Appleton launches 30-year-old rum

Lacy Atkins / The Chronicle

Rums made from fresh sugarcane will be featured at Bar Agricole, a SoMa bar and restaurant scheduled to open Aug. 15.

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It’s hard to find the concepts of “fresh” and “seasonal” in the realm of booze itself. Most liquor is defined more by engineering and aging than by any nuances in the raw ingredients. But alcohol has a fly-in-amber capacity to capture a flavor and preserve it. Perhaps nowhere is this more apparent, or more increasingly popular, than in rums made from fresh sugarcane.

“Good spirits are reminiscent of that from which they’re made,” says Thad Vogler, a partner at Bar Agricole, a SoMa bar and restaurant scheduled to open Aug. 15 that shares its very name with this type of rum.

Vogler says he values rums – and other spirits – that maintain a flavorful link to their raw ingredients. “More and more you’re seeing people paying attention to the provenance of a spirit’s raw material. That’s the last ingredient in the cocktail renaissance.”

Rum generally is rising in popularity, and as more brands of cane-based rum have become available in recent years, its distinctive flavor has set cocktail shakers in motion. Though overshadowed by rums made from molasses, cane rum has sparked enough Bay Area interest that Alameda’s St. George Spirits is making its own cane rums in partnership with local bars. One of these, Agua Libre, was specially made for Bar Agricole and will premiere with the bar’s opening.

Welcome changes

These are welcome developments to cane rum’s longtime evangelists.

“This is a community of drinkers that appreciates bold and interesting flavors; it’s a natural next step to be discovering” cane rum, says Martin Cate, owner of Smuggler’s Cove.

Cate says the grassy, herbaceous flavors found in these rums give them a natural appeal for drinkers accustomed to the peppery spark of tequila or the subtle grainy flavor of scotch. “As a result, it’s easier to get people who are already into scotch and tequila to venture into rum,” he says.

More than 90 percent of rum is made from molasses, a byproduct of sugar processing. Cane-based rums, however, are distilled from the fermented juice of fresh-cut sugarcane (or, in some cases, a syrup prepared from this juice). French territories and former colonies including Martinique, Guadeloupe and Haiti produce some of the most prized cane rums, or rhum agricole. (There’s some debate among rum experts about whether Haitian rum is a true agricole.) But other regions, including Trinidad, Guatemala and, now, California, produce notable cane rums. Brazilian cachaça is likewise made from sugarcane juice or syrup, but different production methods make it a close though distinct relative.

Young cane rums have a crisp vegetal snap, with a peppery aroma similar to blanco tequila and a flavor that can be sharp, dry and grassy. With barrel aging, familiar notes of caramel and vanilla creep in, but aged cane rums maintain a botanical depth and ornate earthiness that keep them lively even after years in the barrel.

The most stringent rules regarding rhum agricole are in Martinique, which as a French territory maintains an Appellation d’Origine Controlee (AOC) designation similar to those applying to Champagne and Cognac.

Most distillers crush fresh-cut sugarcane immediately after the season’s harvest, then distill the rum at a low potency – often around 70 proof – which maintains more of the sugarcane’s alluring character (molasses rums are typically distilled at more than 90 proof). Some rum is sold after a brief rest, while the remainder is barrel-aged, often in casks made of French oak, which impart more gentle characteristics than the robust flavors from the more typical used bourbon casks.

Though there are excellent molasses-based rums, Vogler notes that cane rums have an aroma and flavor that owe more to the sugarcane itself than to the oak barrel in which it was aged. By maintaining this fragile link to raw ingredients, these rums flirt with the notion of terroir, a sometimes awkward concept in the realm of spirits.

“In a molasses-based rum, you have detritus from the industrial process in the material, whereas with a cane rum you have a true agricultural distillate – it comes from something living,” Vogler says.

And these rums have blossomed on the back bar in recent years. Around five years ago, the U.S. premiere of Martinique rums from Neisson and La Favorite prompted interest among bartenders. Enthusiasm has grown thanks to other agricoles such as Rhum Clement and Rhum J.M. Other intriguing cane rums include Depaz from Martinique, Barbancourt from Haiti, Batiste from St. Barts, and Duquesne, a Martinique rum that’s expected to be available this summer.

Contrast to molasses

And bartenders have been inspired by these rums’ contrapuntal flavor to the molasses-based standards. Bar Agricole will carry several Martinique rums, and the rum-oriented Smugglers Cove has more than 25 cane-based rums (including Eurydice, its own cane rum custom-made by St. George), utilized in drinks such as Three Dots and a Dash. In Los Angeles, Caña Rum Bar has around 20 cane rums, and at Painkiller, a recently opened tiki bar in New York, co-owner Giuseppe Gonzalez says he serves more rum agricole than any other bar in the city.

Gonzalez says cane rums have a leathery, medicinal edge that makes them particularly desirable in a complex-flavored drink.

“All the things that are character flaws in other spirits, in rum agricole it’s an attribute,” he says. “When you’re making a punch and you need something that adds character and another element you just can’t nail down, it’s perfect.”

That might explain the appeal that prompted the creation of the California version, which Bar Agricole will feature. In 2007, St. George Spirits began distilling Agua Libre rum from fresh sugarcane grown in Brawley (Imperial County), aging it for 2 1/2 years in French oak barrels. About half of the initial 760 bottles are allocated to Bar Agricole. The remainder will be sold around the Bay Area.

For distiller Lance Winters, a cane-based rum fits perfectly with St. George’s fresh-ingredient philosophy.

“I love to put a product in front of someone and say it’s a tropical drink made of pure California sunshine,” he says. “If you’ve ever spent a day lying in the grass, you know the smell.”

Agricole Presidente

Makes 1 drink

Thad Vogler at Bar Agricole remastered a Havana classic, swapping an earthy rhum agricole from Martinique for the lighter Cuban-style rum.

• 1 1/2 ounces Neisson Blanc agricole rhum
• 1/2 ounce Dolin Blanc vermouth (see Note)
• 1 teaspoon Small Hands or other grenadine syrup
• 1 teaspoon curacao liqueur
• 2 dashes orange bitters
• – Lemon twist, for garnish

Instructions: Combine all ingredients, except the garnish, in a mixing glass. Fill with ice. Stir well and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with the lemon twist.

Note: Dolin Blanc is not the same as dry vermouth. Substitute another blanc or bianco vermouth as needed

Paul Clarke is a contributing editor at Imbibe magazine and publisher of the blog the Cocktail Chronicles. E-mail comments to wine@sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on page KK – 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/07/25/FDM21EGQOU.DTL#ixzz0ut6IBwNS

]]> http://www.rumpundit.com/2010/07/27/529/feed/ 0 http://www.rumpundit.com/2010/07/26/burr-baby-burr-rum-tastings/ http://www.rumpundit.com/2010/07/26/burr-baby-burr-rum-tastings/#comments Mon, 26 Jul 2010 19:52:17 +0000 ian http://www.rumpundit.com/?p=522 Cartavio Rum Tasting
Thursday, August 12

at the Mai Kai Polynesian Restaurant

The Robs will be hosting a tasting event featuring outstanding rums from Peru. You’re invited to sample these rums with us at the Mai Kai on August 12.

The Cartavio line of rums is gaining much attention lately, winning awards and turning heads among rum enthusiasts. Be among the first to sample these outstanding products now available in South Florida.

Save The Date: Thursday, August 12, 6 to 8pm.

Join us for some fine cocktails designed by the Mai Kai bartenders, sip on some excellent luxury rums and enter your name in the contest to win a bottle of Cartavio XO rum.

Space is limited, so please RSVP online soon using the link below.

RSVP

date    Thursday, August 12
time    6:00 to 8:00pm
location    Mai Kai Molokai Bar
address    3599 N. Federal Hwy
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
954-563-3272
cost    $10
Drop us a line anytime. Let’s talk about rum!

]]> http://www.rumpundit.com/2010/07/26/burr-baby-burr-rum-tastings/feed/ 0 http://www.rumpundit.com/2010/07/25/sandals-plays-footsie-with-el-dorado/ http://www.rumpundit.com/2010/07/25/sandals-plays-footsie-with-el-dorado/#comments Sun, 25 Jul 2010 18:52:02 +0000 ian http://www.rumpundit.com/?p=515 Rum and tourism lime together. Shrewd move on both parts. Shame about Appleton.. Rumpundit.

Sandals strike rum deal with Demerara Distillers
Al Edwards
Jamaica Observer
Friday, July 23, 2010

SANDALS Resorts International, operators of the largest chain of luxury all-inclusive hotels in the Caribbean, has signed a deal with Demerara Distillers Limited to supply El Dorado aged rums to all its hotels across the region.
This new agreement signals the end of an over 20-year supply agreement with J Wray & Nephew, the producers of the world renown Appleton Rum.
Speaking to Caribbean Business Report from Kingston yesterday, the Chairman of Sandals Resorts International Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart said: “We have had a phenomenal relationship with J Wray & Nephew for over twenty years, and over that period we have seen both our brands grow and prosper. Anybody anywhere in the world can tell you that Appleton is one of the finest rums in the world and a credit to Jamaica. It is one of our finest exports, and over the years many companies have coveted it. It will continue to prosper and go on to greater things.”
Vice-president International Marketing of Demerara Distillers, Komal Samaroo presents documents for CEO Sandals Resort International, Adam Stewart (centre) to sign at Sandals’ head office in Kingston on Tuesday. Making sure all goes well is Sandals Group Director, Corporate Communications, Rachel Mclarty.

Demerara Distillers is one of the oldest rum producers in the world and has been in existence for over 300 years. Hailing from Guyana it has an extensive range of aged rums to fit all categories. The El Dorado brand with its flagship 15-year-old rum was launched in 1992. The El Dorado brand continues to win acclaim and is heralded as one of the finest rums in the world. All its rums are made at the Diamond Distillery using Guyana’s famous Demerara sugar.
Demerara Distillers Vice-President for International Marketing, Komal Samaroo said: “Demerara Distillers Limited, takes special pleasure in this new relationship with Sandals. Our El Dorado range of aged Demerara rums has a history of delivering excellence and quality to the world for over three centuries. In more recent times, Sandals has similarly packaged the Caribbean experience and delivered it to a global market with equal excellence and quality. So here are two Caribbean companies geographically at the two ends of the region but sharing the same passion for delivering the best of the Caribbean to the world.”
CEO of Sandals Resorts International, Adam Stewart, said that with over 900,000 visitors a year, Sandals will be able to expose El Dorado Rums to a wide international market, giving them a taste of the Caribbean. He went on to say that it was the coming together of two great Caribbean companies and that Sandals has always sought to extend a welcoming hand to other Caribbean businesses in the true spirit of Caricom.
Speaking from the Jamaica Observer’s Food Awards held at Devon House last night, Adam Stewart said: “This partnership with Sandals Resorts International and Demerara Distillers Limited is both timely and symbolic of the members of the Caribbean Community shaking hands as neighbours and pulling the region closer together. I am thrilled about the prospects for growing our brands and building on our own track records of taking quality Caribbean products to the world.”

]]> http://www.rumpundit.com/2010/07/25/sandals-plays-footsie-with-el-dorado/feed/ 1 http://www.rumpundit.com/2010/07/15/polo-rum/ http://www.rumpundit.com/2010/07/15/polo-rum/#comments Thu, 15 Jul 2010 12:31:48 +0000 ian http://www.rumpundit.com/?p=510 Smatt’s Rum hosts Jamaica International Polo at Royal Berkshire Club

The Smatt’s Jamaica International Polo took place on Sunday 4^th July, at the Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club, continuing Jamaica’s long held association with the sport. As well as the spectacle of the Eduardo Moore Polo Final itself, guests were treated to a fabulous afternoon of Jamaican music, a BBQ lunch and a glamorous after party hosted by Rogue London during the evening.

The event was attended by around 200 guests, including His Excellency Anthony Smith Johnson, the Jamaican High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, various polo press and enthusiasts, the Jamaica Tourist Board and product partners including British Airways. Jamaican TV personality and chef Levi Roots also attended, providing some of his speciality ‘reggae reggae’ marinade for the lunchtime BBQ.

The event was hosted by Smatt’s Rum, which is produced in Jamaica, and sponsored by the Jamaica Tourist Board, who hosted media at the event as part of their sports marketing strategy.

Liz Fox, Regional Director at the Jamaica Tourist Board, said “This was a great opportunity to interact with young, wealthy consumers who travel regularly and tend to stay in luxury accommodation. As one of the world’s premier polo destinations, Jamaica offers the  chance for the polo ‘jet-set’ to pursue their passion for the sport, whilst enjoying the Island’s spectacular beauty and exclusive resorts.”

-Ends-

For more information or images please contact:

McCluskey International
Kate Popham / Matt Kelly
T: 020 8237 7979
E: jamaica@mccluskey.co.uk

About Jamaica Tourist Board

The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), founded in 1955, is Jamaica’s national tourism agency based in the capital city of Kingston. The JTB was declared the Caribbean’s Leading Tourist and Convention Bureau by the World Travel Awards (WTA) from 2006 to 2009, while Jamaica earned the WTA’s vote as the World’s Leading Cruise Destination, the Caribbean’s Leading Destination and the Caribbean’s Leading Cruise Destination.

JTB offices are located in Kingston, Montego Bay, Miami, Toronto and London. Representative offices are located in Düsseldorf, Barcelona, Rome, Amsterdam and Tokyo.

For details on upcoming special events, attractions and accommodations in Jamaica go to the Jamaica Tourist Board’s Web site at www.visitjamaica.com, or call the Jamaica Tourist Board on 020 7225 9090

West Indies Rum Distillery, producer of Cockspur Rum, hires experienced team to build the 125-year-old brand’s presence in the US.

Cockspur Rum is a solid brand in other parts of the world. We are making a strategic investment to conquer the US and we believe we have the right team in place to make that happen.

Barbados (PRWEB) July 12, 2010

The West Indies Rum Distillery, the historic beachside facility which is the home of Cockspur Rum, has announced major changes to its approach to the US market.

West Indies Rum Distillery has hired David Meyers of MAP Consulting to run Cockspur Rum USA. Meyers will report directly to John Taylor, Chairman of West Indies Rum Distillery Ltd., and will be responsible for sales and marketing in the US.

Meyers, a seasoned professional, has spent 20 years in the spirits industry and has hands-on experience with both rum and the US market. He spent ten years with the Remy Cointreau Group initially as Managing Director for Mount Gay Distilleries in Barbados and subsequently in New York as President and CEO of Remy’s US distribution company. He also spent time at Moet Hennessy UK, a division of LVMH, where he served as Managing Director responsible for such world class brands as Dom Perignon, Veuve Clicquot and Glenmorangie.

West Indies Rum Distillery plans to build Cockspur Rum in the US on the heels of its success in other key markets such as the UK and Bermuda. Among the changes already in place is the appointment of MHW, Ltd., as the importer of record for the brands. Savvy Drinks, a marketing and public relations firm specializing in spirits, has been retained to help build brand awareness with the trade and the consumer.

Another important change is that for the first time in decades Cockspur Rum will be bottled at the distillery in Barbados for the US market. Until now, the rum has been shipped to the US for bottling.

“Our goal is to more than double our sales volume in the US over the next few years. Our initial priority will be in our core markets of Florida, New York and the Pacific Northwest. We look forward to working with all of our distributors across the country to establish Cockspur Rum as the pride of Barbados,” said David Meyers.

John Taylor commented, “Cockspur Rum is a solid brand in other parts of the world. We are making a strategic investment to conquer the US and we believe we have the right team in place to make that happen. ”

More About Cockspur Rum

Barbados is generally considered the birthplace of rum and Cockspur Rum was founded there in 1884. With its proud and colorful rooster icon, Cockspur has been an integral part of island life for over 125 years. Cockspur Rum is distilled from island cane molasses and Barbados’ own coral-filtered water. Using both column-still and pot-still distillation methods, the rum is then aged in American oak bourbon barrels. This combination of aging and blending creates the smooth character for which Cockspur is renowned. Cockspur Fine Rum is a golden amber rum and is the flagship brand. Cockspur 12 Bajan-Crafted rum is made from the oldest rums kept on reserve at the distillery. Cockspur Rum is available in most major US markets and is also distributed in the UK, Bermuda, Western Europe, and Australia.

The rum that invented rum

Mount Gay Rum

With a rich heritage dating back to 1703, Mount Gay Rum is set to join forces with Cowes Week, one of the UK’s longest running and most successful sporting events. As a supporting sponsor, they will be making their presence felt throughout the event, reaffirming the brand’s loyalty to the sailing fraternity at this most famous of annual sailing regattas running from 31 July to 7 August.

Sarah Pace, Assistant Brand Manager for Mount Gay Rum, commented: “We are thrilled to be associated with Cowes Week, one of the world’s oldest regattas and it is the ideal platform for us to promote Mount Gay, the world’s oldest rum.

“As ‘the rum that invented rum’, Mount Gay’s heritage and association with the sailing community has helped cement the brand’s position in the golden rum category and we hope supporting Cowes Week will only further propel its status and popularity.”

Mount Gay red caps on the rail

“We are pleased to welcome Mount Gay Rum to our family of supporting sponsors,” said Michelle Warner, Sales & Marketing Director of Cowes Week Limited. “Mount Gay’s long association with sailing and regattas worldwide, makes it a perfect partner for our event.”

There will be plenty of opportunities for sailors and visitors alike to sample their favourite Mount Gay Rum, Eclipse or the premium Extra Old brand, and an exciting mix of promotions and competitions will include the chance for competitors to earn one of the most cherished mementoes from any regatta around the world – the coveted Mount Gay red cap!

The rum producers of the Caribbean are protesting the European Commission’s decision to cut off funds to the region’s spirit manufacturers.

The industry employs 50,000 people and is the fourth largest traditional export, bringing in more than US$260 million a year in foreign exchange. Under the Cotonou Agreement, the EU and its ACP partners signed a Joint Declaration on Rum (XXV) that recognises its value in competing in the global economy and the need to develop the industry further, particularly through modernisation and better marketing. The EU committed € 70 million to a rum-specific programme. The deal was that the Rum producers would spend their own money to carry out the upgrades and marketing projects and claim from the EC once the projects were complete.  The funding started 3 years late and was scheduled to end in June 2010 – an unrealistic date according to EC project monitors who recommended an 18 month extension to December 2011. Now the EC is closing down the fund early and refusing to extend it because of a Council regulation, leaving the rum producers in debt. Additionally, the EC is removing tarrifs from Latin American rum and eroding the time they led Caribbean rum producers to believe they had to upgrade their production and become competitive. The EC has formally told the Caribbean that they have already settled liberalised tariffs and quotas with Colombia and Peru and are now talking in similar terms with Central American and Andean countries.

According to Carribean business executive and diplomat, Sir Ronald Saunders, the EU agreed to establish a fund of 70 million euros under the 8th European Development Fund (EDF) to facilitate the adaptation of production facilities by Caribbean rum companies. But to access this fund, companies first had to provide at least matching amounts of money, recovering the EDF grant element only when their upgrading or marketing projects are completed. Many of the companies borrowed money on commercial terms to undertake the projects.  They did so expecting the programme to continue until at least June 2010 when the funding window was scheduled to be closed. However, with about 14 million Euros still in the Fund, the EC is closing in March 2010 on the basis that the rules of the 8th EDF demand it.  This means that the rum companies cannot get reimbursement for the money they’ve invested on projects that cannot be completed by the cut-off date on which the EC has insisted.

Saunders also states that, “Poignantly, the country that will be hardest hit by this EC reversal is Haiti. Its rum producer, Barbancourt, which was devastated by last January’s earthquake, will now have no chance of getting assistance for its recovery from this programme. It will also find it well nigh impossible to regain a place in the EU market by the time it is able to limp back into any semblance of export production.” The West Indies Rum and Spirits Producers Association (WIRSPA) has written to Trade Commissioner, Karel DeGucht, repeating the request for access to the unspent and allocated funds for rum in the 8th EDF and expressing dismay at the dropping of the declaration on rum in the mid-term review of the Cotonou Treaty on March 19. The letter, which is circulating among ACP circles in Brussels, also pointed out that, in the deals the EC has done and is continuing to do with Latin American countries, two things will happen.

First, on low cost and heavy bulk rum, there is a strong risk that European importers will switch to using lower cost suppliers in Central or South America and immediately make full use of any tariff free quotas which are granted. The loss of such major contracts would prove devastating to Caribbean suppliers of bulk rum in Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. And, second, on bottled rum, Central and South American producers will be able to use the reduction in the tariff to further undercut ACP products in the EU market. After facing crisis in the region’s sugar and banana industries, people are hoping that the EU will rethink its decision. If not, they fear that Caribbean rum will end its 300 year trade with Europe.

Mar 23, 2010 6:05 AM, Patricia Odell for PROMO Xtra
A partnership with Universal Studios will help DonQ Rum gain ground in the U.S.

A partnership with Universal Studios will help DonQ Rum gain ground in the U.S.

DonQ’s, Puerto Rico’s leading rum, has gone Hollywood in a partnership to become the “official rum” of Universal Pictures. The brand plans to expand its presence in the U.S. through the power of Universal’s films and marketing expertise.

The deal marks the first time Universal has formed a corporate alliance with a spirits company that will include product placement and co-promotion on Universal films in the spirits category.

The DonQ brand will be integrated into film premieres and events and the two entities will develop joint retail programs and marketing programs across social and online media platforms.

“By integrating our brand into Universal’s top releases, we will be able to target consumers at a very important touch point – entertainment,” DonQ’s vice president of sales, John Eason, said in a release. ” Tapping into the coveted movie-going audience via our joint marketing efforts will further help DonQ generate awareness and bring Puerto Rico’s preferred premium rum to new emerging consumer audiences.”

Universal Partnerships & Licensing brokered the deal.

Serrallés USA, based in Dallas, TX, imports DonQ Cristal, DonQ Gold, DonQ Añejo, DonQ Gran Añejo and DonQ Limón, DonQ Coco, and DonQ Mojito.

A lobbying fight over Caribbean rum subsidies could come to a head this week if Sen. George LeMieux (R-Fla.) offers an amendment to jobs legislation that benefits Puerto Rico and rum producers like Bacardi at the expense of the U.S. Virgin Islands and a rival rum maker.

The Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico receive subsidies from the United States based on excise taxes paid by rum producers. Payouts are based on where the liquor is produced, and often benefit the companies themselves.

But LeMieux wants to base the payments on population, a change that would give Puerto Rico a greater share of the subsidy and potentially derail efforts by the Virgin Islands to attract a Bacardi competitor to relocate there.

Roughly 4 million people live in Puerto Rico, versus the 100,000 who live on the Virgin Islands. More than 90 percent of the $500 million in annual payments would go to Puerto Rico if the LeMieux amendment is successful. The split now is closer to 80-20. The Virgin Islands’ share would increase under the current subsidy payment system, however, as more distillers move there.

An aide to Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said that it was not certain the LeMieux amendment would get a vote.

The National Puerto Rican Coalition (NPRC), a lobbying organization that has urged lawmakers to block the British multinational company Diageo from moving from Puerto Rico to the Virgin Islands, praised the proposed change.

“By basing distribution on population instead of production, Sen. LeMieux’s amendment ensures that the money is distributed in an even-handed way to those who need it most,” NPRC Chairman Miguel Lausell said in the statement.

Lobbyists for the Virgin Islands contend the amendment isn’t about equity but about stopping Diageo from relocating there.

Bonds that rely on the excise-tax subsidy and other financing could default under the senator’s proposal.

“Sen. LeMieux’s plan could cause us to default on hundreds of millions of dollars in bonds, which would stop progress on infrastructure projects and environmental improvements, and would force the government of the U.S. Virgin Islands to the brink of receivership,” said Virgin Islands Gov. John deJongh Jr.Roughly $1 billion in bonds hang in the balance, according to sources close to the matter.

The NPRC argues that Diageo, which produces Captain Morgan Rum, and another distiller, Cruzan, would benefit because the Virgin Islands is offering them a piece of the subsidy.

Under LeMieux’s proposal, Puerto Rico’s share of the subsidy jumps from its current 80 percent to 97.

“[The] amendment looks like it was developed alongside Puerto Rican lobbyists,” deJongh said in prepared remarks.

LeMieux’s office did not respond to inquiries about the amendment.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) looks to advance from his chamber as early as Tuesday legislation costing $140 billion that extends several expired tax breaks. The measure, open to amendment, is an obvious vehicle for LeMieux’s proposal.

le.