CELEBRATE NATIONAL RUM MONTH WITH MARIANNE’S PROMISE AT LAWS WHISKEY HOUSE
August is National Rum Month, and at Laws Whiskey House we’re raising a glass to a spirit that’s been quietly part of our story for more than a decade. Our journey has always been about more than whiskey, it’s about the people, passions, and promises that shape every bottle we make.
One promise, in particular, became the heart of our rum story: Marianne’s Promise.
THE STORY OF MARIANNE’S PROMISE
When Al Laws set out to build a Colorado whiskey distillery, his focus was clear: to create exceptional spirits with patience, purpose, and craft. But from the start, there was a playful bargain in the business plan, a promise to his wife, Marianne, whose spirit of choice has always been rum.
From Marianne herself:
“When Al and I were working on the business plan, I made him promise that if we went through with building this distillery, he would have to make me some rum (my spirit of choice). Fast forward to the summer of 2012. It was a scorcher of a summer, and we couldn’t keep the fermenters cool enough (the distillery has since gone through several upgrades to avoid this problem). So, the distillers decided it was time to make some rum, which could handle the heat. I’ve always preferred dark rum with a little bit of funk, so the distillers got both homemade and blackstrap molasses and went to work. For years after, as the rum sat aging, villagers would jokingly call it ‘Marianne’s Broken Promise,’ even though I was getting samples from the barrels occasionally (for quality assurance reasons, of course). Finally, with the opening of the Sanctuary, our much-anticipated cocktail lounge, there was a need to bottle Marianne’s Promise. I do enjoy a great rum cocktail, but I’ll admit my old-school fallback is dark rum, diet coke, and a quarter of a lime.”
From those first experimental molasses barrels to its official debut with the opening of the Whiskey Sanctuary, Marianne’s Promise has been a labor of love and a delicious fulfillment of a promise made more than a decade ago. Rich, dark, and kissed with a touch of funk, it’s a rum crafted with patience and care, perfect for sipping or mixing into summer cocktails.
CELBRATE NATIONAL RUM MONTH WITH EXCLUSIVE COCKTAILS
To honor National Rum Month, we’ve gone all in on rum at the Whiskey Sanctuary. Marianne’s Promise is available exclusively here to take home, but it also shines in a special menu of rum-forward cocktails crafted just for August.
Alongside our summer signature, Flor de Luna—a bright sipper with Marianne’s Promise, house-made hibiscus syrup, and fresh lime, we’ve added two limited-time National Rum Month creations:
- Jungle Bird – Tropical and bittersweet, featuring Marianne’s Promise, Aperol, pineapple, lime juice, and demerara sugar.
- Painkiller – A vacation classic with Marianne’s Promise, fresh orange juice, pineapple, cream of coconut, and a toasted coconut rim.
These cocktails highlight the depth and character of Marianne’s Promise while capturing the celebratory spirit of the season.
AUGUST WHISKEY WEDNESDAY- THE AFTERLIFE OF OAK: WHERE WHISKEY LEAVES ITS MARK, RUM PICKS UP THE STORY
This month’s Whiskey Wednesday is a true National Rum Month celebration, shining a spotlight on Colorado relationships, craftsmanship, and sustainability through the life cycle of a whiskey barrel.
The evening begins with a Marianne’s Promise cocktail as Al Laws shares the story of the rum he created for his wife. From there, we explore the remarkable second life of our barrels with Montanya Distillery in Crested Butte, who exclusively use Laws Whiskey barrels to age their award-winning rums. Together with Montanya’s Master Distiller, Megan Campbell, we’ll guide you through:
How Colorado spirits connect, with barrels linking Laws whiskey and Montanya rum.
The transformation of flavor, experienced in a guided side-by-side tasting of Laws Bourbon and Montanya’s barrel-aged rum.
The sustainable journey of oak, where one barrel continues to create character and flavor across multiple spirits instead of a single use.
This special Whiskey Wednesday isn’t just about tasting, it’s about celebrating Colorado partnerships, honoring National Rum Month, and raising a glass to sustainability in the spirits world.
Join us at the Laws Whiskey Sanctuary this August to toast to promises fulfilled, barrels reborn, and the connections that make great spirits possible.
