Featured Artisan: Ron Izalco

About

The Relentless Pursuit of Excellence Ron Izalco, a super-premium rum, was conceived of and crafted over several years, as a labor of love and passion. The Ron Izalco story is the story of the relentless pursuit of excellence. It’s also the story of a remarkable individual who came to the United States, had a dream and put full heart and effort into achieving that dream. Karthik Sudhir is originally from India. He moved to the United States in 2005 with only $400 to his name. He worked hard to create a life for himself here, becoming quite successful as an executive at a software company. But his true passion has always been spirits. Karthik dreamed of doing something bigger, to leave his mark on the world as only he could. So he founded Phenomenal Spirits, a new spirits company devoted to creating exceptional, best-quality products. Ron Izalco, has been a wild success. In 2018, as a yet-to-be-released rum, Ron Izalco 10-Year Aged Rum won gold at the most prestigious show in the world, the San Francisco Spirits Competition. And it was a double-gold winner at the International Spirits Challenge and Masters of Rum by Spirits Business. It has already made waves in Europe, where people are discovering this new, delicious way of experiencing rum, and now it’s being launched across the US at Curiada.com. As a super-premium rum, Ron Izalco is designed to be sipped and savored, as you would a fine cognac or Scotch. This isn’t how we typically think of rums, but then, Karthik and his company Phenomenal Spirits are anything but typical. Karthik has a fierce devotion to and relentless drive for excellence. He brings this to his work in every way, and his spirits reflect that both inside and out. Ron Izalco rum is created from a distinctive blend of the finest Central American rums. We usually think of rums as being from the Caribbean, but Karthik’s commitment to excellence meant he looked far beyond the Caribbean to understand where the best rums are coming from today. And to h