FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New national map begins connecting American rum and brandy producers, historic places, and the communities behind two of America’s oldest spirits traditions

ELLIJAY, Ga. (September 22, 2026) — The AMBRu Campaign today opened the BETA version of the American Brandy & Rum Trail at ambru.org/map/, a national map connecting American rum and brandy producers, historic places, and the communities behind two of America’s oldest spirits traditions.

The trail is being developed under the leadership of AMBRu co-founder Caroline Porsiel as a national discovery and tourism resource connecting producers with the places and history surrounding American brandy and rum.

“American brandy and rum do not have one hometown. Their history stretches across the country,” said Porsiel. “If we want people to understand that history, they need to be able to find it. The BETA trail is our first step toward putting that story on one national map.”

From Industry Discussion to a National Trail

The BETA launch follows a series of industry discussions led by Porsiel around recognition, identity, and economic opportunity for American brandy and rum.

In April 2026, Porsiel introduced the AMBRu initiative to an American Distilling Institute industry audience during the webinar Before Bourbon: The History of American Brandy & Rum.

In August, she presented the developing Recognition to Revenue framework and national trail concept at the American Distilling Institute Rum Summit in Miami, bringing the proposal into broader conversations with distillers about the future of American rum and brandy.

Those discussions helped inform the next stage of the project: moving from an industry concept and working framework to something producers, travelers, historians, and the public can actually explore.

“The conversations in Miami reinforced why this needs to be bigger than any one distillery, state, or region,” said Porsiel. “The BETA trail gives us a place to start building that national connection — and gives producers, historians, and communities something tangible they can help shape.”

Recognition to Revenue

The trail builds on the framework Porsiel set out in AMBRu’s September 2026 working paper, Recognition to Revenue, which proposes a producer-led path toward recognition of American Brandy and American Rum as distinctive products of the United States, alongside a national trail designed to make that recognition discoverable.

The framework follows a straightforward progression:

Recognition → Discovery → Visitation → Economic Opportunity

Recognition gives the categories an identity. The trail gives people somewhere to go.

Unlike a traditional spirits trail confined to a single state or region, the American Brandy & Rum Trail is being developed as a national network reflecting the geographic reach of both spirits traditions — from orchards and vineyards to cane country, ports, distilleries, and historic sites.

The trail is intended as shared industry infrastructure rather than a proprietary trail for any individual producer.

Why Launch in BETA?

The trail is intentionally launching before it is complete.

AMBRu is inviting distillers, historians, tourism organizations, researchers, and the public to identify missing producers and historic locations, submit corrections, and contribute information that can strengthen the map.

During the BETA phase, listings and map data will continue to be reviewed, expanded, and improved. Inclusion on the BETA map is for discovery purposes and does not constitute AMBRu certification or endorsement of a producer or product.

“This is the beginning, not the finished map,” said Porsiel. “There are producers, places, and stories still to add. We want the industry and the public to help us find them.”

Putting an American Story on the Map

Rum and brandy have been produced in America for centuries, with deep connections to agriculture, trade, ports, fruit-growing regions, cane-growing regions, and American distilling history.

The American Brandy & Rum Trail is intended to make that distributed history visible while giving travelers a new way to discover the producers and communities carrying these traditions forward today.

AMBRu ultimately envisions a trail spanning the United States and connecting hundreds of producers and historic locations.

For the BETA launch, the invitation is simple:

Explore it. Find what’s missing. Help us build it.

Explore the BETA Trail

ambru.org/map/

About AMBRu

The AMBRu Campaign is a producer-led initiative working toward recognition of American Brandy and American Rum as distinctive products of the United States.

Its September 2026 working paper, Recognition to Revenue, presents a framework connecting product identity with producer participation, discovery, visitation, and economic opportunity.

AMBRu does not certify products or set federal standards. The campaign seeks to bring producers and other stakeholders into the process of developing workable definitions, greater recognition, and a national trail that makes American brandy and rum easier to discover.

About the author

Caroline Porsiel is co-founder of the AMBRu Campaign and author of the Recognition to Revenue framework.

Media contact

Media contact
AMBRu Campaign
+1 404-771-4332
info@ambru.org
https://ambru.org/