"We got into distilling to bring back this rum-making tradition," says Brent Ryan, who co-founded Newport-based Coastal Extreme Brewing Company, makers of Newport Storm beer, in 1999 with college buddies. With their reputation for producing distinct craft beers already secured, Rhode Island's only microbrewery branched out in 2008 with the formation of Newport Distilling Company and the launch of the Thomas Tew brand of rum.
In 2010, Coastal Extreme relocated to a larger facility on the north end of Newport, and visitors can now embark on a rum-tasting odyssey when they stop by the Coastal Extreme Visitors Center and Tasting Room at 293 J.T. Connell Road. That's where I bumped into Ryan, learned a bit about how rum is crafted, and experienced my first sip of raw rum right off the still (yes--it burns your tongue!).
