Tracey Shuffler, managing director of West Indies Rum Distillery Ltd. (Daily Nation)Published on: 8/31/2009. LOCAL AND EXPORT SALES of rum and spirits are not as good in 2009 as they were last year, but distilleries have no plans to cut staff or wages.

Bacardi rum giant cancels fair amid economic woes (AP via Yahoo! Finance)Rum giant Bacardi Ltd. is canceling a popular annual artisans' fair at its Puerto Rico distillery due to the global recession.

A Look Back:Prohibited or not, the booze kept flowing (Daily Pilot)Decades before the Prohibition era brought smugglers to Newport's beaches, their boats laden with barrels of whiskey and rum, the city had a problem with unlicensed drinking establishments called blind pigs.

FEATURE: 'Bright Star' Glows in September Film Firmament (Women's eNews)September brings a full roster of movies by, for and about women. One of the most intensely anticipated is Jane Campion's "Bright Star" about young love and loss. Jennifer Merin says "35 Shots of Rum" by Claire Denis is another must-see.

Battle brewing over Cuban brand names (New Haven Register)SAN JOSE DE LAS LAJAS, Cuba — Cuban rum maestro Jose Navarro's taste buds sing when he sips Havana Club, the sweet spirit distilled in this farming town south of the capital.

Middle Eastern Odyssey Part IV (The Garden Island)Jordan: The Desert-Wadi Rum Bedouins are nomadic desert people who traditionally move their tents, goats, and sheep to greener pastures. But green is as rare as an albino camel in this part of the world where the pallet is limited to many hues of beige. The landscape may be decorated with the occasional small tenacious shrub, and/ or punctuated by black rocks— or nothing! We pass black goat-hair ...

No workers injured when fire breaks out at Massey Energy's Rum Creek, W.Va., plant (The San Francisco Examiner)CHARLESTON, W.VA. — Coal producer Massey Energy Co. said Thursday that all of its workers are safe after a fire broke out at its Rum Creek, W. Va. plant.

If U.S. eases trade embargo with Cuba, companies face battle over brand names (The Tuscaloosa News)By Michael Felberbaum and Will Weissert The Associated Press Cuban rum maestro Jose Navarro's taste buds sing when he sips Havana Club, the sweet spirit distilled in this farming town south of the capital.

A war within - Part 2: 'I am well past gone' (The Indianapolis Star)Sgt. Jacob Blaylock loses his struggle to start a new life at home.

Effen vodka gets new shot (Chicago Tribune)Fortune Brands calls pricey spirit a 'potential jewel' This summer Fortune Brands acquired Effen. It could be just what Effen needs if it's ever to become a major brand, analysts say.

Cached at: 8/31/2009 7:54:12 AM