Phenomenal Spirits was founded in 2017 by visionary spirits entrepreneur Karthik Sudhir 
with the mission of invoking phenomenal moments for phenomenal people through handcrafted, authentic and exceptionally high-quality spirits. To accomplish his mission, Sudhir has assembled a team of dedicated professionals including distillers, master blenders, brand builders and marketers focused on identifying unfulfilled opportunities in the spirits category and developing phenomenal spirits to fill those gaps.
Having identified a gap in the super and ultra-premium rum segments, Phenomenal Spirits set its sights on creating exceptionally high quality super-premium and ultra-premium sipping rums under the Ron Izalco umbrella. Every expression of Ron Izalco is a blend of Central America’s finest rums. Straight aged in ex-bourbon barrels in their respective distilleries, the rums are inspired by and dedicated to the people of Central America, its volcanic land and rich black soil which is best suited for growing sugar cane.
Ron Izalco 10 Year is the company’s first expression to launch in the US. It is a 43% ABV, minimum 10-year aged rum that was first commercialized in 2018 in Bordeaux and has since, quickly caught on in popularity throughout Europe, expanding its footprint through France and in the UK, Denmark and Poland.
Since its inception, Ron Izalco 10 Year has received numerous awards giving testimony to the superior quality and craftmanship of the extraordinary liquid in the bottle. In 2018, Ron Izalco 10 Year won a coveted Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition followed by numerous awards in 2019 including: Double Gold & Rum Trophy at the International Spirits Challenge and Master of Rum in the Ultra-Premium category from Spirits Masters.
When asked what makes Ron Izalco 10 Year so special, Sudhir responded, “Curious rum drinkers and enthusiasts are very much aware of premium rums and their taste profiles, but true rum lovers are eager to move on to the next level. They are searching for rum that is evenly balanced and less sweet with full body, complex fruity notes and a long finish. This is precisely what Ron Izalco 10 year has to offer consumers. In addition, straight-aging 10 years in ex-bourbon barrels with 43% ABV versus Solera ageing like many other regular 40% ABV rums, results in a beautifully balanced rum with an explosion of congeners as it hits the middle of the tongue. We specifically developed the 10-year expression for sipping and to enjoy in high-end craft cocktails and signature pours.”
Ron Izalco 10 Year sells for a suggested retail price of $55/750ml. It is currently available in Washington DC, Maryland and Delaware through Lanterna Distributors, in California through Liberation Distribution (LibDib), in Illinois through SpiritHub and shipped to 28 states through Curiada’s E-Commerce platform.
Sudhir added, “At Phenomenal Spirits, we are on a very focused mission to create exceptionally high-quality spirits. To help guide us forward, we have recently onboarded Matt Witzig, Co-founder and Master Distiller of Joseph Magnus Distillery. Matt is working along with me to build our next ambitious and very exciting Rye whiskey brand finished in Ron Izalco Cask, which is due to be launched in September of this year.”
Phenomenal Spirits has invested in building its own blending facility to achieve scale and operational efficiency. The company is fully functional which allows Phenomenal Spirits to control quality and consistency along with all aspects of product development. Sudhir concluded, “We believe the passion of our mission is evident in every drop of Ron Izalco 10 Year along with the other spirits we will be introducing. Even better, it is a thrill to experience just how much consumers, retailers and on-premise operators agree and are embracing the realization of our dream.”
