mount Gay’s history and products, she said rum is one of the few things people don’t fully appreciate.
“They have an idea of what rum should look and taste like and how it should be consumed,” she noted.
Forde’s favourite Mount Gay rum is XO that is round and complex.
“It is like the perfect gateway into showing what rum can really do,” the Barbados Community College graduate added. “You can pair it with dark chocolate, glazed cheddar cheese or salted carmel chocolate with a nice cigar. You can also have it with desserts or a main course. There is so much you can do with it that goes beyond the idea of what rum looks like. It is a perfect rum.”
The Black Barrel is crafted from a blend of intense and aromatic rums and finished in deeply charred bourbon casks (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
The only Barbados plantation to survive to present day was acquired in 1918 by Aubrey Ward who organized his other two plantations – Harrison’s and Ashton Hall – under Fairfield and Mount Gay Ltd.
When the philanderer died in 1948 at age 78, his ownership stake in the company was distributed among his 56 children, including former Canadian cricket administrator Austin Ward who migrated in 1974.
Austin Ward is the son of the late Aubrey Ward who owned Fairfield and Mount Gay Ltd. (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
He was eight years old when his dad passed away.
“I can remember him coming around the home on his way to the sugar factory,” recalled Ward. “I still have shares in the company and get dividends.”
In 2018, Remy Cointreau took full control of the distillery and brand and, a year later, bought the original Mount Gay Plantation land for $4.9 million.
Casks of rum are stored in Mount Gay’s ageing houses (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
