Protection Island Rum
Protection Island is one of numerous islands found in the many sheltered bays along British Columbia’s West Coast. This small island, off the coast of Nanaimo Harbour, once served as a retreat for thirsty visitors looking to skirt Prohibition. With this history in mind, Long Table Distillery named their small-batch Rum series for this vital piece of B.C. history. From the early half of the last century up to Prohibition times, British Columbia maintained a rich history of Rum Running that stretched from the B.C. coast down to Southern California.
This rum has characteristics of classic island bootlegged styles, filtered through a modern West Coast distiller’s lens.
The challenge was to show characteristics of a classic rum label, harkening back to this rich history, while keeping the design sleek, modern and on-brand.
Some history on Protection Island & Bootlegging in B.C.
In 1878, the Canadian Temperance Act was passed, part of a rising tide of social conservatism that feared that alcohol was the primary cause of most societal ills.
British Columbia observed a flourishing tide of rum smuggling thanks to this restrictive Temperance movement and the prohibition it created.
Rum runners activated along the coast from the late 1870’s up to BC’s official legal Prohibition, which lasted from 1917-1921.
With this history of coastal Rum Running in mind, Protection Island Rum is born!
Protection Island lays adjacent to Vancouver Island, just off the coast of Nanaimo harbour. The small island served as a lax retreat for thirsty visitors from the Prohibition found in the cities. Even today its roadways are named for rums and privateers.
The rugged West Coast, dotted with islands, sheltered bays and bootleggers set the stage for liquor running enterprises profiting from an insatiable demand for clandestine hooch. A fleet of mother ships The Quadra, Principio, Stadacona, Speedway, Coal Harbour, Peschawa, Prince Albert and the famous -“Queen of Rum Row” – The Malahat – all played key roles in fuelling this smugglers network that stretched from BC’s Coastline to Southern California.
