Although rum has a historic foothold in New England region - the John Dyer Distillery closed in 1872 - it is primarily associated with the Caribbean. In 2006, Brent Ryan, founder and CEO of Coastal Extreme Brewing Company created the Newport Distilling Company to bring back rum production to the area. Thomas Tew Rum is named after the Rhode Island pirate and Newport resident and made from blackstrap molasses. The wash was fermented, triple pot distilled and aged for a minimum of two years in neutral barrels. Each batch of rum is aged individually and the barrels are never blended to allow a full and unadulterated expression - i.e. certain batches may have a stronger vanilla profile; some may be smokier due to the char level of that particular barrel. After aging, the bottles are filled, hand-labeled, corked and sealed.