It makes no sense to have a knee-jerk reaction against pre-fab, corporate clone rock or big studio, story-free movie making while drinking an Absolut tonic. MCA records, Universal Studios and Absolut vodka are all owned by the same company--Seagrams. So, if you buy that boss new Blink 182 cd, a ticket to the latest star-studded bomb or drink Absolut vodka, the money is all going to line the pockets of the same rich goobers and support their joyless products. Ironic, n'est ce pas?

How come no one champions the struggle of the independent booze producer? They face the exact same problems that indie record labels and filmmakers do.

The liquor industry has seen a trend toward the consolidation of suppliers, distributors and wholesalers. This creates fewer, larger businesses.

Like chain record stores, chain restaurants and liquor stores are where all the big, volume business is done. Space on their shelves is controlled by corporate producers who own a dozen or more brand names. They can offer huge discounts and back it up with tons of cheesy promotional materials like neon signs, stand-up displays and posters.

Corporate liquor manufacturers have mammoth budgets for marketing and promotion. Because of that, whatever they produce makes money, regardless of whether or not it's any good.

The indie booze producers, like their "artistic" counterparts, must rely on being clever to compensate for their lack of capital. They cannot compete with multi-million dollar promotional campaigns, so, they maximize publicity and try to generate word-of-mouth and grass-roots support.

While this all may just seem like the free market at work, this sort of consolidation is a bit more nefarious than a successful business simply rising to the top. This process ultimately serves to place all the power in the hands of a few huge companies. One result is fewer opportunities for a have-not trying to start a business in that industry. It becomes very difficult for a start-up company to raise the amount of capital needed to compete with the money being spent by these large corporations on marketing and promotion. Another result is that this consolidation results in fewer and more paltry choices for consumers.

Such is the case with Redrum, an independently-produced rum from San Francisco. The packaging and name are fresh and unique (about as anti-establishment as a liquor can get without being moonshine served in a mason jar). Their name has kept them out of many high-volume chains, and even out of some states.

But on to the actual review at hand. Redrum is a fine, fine rum. It is a 70-proof, imported Virgin Island rum with natural tropical fruit flavors, but it comes off being more spicy than actually fruity. It works just fine in any traditional rum drink recipe, but it is amazingly good sipped straight from a shot glass after being chilled in the freezer. Its clean, ruby-red packaging would make a fine addition to any tiki or post-modern bar.

If your local liquor store doesn't stock Redrum, just ask them to order some. They can ordering it from their Southern Wine & Spirits rep. Every store buys booze from SW&S, and they can get it in about two days.