Startup CPG Newswire:
Introducing Ohio-based Female-founded Premium Colombian Rum brand Esther
PRESS RELEASE — NEWS PROVIDED BY Margaret Kerr-Jarrett for Esther Rum
COLUMBUS, OH (FEBRUARY 2026) — Rum is back. Founded by Margaret Kerr-Jarrett and Emunah Winer, the creative team behind the breakout Tequila brand Casa Malka, Esther is a new, single origin premium Colombian rum brand that rejects the dated sugary mixers and pirate clichés of the category. While rum appears on nearly every cocktail menu in the country, it has long lacked the cultural relevance of tequila or gin. Esther is architected to change that as the category’s first true call brand that drinkers ask for by name.
The liquid is a 100% additive-free, grass to glass blend of pot and column still rums distilled at the Picciotto Family Distillery in Cali, Colombia. Bottled in Columbus, Ohio, Esther offers a soft, approachable profile inspired by the palate of a high-end reposado tequila. The tasting notes feature ripe stone fruit and light caramel layered with toasted oak and a hint of delicate spice.
“We’ve heard all the same old stories about rum already, and people are ready for a completely new narrative,” says co-founder Margaret Kerr-Jarrett. Co-founder Emunah Winer adds, “Esther is the brand that will change that. Esther is the rum that will rebrand rum”.
Visually, the brand stands out with its emblematic roaring lion and a bespoke, bright green bottle cap. “We knew we would have to be remembered by something easily,” says Winer. “Ultimately we chose to be remembered as ‘that bottle with the big green cap’”.
Launched in early 2026, Esther enters the market at an SRP of $36.99. It is currently available exclusively at select Ohio retailers and online, serving as a sophisticated bridge for a new wave of soon-to-be-converted rum fans.
For more information, visit drinkesther.com or follow @drinkesther on Instagram.
About Esther Rum
Rum is back. Founded by Margaret Kerr-Jarrett and Emunah Winer, the creative team behind the Tequila brand Casa Malka, Esther rejects the sugary mixers and “pirate” clichés of the cane spirit. The liquid is a single-origin, 100% additive-free Colombian rum with a wood-aged sophistication that mirrors a high-end Reposado. Distilled in Cali and bottled in Columbus, Ohio.
Learn more at drinkesther.com
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