Name: Ed Hamilton on the Evolution of Hamilton Rum, the Ministry of Rum, and More - Episode 12 @therumcast
Uploaded: 2026-09-23T08:17:00-05:00
Duration: 8 min 17 s
Description: Ed Hamilton on the Evolution of Hamilton Rum, the Ministry of Rum, and More - Episode 12

Ed Hamilton on the Evolution of Hamilton Rum, the Ministry of Rum, and More - Episode 12

The Rumcast 2026-09-23 | Ed Hamilton on the Evolution of Hamilton Rum, the Ministry of Rum, and More - Episode 12

The 4th Annual Rumcast Fantasy Rum Draft

The Rumcast 2025-09-20 | Note: We need your help to make the most of this episode! Go to rumcast.com/vote after listening to help determine the winner of this year's Fantasy Rum Draft. Thank you!

For the fourth year in a row, we're back with our annual Rumcast Fantasy Rum Draft. In this annual competition, we compete head-to-head to “draft” rums from the selection of an online liquor store (or, in this year's case, TWO online liquor stores) for 10 different rum categories. The goal? To create the superior desert island rum bar.

Following his big win last year, we were excited to welcome 2024 champion Arminder Randhawa from @therumrevival back to defend his crown!

We drafted our picks from the rum inventories currently available (as of 9-7-2025) at Burlington Wine and Spirits and Baytowne Wine and Spirits. The categories were:

Unaged

Lightly Aged (1-4 Years)

Aged (5-13 Years)

Long Aged (14+ Years)

Cane Juice Unaged

Cane Juice Aged (Any Length)

Multi-Country Blend

Non-Caribbean

100% Column

100% Pot

After you listen, head to rumcast.com/vote to access the complete list of picks, along with a link to our Fantasy Rum Draft Command Center if you'd like to have a look.May the best team win!

Behind Our 2nd Cask Selection + the Rumcast Reserve Label Reveal

The Rumcast 2025-09-07 | Today's the day! We’re revealing the identity of the second cask selection that will be featured in our upcoming Rumcast Reserve release. And since two reveals are more fun than one, we're also unveiling the finished (pending TTB approval) label design.

In addition to the reveals, we also take you through the work that went into them — from the twists and turns designing our label to the debates we had when choosing from our top 8 casks at The Main Rum Company.

We also make one final decision regarding the label live during the recording, after some spirited debate of course.

Have a listen and let us know what you think of our choices! We're excited to hear your thoughts and any questions you have.

Inside Rum Buying at The Whisky Exchange, with Dawn Davies

The Rumcast 2025-08-24 | In this episode, we caught up with Dawn Davies, head buyer for The Whisky Exchange—one of the premier spirits stores in the UK.

Dawn is a huge rum fan with an excellent palate (she's one of the very few Masters of Wine in the world), and her position at The Whisky Exchange gives her a fascinating perspective on the world of rum.

We discussed:

What goes into managing a store selection that includes nearly 1,000 rum SKUs

Balancing esoteric rum geek bottles with mass market selections

Which rums should be on more store shelves right now

Standouts from The Whisky Exchange's 5th annual Rum Show this past July

What it takes to go through the grueling 5+ years long Master of Wine process

How Dawn approaches tasting rums

Revisiting The Whisky Exchange's rum classification system 6 years in

Annoying label terminology

And more!

Relevant links mentioned in the episode:

Follow Dawn on Instagram: instagram.com/dawndaviesmw/?hl=en

The Whisky Exchange website: thewhiskyexchange.com

The Whisky Exchange rum classification system: blog.thewhiskyexchange.com/2019/05/whisky-exchange-rum-classification

The Whisky Exchange rum flavor camps: thewhiskyexchange.com/feature/rumbyflavour

Check out Boston Rum Week — coming up September 14-21: bostonrumweek.com

The Rumcast Guide to Guyana Rum: Part 2

The Rumcast 2025-08-10 | After releasing Part 1 last week, we're back with the second installment of our guide to all Guyana rum. We kick off Part 2 with a discussion of DDL's influence on the modern rum landscape through its El Dorado releases and notable releases from independent bottlers.

Next up, we confront the additives questions that have been associated with the distillery since the early 2010s. What have they said about their practice of aging with caramel in the barrel? What's the current status of the practice at the distillery?

At the end, we close things out with a game of True or False with the Demerara Rum GI. What does the GI say about aging at origin? And sweetening Demerara rum?

Tune in for all this and more, and catch up on Part 1 if you haven't already.

We consulted a good amount of sources for this episode, which you can peruse at: rumcast.com/episodes/guyana-rum-guide-part-2

The Rumcast Guide to Guyana Rum (Part 1)

The Rumcast 2025-08-01 | In the latest chapter in our Rumcast Guides series, we turn our eyes to Guyana and the legendary style of Demerara rum. As one of the world's most distinct, essential rum categories, this episode has been a long time coming. Whether you're new to the rums of Demerara Distillers Ltd. or a seasoned enjoyer, there's something in here for everyone.

In Part 1, we set the stage by going over the factors that make Guyana's rums so unique, along with a brief timeline of rum production and a deep dive into the country's lone remaining distillery and its collection of historic stills.

Part 2 will follow next week (with a focus on DDL's influence on modern rum, the additives question, and the Demerara Rum GI), so stay tuned!

We consulted a good amount of sources for this episode, which you can view at rumcast.com/episodes/guyana-rum-guide-part-1

Blind Tasting Dead Reckonings The Black Pit & Roaming Roads 17-Year Spain Rum

The Rumcast 2025-07-20 | We're back with another chapter in our series of blind rum reviews — this time with two rums we've both had before, including one we just reviewed in a bonus episode for you a few weeks back!

We begin with that very rum: Roaming Road's 17-Year Spain Rum. See how close we came to identifying a rum we both just argued over within the last month (and how not knowing its identity impacted our enjoyment of it).

Next, we move to a rum we briefly sampled during our visit to The Black Parrot in London in January: Dead Reckoning's "The Black Pit." It's a blend of Port Mourant, Versailles, and Enmore still rums from Demerara Distillers Ltd. that features a rather unique cask finish.

A big thank you to Patreon member Jordan from DC for supplying these mystery samples to both of us. Believe it or not, he actually sent these well before we independently tried and reviewed Roaming Road's Spain Rum. So it was a happy accident, not an evil trick!

We'd love to hear your thoughts on these rums, so leave a comment below to discuss. Cheers!

Roaming Road Spirits: From Liquor Store Owner to Rum Bottler w/ Mike Gilmore

The Rumcast 2025-07-06 | Support the Rumcast on Patreon to get bonus episodes, online happy hours, and more: patreon.com/therumcast

In this episode, we sat down with Mike Gilmore, founder of Roaming Road Spirits, to go behind the scenes at one of the newest independent rum bottlers in the U.S.

Roaming Road first got on our radar last year when they came out of the gate hot with an impressive slate of initial rum releases that included a memorable diamond H Hampden rum, among others. With Roaming Road's second wave of releases now out (which we tasted through on a recent bonus episode), we figured now was the right time to get their full story.

We chatted with Mike about:

His journey from liquor store owner to rum bottler

Why he thinks store barrel picks have gotten worse in recent years

Why he travels thousands of miles to sample casks in person (rather than receiving samples by mail)

His tasting process

What he looks for in a great rum

How he ended up bottling a 17-year-old rum from Spain (and details on where it came from)

The impact of cask finishes

And much more!

Have a listen and let us know your thoughts and questions in a comment below. Cheers!

Revealing the Identity of Our First Ever Single Cask Release (and Why We Picked It)

The Rumcast 2025-06-22 | It's finally time — we're revealing which rum we will be releasing for the Rumcast Single Cask Project (and our release date goal).

This is the cask we ultimately purchased from Main Rum Company following our in-person visit, where we sampled over 20 casks that originated from all over the world. We covered many of those casks in our previous Cask Project episode that took you inside our Main Rum visit: youtu.be/ZLWNO8XH2fQ

This episode was sponsored by the Key West Rum Fest. You can get more info on their website: rumfestkeywest.com

Behind the Blends at Black Tot Rum with Head Blender Oliver Chilton

The Rumcast 2025-06-08 | Did you know you can support The Rumcast on Patreon now and get bonus episodes, happy hours, and more? You can! Head to patreon.com/therumcast to check it out.

View all episodes at: rumcast.com

In this episode, we sat down with Oliver Chilton, the head blender at Black Tot Rum, to nerd out on all things blending—from their recently reformulated flagship blend, to their new solera blend, to their annual master blender's reserve releases, and beyond.

We also got into a lot of in-the-works rum projects that we didn't know were coming down the pike. All of which are interesting.

Oliver was a great hang and we learned a lot. We think you will too. You'll hear about:

The rum Oliver was desperate to add to their Finest Caribbean blend (and why)

How Oliver went from working at The Whisky Exchange to becoming a rum and whisky blender

Their distillery project (and whether we might see rum coming from it)

The coolest rare rums Oliver has had the chance to work with

Misconceptions about sherry cask and solera maturation

How solera casks different from typical ex-sherry casks used in aging rum

Possible future releases

And much more!

The Rumcast 2025 Hot List: The Top 20(ish) Buzziest Bottles (and Upcoming Releases) of the Year

The Rumcast 2025-05-26 | Support The Rumcast on Patreon and get bonus episodes, happy hours, and more: Head to patreon.com/therumcast to check it out.

In this episode, we attempted a new mid-year exercise — picking 10 bottles each we think are the most talked about / anticipated releases of the year among rum enthusiasts, including bottles that have already hit shelves and some that are still on their way.

The goal was not only to create a snapshot of what's popular with rum enthusiasts in 2025, but also to give you a handy list of bottles you may want to add to your list to try if you haven't already.

After you've had a listen, send us an email or drop a comment on social to let us know — which releases are you most excited about this year? Which ones did we miss? We'd love to know!

We've included the full lists below, so stop scrolling here if you want to be surprised!

**Spoilers Below**

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John's Top 10 List:

10. Holmes Cay Réunion Island Rum Traditionnel - Single Origin Edition #4

9. Black Tot Finest Caribbean (New Blend)

8. Dead Reckoning Vanuatu 83 Islands

7. Raising Glasses Full Circle Blend

6. Bedford Park Westerhall Grenada 27-Year

5. Alambique Serrano - Alambique de Cobre

4. Habitation Velier Hampden PM Spirits / Prestige-Ledroit Blend

3. Roaming Road Belize 18-Year

2. Renaissance Clouded Leopard

1. Alambique Serrano Vida Nativa Series #1: Pico Canoa

Will's Top 10 List:

10. Black Tot Historic Solera Blend

9. Hampden 1753

8. Foursquare Exceptional Cask Selection: Mandamus

7. Papalin Jamaica High Ester

6. Renaissance Clouded Leopard

5. Mhoba Rum: The Shaldon

4. Bristol Classic Rum Jamaica DOK 2009

3. Hampden The Maverick

2. Alambique Serrano Vida Nativa Series #1: Pico Canoa

1. El Dorado High Ester Blend #2: PM/DHE

Inside rum et al. — Los Angeless Must-Watch Experimental Rum Distillery

The Rumcast 2025-05-11 | In this episode, we sat down with the founder and distiller behind one of the most interesting rum projects in the U.S. right now, Robyn Smith of rum et al. and @RobynSmithPhD, a chemical engineering PhD turned rum distiller.

The premise behind rum et al. is simple but fascinating. Robyn started with a foundational, always-available rum she named Baseline. She's since released batches in which she introduces a "variable" to the Baseline recipe, such as dunder. This allows you to taste the exact differences that the variable brings to the flavor profile when tasted side by side. If you're a rum geek, it's a really cool tasting experience.

During the episode, we discussed:

How she went from chemical engineering PhD to rum distiller

Her experience in R&D for Lost Spirits Distillery

How rum et al. came to be

All the nerdy rum production details

The joys and challenges of being a one-woman operation

Congeners vs. esters

How ester measurements translate to flavor profile

What we might see from her next

And much more!

Be sure to check out her YouTube channel, @RobynSmithPhD ! These videos about her rum et al. releases are a great place to start:

How Baseline Was Made: youtu.be/b5XEGO3AJZw

How Variable (Dunderclap) Was Made: youtu.be/NXyF7vwRJDk

How Variable (Tailspin) Was Made: youtu.be/1s5Q6leDoXg

Have you had a chance to try Robyn's rum? What stood out to you in the conversation? Let us know via email (host@rumcast.com) or social!

20 Rums in 60 Minutes: The First Rumcast Sample Extravaganza!

The Rumcast 2025-04-27 | Sometimes we get in the mood to do something a little crazy, and this episode is one of those times.

After the debut of the latest musical number from John Gulla (don't miss this one), we spend 60 minutes putting a big dent in our backlog of rum samples by tasting and sharing rapidfire thoughts on 10 interesting rums each, for a total of 20.

We set a timer for two minutes and 30 seconds for each sample, leaving ourselves some extra time at the end to discuss our favorites, what we learned from the exercise, and more.

From recent releases like Papalin Jamaica High Ester Blend, to classics like Rhum Bielle Blanc, to up-and-coming producers like Taiwan's Renaissance Distillery and Australia's Mt. Uncle Distillery (including an Australian agave cask finish??), to recently closed distilleries like Japan's Nine Leaves, to soon-to-be-released rums that we saved as surprises — the range is wide and vast, just like the category of rum and John's vocal range.

You can check out the complete list of rums below, or just dive right into the episode!

After you've listened, let us know — have you tried any of these rums? If so, what did you think of them?

Cheers!

Complete List of Rums Sampled:

Oxbow Rhum Louisiane 2022 Harvest (United States)

Uruapan Cana Cristalina Single Agricola (Mexico)

Below the Salt L'Ardois JaQ (Nova Scotia)

Velier Nine Leaves 2023 Last Drops (Japan)

Botran Rare Blend - Italian Wine Cask (Guatemala)

Grander Toasted Oak Small Batch (Panama)

Rum & Cane - Asia Pacific XO (Fiji / Indonesia Blend)

Mt. Uncle Iridium X (Australia)

Crooked Island Rum - Waterman (Jamaica / Dominican Republic Blend)

Mt. Uncle Iridium X Agave Cask Edition (Australia)

Dràm Mòr Single Cask - Secret Distillery 7-Year (Mauritius)

Foursquare Magisterium (Barbados)

Rhum Bielle Blanc (Marie Galante, Guadeloupe)

Papalin Jamaica High Ester (Jamaica)

Renaissance 2018 Pedro Ximenez Sherry Cask (Taiwan)

Raising Glasses Full Circle Blend (8 Countries)

4 Surprise Rums (3 of which haven't been released yet)

The Alambique Serrano Vida Nativa Series Tasting Guide

The Rumcast 2025-04-14 | If you keep up with rum releases it's been pretty hard to ignore the arrival of Alambique Serrano's Vida Nativa series — 5 limited release bottles from the Oaxacan cane juice rum producer that feature a wide range of interesting cask types, different stills, and distinct flavor profiles (watermelon cucumber water?).

In this episode, we tasted through 4 out of the 5 bottles, plus the new 3-year blend that's designed to be their first always available release. Along the way we debated our favorites, discussed a possible early favorite rum of the year, revealed John's secret connection to a beloved pop music icon, and much more.

We cover the specs of each release during the show, but if you'd like to follow along, the Alambique Serrano website has all the details here: alambiqueserrano.com/vida-nativa1

Have a listen and let us know what you think of these rums if you've been able to taste them!

Heavy Rum from Panama? The Making of Granders New Cane Harvest Rum

The Rumcast 2025-03-30 | In this episode, we invited Grander founder Dan DeHart on the show to break down the making of an atypical new unaged rum called Cane Harvest. Unlike the vast majority of rums that come out of Panama, this rum is made of 100% heavy column rum that typically only serves as a blending component with lighter-bodied rums. It's a fascinating glimpse at a type of rum we don't often get to experience on its own.

We talked to Dan about:

How an idea to recreate the defunct Caña Brava rum led to this much different rum

The source of the rum (hint: it's not from Las Cabras, the distillery where Grander has sourced all of its other rums to date)

What makes this heavy style of column still rum different

Whether we'll see an aged version of this rum

How Grander has evolved over the last 5 years

Most successful and most unsuccessful secondary maturations

And much more!

Uruapan Charanda: 100+ Years of Making Mexicos Other Rum with Miriam Pacheco

The Rumcast 2025-03-16 | In this episode, after a quick discussion of potential bottles for our Rumcast Single Cask Project, we dive into all things charanda with Miriam Pacheco, the general manager of Uruapan Charanda.

If you're familiar with the aguardientes de caña from the Mexican state of Oaxaca, think of charanda like their cousin from the state of Michoacán — a similar Mexican cane spirit that is often made from fresh sugarcane juice, but can also be made from molasses or piloncillo. Once among the hundreds of charanda producers in the state, Uruapan is now one of only two or three remaining. Miriam talked us through the distillery's 100+ year history, including:

What separates charanda from other Mexican cane spirits

Why they put "rum" in quotation marks on their label

Why the number of charanda producers has dwindled over the years

The range of distillates they produce from their collection of pot and column stills

Their newer line of single cane varietal rums

What you might find aging in their warehouse of 400+ casks

And much more!

As we've said before, there's no shortage of interesting cane spirits coming out of Mexico these days. Uruapan is definitely one of them.

Check out these links to learn more:

Uruapan Charanda website: charandaartesanal.com

Imbibe article on charanda: imbibemagazine.com/charanda

The Rumcast Guide to Mexican Rum: rumcast.com/episodes/mexican-rum-guide

P.S. Did you know you can support The Rumcast on Patreon now and get bonus episodes, happy hours, and more? You can! Head to patreon.com/therumcast to check it out.

American Cane: A New Chapter in the American Rum Revival with Maggie Campbell & Darin Vest

The Rumcast 2025-03-02 | In this episode, we're excited to bring you the first public window into American Cane — the new American rum company that announced Maggie Campbell would be joining as CEO back in October.

If you've been listening to the show for a while, you'll know that we've followed Maggie's career closely from her days leading Privateer Rum to her more recent work at Mount Gay's Estate Rum Program. So ever since the announcement came that she would be returning to American rum, tons of rum enthusiasts have been waiting for more details.

Disclosure: As discussed in the intro, Will has served on American Cane's advisory board since 2022.

We sat down with Maggie and the co-founder of American Cane, Darin Vest, to get as many answers as we could to questions like:

What exactly is American Cane, and how did it begin?

What kinds of rum can we expect to see from them (and when)?

Is there a distillery? Where will it be located?

How is the role of CEO different from Maggie's past roles at rum companies?

Where does American rum stand stylistically, and where is it headed?

What do the next five years look like for the company?

And a whole lot more!

Inside Our Trip to Liverpools Main Rum Company: The Rumcast Single Cask Project Part 3

The Rumcast 2025-02-13 | At long last, the day arrived — we visited the Main Rum Company in person to taste through dozens of incredible rum casks in search of the perfect one for our ongoing single cask project! In this episode, we take you inside the journey (and inside the warehouse itself) to show you exactly what it’s like to pick a rum cask for release.

You'll hear about:

A step-by-step breakdown of the entire in-person tasting day at Main Rum

What a rum cask "offer sheet" looks like (and the types of casks they pulled for us) — check out the video version for a closer look at this

The unusual brief we gave Main Rum on the types of casks we were seeking

Standout casks we tasted throughout the day

Excerpts from inside the warehouse as we tasted our way through unforgettable casks

And much more!

Our goal was to make it feel like you are there with us, so we included a lot of clips we captured inside the warehouse. Have a listen, and let us know what else you’d like to learn about the process!

The Rumcasts Top 6 Rum Predictions for 2025

The Rumcast 2025-01-27 | It's that time of the year again! Per our annual tradition, we each make three predictions for the world of rum in 2025 — from types of releases, to specific distillery developments, to broader trends that may impact rum enthusiasts, and beyond! And of course we also revisit our predictions from last year to see how close we came.

Have a listen and then let us know what your predictions are!

P.S. Did you know you can support The Rumcast on Patreon now and get bonus episodes, happy hours, and more? You can! Head to patreon.com/therumcast to check it out.

The Future of the Jamaica Rum GI with Christopher Gentles, GM of the Spirits Pool Association

The Rumcast 2025-01-13 | In this episode we get an inside look at the status and future of the Jamaica Rum GI (Geographic Indicator) with Christopher Gentles, general manager of the organization championing the GI (and doing other interesting things), Jamaica's Spirits Pool Association.

If you're a fan of Jamaican rum, this interview is a must-listen.

We discuss:

National Rums of Jamaica's legal challenge to the GI

What rum enthusiasts can expect to happen next

Why the GI is important to Jamaican rum

The debates over aging at origin and adding sugar

Creating a tasting panel for Jamaican rum marks

The evolution of the Jamaican rum category in recent years

And much more!

Note: After the recording of this episode, the Jamaica Gleaner reported that National Rums of Jamaica has accused other producers of Jamaican rum involved in the GI of anti-competitive practices and sought help from the Jamaica Fair Trading Commission: jamaica-gleaner.com/article/business/20250112/update-rum-fight-goes-fair-trading-commission

If you want a deeper look at the Jamaica Rum GI, check out these articles:

Jamaica Observer: Court battle over ‘Jamaica rum’ unfortunate, says Jimmy Lawrence; NRJ argues litigation necessary as JIPO erred in GI designation: jamaicaobserver.com/2024/11/27/court-battle-jamaica-rum-unfortunate-says-jimmy-lawrencenrj-argues-litigation-necessary-jipo-erred-gi-designation

The Gleaner: New GI rum rules bar aging outside of Jamaica: jamaica-gleaner.com/article/business/20241009/new-gi-rum-rules-bar-ageing-outside-jamaica

Rum Wonk: Jamaica's Rum GI Changes - Overview and Analysis: rumwonk.com/p/jamaicas-rum-gi-changes-overview

Rum Revelations: Jamaica GI Rumblings with a French Twist: rumrevelations.com/post/jamaica-rum-gi-rumblings-with-a-french-twist

The Rumcast Single Cask Project Part 2: Name Update + Bottle Possibilities

The Rumcast 2024-12-29 | In the second installment of our Rumcast Single Cask Project series, we decide on a name for the brand and debate bottle designs ahead of our trip to Main Rum Company at the end of January.

You can view the bottles in our bottles spreadsheet here: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zR6CwaPLJZ9orhEXR8vuEd-8UEjbtCxCahxNY7pyVvs/edit?usp=sharing

Like we mention in the intro, if you or someone you know has label design skills and is interested in collaborating (and knows the rum world), send us an email at host@rumcast.com!

As a reminder, this episode is part of an ongoing series in which we take you along with us as we purchase a barrel of rum and do our first single cask release. If you missed Part 1, you can check it out here.

P.S. Did you know you can support The Rumcast on Patreon now and get bonus episodes, happy hours, and more? You can! Head to patreon.com/therumcast to check it out.

The Rumcasts Favorite Rums of 2024

The Rumcast 2024-12-21 | Happy holidays and New Year (in advance), everyone!

In our fifth (!) annual Year in Review episode we take a look back at our favorite rums of the year in the following categories:

Unaged molasses rum

Unaged cane juice rum

Aged rum (5 years or less)

Aged rum (Over 5 years)

“New to me” rum

Best value rum

Most surprising rum

Overall rum

Plus, we each throw in picks for Distillery of the Year and Bottler of the Year, along with another round of "Am I the a**hole for being lower on this rum?" and another classic rum-themed holiday tune from John Gulla.

Have a listen, and let us know your favorites in these categories from the past year! Also, what did we miss? What were we too high or low on? We'd love to hear your takes.

P.S. Did you know you can support The Rumcast on Patreon now and get bonus episodes, happy hours, and more? You can! Head to patreon.com/therumcast to check it out.

Blind Rum Review: Swell de Spirits Isautier 2011 (Réunion Rhum Agricole)

The Rumcast 2024-12-16 | We're back with another entry in our semi-blind reviews series — but yet again with a twist! In this mystery sample edition, both of us have no idea what the identity of this rum is as we review it. Along the way, we offer our best guesses as to the rum's origin and key characteristics.

This time, it's a 13-year-old rhum agricole from Isautier Distillery in Réunion Island bottled by Swell de Spirits.

Rum specs:

Bottler: Swell de Spirits

Origin: Réunion Island

Distillery: Isautier

Base material: Cane juice

Distillation: Column

Age: 13 years

Cask: Ex-Cognac

ABV: 59.4%

A special thank you to Rumcast patron Ben for providing the mystery sample.

Have a watch and let us know what you think of this rum!

P.S. Did you know you can support The Rumcast on Patreon now and get bonus episodes, happy hours, and more? You can! Head to patreon.com/therumcast to check it out.

Introducing Rosalie Bay: Dominicas First-of-Its-Kind Rum Distillery

The Rumcast 2024-12-08 | In this episode, we went inside a brand new distillery in a rarely explored rum origin of the Caribbean — Dominica (not the Dominican Republic). Rosalie Bay Distilling is a unique operation that is producing rum from sugarcane juice supplied by 80+ local farmers, and contributing 100% of its profits toward conservation efforts that protect sea turtles, coral reef, whales, and more.

We got to sit down with Kernean George (head distiller), Marcella Harris (conservationist and board member of Dominica Sea Turtle Conservation Organization), and Brett Steigerwaldt (distillery advisor and head distiller at Lyon Rum) to learn about Rosalie Bay from a variety of angles, including:

How a chance encounter at a Maryland rum distillery sparked Rosalie Bay Distilling

A brief history of rum production in Dominica, and why it differs from neighboring islands Martinique and Guadeloupe

Kernean's journey from not drinking rum to becoming a head rum distiller

How Rosalie Bay developed its style of cane juice rum

What it's like to source cane from 80+ local farmers

The unique terroir of Dominica

The dangers to sea turtles, coral reef, and sperm whales — and how the distillery funds efforts to protect them

And much more!

Links to things mentioned during the episode:

You can order bottles of Rosalie Bay via Raising Glasses (it's also currently available in Massachusetts retail stores): raisingglasses.com/product/rbd1

Rosalie Bay's website: rosaliebaydistillery.com

Oceans Forward's website: oceansforward.org

The Last Turtle documentary (available on YouTube): youtube.com/watch?v=ncI-HSp22g0

National Geographic's Secrets of the Whales docuseries (episode 4 features Dominica's sperm whales): disneyplus.com/series/secrets-of-the-whales/3aHpgjYaJTM5

As always, leave a comment to let us know your thoughts, questions, etc!

The Rumcast Guide to Madeira Rum

The Rumcast 2024-11-24 | In this return to our Rumcast Guides series, we dive into Portugal's twist on agricole rum — Madeira!

Madeira has been producing amazing cane juice rums for a very long time, but has only started becoming more well known in the broader rum world in recent years. So there's no better time than now to explore it!

We take you through:

A brief history of rum production and sugarcane cultivation in Madeira

Their distinctive rules for rum production

How their mythical "Chamber of Tasters" tasting panels for approving authentic Rums da Madeira work

A look at each of the current Madeira rum distilleries

Tastings of several Madeira rums from O Reizinho, Engenhos do Norte, Vinha Alta, and Engenho Novo

On-the-ground reporting from a Rumcast correspondent who recently visited Madeira

The reveal of a "Madeira Mystery" blind tasting

And more!

Related links:

The official Rum da Madeira website: rumdamadeira.com

Madeira Rum certification process PDF: rumdamadeira.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/View-PDF-1.pdf

Madeira Rum organoleptic requirements PDF: rumdamadeira.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Requisitos-organoleticos-minimos-_Rum-da-Madeira-ed.-1_SITE-INGLES.pdf

Our episode 55 interview with Peter Holland: rumcast.com/episodes/peter-holland-the-floating-rum-shack

Our episode 73 interview with Richard Nicholson: rumcast.com/episodes/richard-nicholson-rum-journey

Secret Rum Bar's Madeira Rum series: secretrumbar.com/post/madeira-rum-pt2-the-distilleries-and-bars

Fat Rum Pirate's Calheta rum review: thefatrumpirate.com/aguardente-de-cana-rum-agricola-da-madeira-calheta

P.S. Did you know you can support The Rumcast on Patreon now and get bonus episodes, happy hours, and more? You can! Head to patreon.com/therumcast to check it out.

La Maison & Velier Flag Series Rums: Tasting 3 Rums from Cambodia, Fiji, and Jamaica

The Rumcast 2024-11-10 | In this free edition of our monthly bonus Patreon episode, we taste through three highly anticipated new rums in La Maison & Velier's Flag Series:

Cambodia 2016: an 8-year-old pot still rum from Samai Distillery (48.7% ABV)

Jamaica 2015: a 9-year-old pot still rum from Worthy Park (60.4% ABV)

Fiji 2012: a 12-year-old pot still rum from South Pacific Distilleries (64.5% ABV)

Tune in for some background on Cambodian rum, our thoughts on each rum, some reflections on the Flag Series as a whole, a digression on Bob Dylan, and more!

Note: These samples were provided to us free of charge, and with no promise of a review or episode like this.

Have you tried any of these yet? Is there one you're particularly interested in? Leave a comment and let us know!

P.S. Did you know you can support The Rumcast on Patreon now and get bonus episodes, happy hours, and more? You can! Head to patreon.com/therumcast to check it out.

Blind Rum Review: Compagnie Des Indes Trinidad 2003 (TDL)

The Rumcast 2024-11-03 | We're back with our semi-blind reviews series — but with a twist! In this mystery sample edition, both of us have no idea what the identity of this rum is before diving in headfirst for a review. Along the way, we offer our best guesses as to the rum's origin and key characteristics.

This time, it's a 20-year-old rum from Trinidad Distillers Limited bottled by Compagnie Des Indes. Tune in to see how close we get!

A special thank you to Rumcast patron Ben for providing the mystery sample.

Have a watch and let us know what you think of this rum!

P.S. Did you know you can support The Rumcast on Patreon now and get bonus episodes, happy hours, and more? You can! Head to patreon.com/therumcast to check it out.

Introducing the Rumcast Single Cask Project: Part 1 - Whats in a Name?

The Rumcast 2024-10-27 | Big news: we're buying a cask and branding, bottling, labeling, and releasing our own single cask rum. Throughout this process, we'll be taking you along on the journey as we conceptualize the rum, travel to the Main Rum Company in Liverpool to find the perfect cask, and do all the other stuff that goes into a first-time release.

In this episode, we tackle our first creative challenge — coming up with a name for the brand / release! We discuss themes we'd like the name to capture, things we'd like to avoid, and then share ideas for names that we've brainstormed separately — including the bad, the ugly, and the...possibly OK?

Have a listen and leave a comment with your thoughts, ideas, or things you'd like us to throughout the process.

P.S. Did you know you can support The Rumcast on Patreon now and get bonus episodes, happy hours, and more? You can! Head to patreon.com/therumcast to check it out.

Sicilian Rum? Its a Thing! The Making of Mater Rum with Hugo Gallardo

The Rumcast 2024-10-12 | In this episode, we're excited to take you inside a very new emerging rum locale — Sicily, the Italian island where Distilleria Alma is bringing back sugarcane cultivation. Since 2021, Hugo Gallardo and his co-founders have been crafting cane juice rum from multiple varietals and bottling it under the label Mater Rum.

We were lucky to try multiple bottlings of Mater and can confirm that it's worthy of your interest not just because of its interesting origin, but also because it tastes pretty damn good. So obviously we had to get the full story from Hugo!

We discussed:

The long history of sugarcane in Sicily (and why it disappeared)

How the distillery almost ended up in the Philippines

The ongoing evolution of Mater's production process

The differences between the yellow cane and purple cane rums

Rumors of additional Sicilian rum projects from heavy hitters of the rum world

Sicily's unique environment and culture

What kinds of Mater releases we may see in the future

Bringing Mater to the U.S.

And much more!

Check out Distilleria Alma's website for more info on Mater Rum: distillerialma.com

Have you had an opportunity to try Mater Rum yet? Would love to know your thoughts!

Relevant links to the Jamaica Rum GI discussion in the intro:

The Gleaner: New GI rum rules bar aging outside of Jamaica: jamaica-gleaner.com/article/business/20241009/new-gi-rum-rules-bar-ageing-outside-jamaica

Rum Wonk: Jamaica's Rum GI Changes - Overview and Analysis: rumwonk.com/p/jamaicas-rum-gi-changes-overview

Rum Revelations: Jamaica GI Rumblings with a French Twist: rumrevelations.com/post/jamaica-rum-gi-rumblings-with-a-french-twist

RESULTS SHOW: Crowning the 2024 Fantasy Rum Draft Champion

The Rumcast 2024-10-06 | In this special mini-episode, we reveal the full results and official WINNER of the 2024 Rumcast Fantasy Rum Draft!

You can view the official results totals here (Spoiler Warning, obviously): docs.google.com/document/d/1GA4_PEkFFA8Nj7ciWN1kEk3MyH_0xA8RnIxvjRfCdR8/edit?usp=sharing

As always, THANK YOU to everyone who listened and voted, and a special shout out to our special guest participant this year, Arminder Randhawa of @therumrevival.

Be sure to follow Arminder on YouTube @therumrevival and Instagram: instagram.com/rumrevival

Special thanks to The Auditor Reviews for his draft grades article: theauditorreviews.com/rumcast-3rd-annual-rum-fantasy-draft-grades

P.S. Did you know you can support The Rumcast on Patreon now and get bonus episodes, happy hours, and more? You can! Head to patreon.com/therumcast to check it out.

The 3rd Annual Rumcast Fantasy Rum Draft

The Rumcast 2024-09-22 | Note: We need your help to make the most of this episode! Go to rumcast.com/vote after listening to help determine the winner of this year's Fantasy Rum Draft. Thank you!

For the third year in a row, we're back with our annual Rumcast Fantasy Rum Draft. In this annual competition, we compete head-to-head to “draft” rums from the selection of a single online liquor store for 10 different rum categories. The goal? To create the superior “desert island” rum bar.

Also, for the first time ever, we welcomed a guest to the competition! Arminder Randhawa from @therumrevival joined us to duke it out for fantasy rum bar supremacy.

Have a listen, and then head to rumcast.com/vote to help us determine the winner!

We "drafted" rums for the following categories from a selection of 400+ rums currently available at Del Mesa Liquor:

Unaged

Lightly Aged (1-4 Years)

Aged (5-12 Years)

Long Aged (13+ Years)

Cane Juice Unaged

Cane Juice Aged (Any Length)

Multi-Country Blend

Non-Caribbean

100% Column

100% Pot

After you listen, head to rumcast.com/vote to access the complete list of picks. You can view the spreadsheet with all the rums here: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1BV3aRZRZDrXll9DGTuCvidSBYR5iaVz8V5aj8M_Zayc/edit?usp=sharing

A few other rules and changes to note:

We each had a budget of $800.

We could each only draft one rum per brand. For example, if John drafted Worthy Park Estate Reserve, he wouldn't be able to draft Worthy Park 109. He could, however, draft Rum Bar Overproof since it is a distinct brand.

We trimmed down the number of categories this year to account for having a third participant.

We introduced the concept or "retired" and "snoozed" rums this year to keep things interesting. If a rum has been picked in the first round two years in a row, it is "retired" and inducted into the Hall of Fame, thus making it ineligible for future selections. Two rums qualified for this honor — Rum Fire and Probitas/Veritas. If a rum has been selected two years in a row (outside of the first round) it is "snoozed" and made ineligible for selection for one year. This year, Wray & Nephew Overproof was snoozed.

Have a listen, and don't forget to vote!

Inside PM Spirits, Providers of Geeky Rums (and More) w/ Nicolas Palazzi

The Rumcast 2024-09-08 | In this episode, we sat down with Nicolas Palazzi, the founder of PM Spirits. As a self-proclaimed "provider of geeky spirits" PM is an importer/distributor known for supplying the US with many sought-after rum releases thanks to relationships with brands like La Maison & Velier, Père Labat, Alambique Serrano, and many more.

Note: You can watch the video version of this episode here.

It was a fascinating conversation that touched on everything from visiting rum locales like Marie-Galante and Hampden Estate to the challenges of growing the rum category. We discussed:

Nicolas's journey from working as an engineer in France to becoming a spirits importer in Brooklyn

Blending rums at Hampden for an upcoming collaboration with Habitation Velier

The magic of Marie-Galante rum

Growing the Mexican rum category

How Alambique Serrano has gotten so much early attention

Authenticity in spirits

Lessons from 10+ years bringing obscure spirits into the US market

What he looks for when evaluating a spirits producer

Why he will forever be known as Captain Cognac (despite John's attempts at new nicknames)

And much more!

Check out the PM Spirits website here:

P.S.Did you know you can support The Rumcast on Patreon now and get bonus episodes, happy hours, and more? You can! Check it out here: patreon.com/therumcast

Blind Tasting the Rhum JM Atelier Series: Fumée Volcanique, Jardin Fruité, and Épices Créoles

The Rumcast 2024-09-02 | In this edition of the Rumcast's Semi-Blind Reviews series, we tackle Rhum JM Fumée Volcanique, followed by the other two bottles in the distillery's new Atelier series — Jardin Fruité and Épices Créoles.

Have a listen and let us know what you think of these rums!

P.S.Did you know you can support The Rumcast on Patreon now and get bonus episodes, happy hours, and more? You can! Head to patreon.com/therumcast to check it out.

Behind the Bottle: Holmes Cay Infinity Cask with Eric Kaye

The Rumcast 2024-08-25 | In this episode, after a quick look at some of our favorite reactions to the Best Designed Bottles episode, we get the behind-the-scenes story of one of the year's most unique rum releases — the Holmes Cay Infinity Cask bottle.

This bottle features a blend of exceedingly rare rums from 13 distilleries (five of which are no longer in operation). From 47-year-old Port Mourant, to 47-year-old rhum agricole from the closed Gardel distillery, to Caroni rums, to Hampden, Long Pond, and much more, it's a blend that began all the way back in 2003 as part of the Main Rum Company's infinity cask program — their own special blends of retained rum samples from some of their best casks.

Holmes Cay founder Eric Kaye took us through the whole backstory, including:

How the opportunity to bring this rum to market came about

The decision to release it in both 700ml and 200ml bottles

Why is it $1,500? Is any rum actually worth that much? Is this just taking us into bourbon territory?

What the rum actually tastes like

How they unexpectedly lost a significant amount of the rum

The packaging headaches that go into designing a custom box

The differences between this cask and Main Rum's other infinity casks

Some exciting upcoming Mhoba and Savanna releases

And much more!

We'd love to hear your thoughts on this release. Have a listen and leave a comment or hop into the Discord to let us know what you think!

You can get more details on this rum on the Holmes Cay website: holmescay.com/single-cask-editions

As mentioned in the intro, here are some of the worthwhile articles on eco-friendly packaging:

Rumporter: Should We Do Away with the Glass Bottle?: rumporter.com/en/carbon-footprint-should-we-do-away-with-the-glass-bottle

IWSC: Sustainable Spirits Packaging: iwsc.net/news/iwsc/iwsc-insight-report-sustainable-spirits-packaging

Glass Hallmark: How Is the Glass Industry Delivering on Lighter Weight Glass Packaging?: glasshallmark.com/light-weight-glass-bottles

The 10 Best Designed Rum Bottles in 2024 (FIXED AUDIO)

The Rumcast 2024-08-14 | This week we have something completely different — rather than talking about the rum in the bottle, we're talking about the bottle itself!

We each selected our five current favorite rum bottle designs, considering a range of factors like bottle aesthetics, functionality, label design, stopper, and much more.

As you may know, our tastes differ quite a bit, so things got spicy along the way.

If there's ever been an episode to watch video of, it's this one! But you can also find the audio version here.

Have a watch and let us know — what are your favorite bottle designs out there right now? What did we get right and wrong?

P.S.Did you know you can support The Rumcast on Patreon now and get bonus episodes, happy hours, and more? You can! Head to patreon.com/therumcast to check it out.

113: Raising a Glass with Raising Glasses: A Fresh, Bold Take on Independent Rum Bottling

The Rumcast 2024-07-28 | In this episode we sat down with John Hsu and Lorri Kern to learn all about their bold approach to bottling rum as the relatively new independent bottler Raising Glasses. This year alone, they've released rums from the Netherlands, Madeira, Ecuador, and other unexpected locales, which is all part of their willingness to try things other rum brands aren't doing.

It was a great conversation that features multiple Rumcast firsts, including the first ever Rapid Fire Revenge Round (John and Lorri turned the tables and questioned us), the debut of an original song about rum (listen to the end for this one), and also a new segment in the intro where we take you inside the Rumcast Innovation Lab™.

Additionally, we cover topics like:

Standouts from John and Lorri's recent trip to The Whisky Exchange's Rum Show in London

The promise of the UK rum scene

Raising Glasses' "white whale" distillery they're trying to source a barrel from

The pros and cons of their signature 375ml bottles

Their philosophy when it comes to bottling rum

Behind the scenes of their legendary April Fool's release, Atmôspheré

The future of Raising Glasses

Adventures in board gaming

And much more!

Like we mentioned earlier, you'll want to listen all the way to the end of this one for a special musical ode to an icon of the rum world.

Check out Raising Glasses on their website. (raisingglasses.com)

P.S.Did you know you can support The Rumcast on Patreon now and get bonus episodes, happy hours, and more? You can! Head to patreon.com/therumcast to check it out.

Roulaison Overproof Rum Review: Semi-Blind Rum Review #5

The Rumcast 2024-07-20 | We're back with another bite-sized episode in our Semi-Blind Rum Reviews series. This time, John braved the challenge of blind-tasting and attempting to identify Roulaison Overproof, a pot-distilled, molasses-based rum from Roulaison Distilling out of Louisiana. Along the way, we both share our overall thoughts on the rum as John tries to uncover its identity.

Have a listen and let us know what you think of this rum!

P.S.Did you know you can support The Rumcast on Patreon now and get bonus episodes, happy hours, and more? You can! Head to patreon.com/therumcast to check it out.

112: Managing Rum’s Most Famous Single Cask Collection: The Main Rum Company Revisited w/ Ian Hoyles

The Rumcast 2024-07-14 | Note: See the end of this episode description for the Hurricane Beryl aid links we mention in the intro.

In this episode we revisited one of rum's iconic institutions from a totally different perspective from our previous episode (rumcast.com/episodes/the-main-rum-company-carsten-vlierboom) (from over 2 years ago!) on it. We're talking, of course, about The Main Rum Company (https://www.rum.nl/en/home/mainrum) — keepers of E&A Scheer's boutique single cask program, and possibly the most extensive collection of single cask rum (excluding distilleries) in the world. You know all those great single cask releases from independent bottlers? A huge number of them came from Main Rum.

To guide us through this deep dive, we spoke with Main Rum's Senior Cask Expert (what a cool title) Ian Hoyles. Ian spoke with us about:

The art of matching the right cask to the right rum

The crown jewels of Main Rum's collection over the years

How exactly Main Rum's mysterious "infinity casks" are created

Pushing the limits of aging

How to know when a cask is ready for sale

How Main Rum collectively assesses casks

The rum world's most distinctive flavor profiles

And much more!

Go here to check out The Main Rum Company’s website. (https://www.rum.nl/en/home/mainrum)

***Hurricane Beryl Relief***

As we mentioned in the intro, we reached out to friends in the Caribbean and were told that the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) does impactful relief work across the region. They have set up a bank account for Beryl relief that you can find on their website here: cdema.org/index.php

There is also an organization called Airlink that is coordinating with the CDEMA to bring relief supplies to the region. There are ways to donate online here: airlinkflight.org/responses/hurricane-beryl

John's colleagues at the university spoke highly of CORE, an organization they are currently working with that is bringing aid to the Caribbean as well: coreresponse.org/hurricane-beryl

P.S. Did you know you can support The Rumcast on Patreon now and get bonus episodes, happy hours, and more? You can! Head to patreon.com/therumcast to check it out.

P.S.Did you know you can support The Rumcast on Patreon now and get bonus episodes, happy hours, and more? You can! Head to patreon.com/therumcast to check it out.

Down Island Ghana 2020 Rum: Semi-Blind Rum Review #4

The Rumcast 2024-06-29 | We're back with another episode in our Semi-Blind Reviews series — this time with a rum sourced from a region that came up quite a bit in our 100th episode a few months back: Ghana!

From Down Island Spirits, this is a 4-year-old pot still cane juice rum sourced from Ghana's MIM Distillery. John shares his thoughts knowing full well what the rum is and Will shares his thoughts while having no knowledge of it other than its color in the glass.

P.S.Did you know you can support The Rumcast on Patreon now and get bonus episodes, happy hours, and more? You can! Head to patreon.com/therumcast to check it out.

111: The Legacy of Angostura Rum and Trinidad’s Distilling Heritage with John Georges, Former Mas...

The Rumcast 2024-06-23 | In this episode, we sat down with John Georges, former master distiller of Angostura Rum / Trinidad Distillers Ltd. to discuss his 40+ year career in rum, all things Angostura, and much more.

This episode is sponsored by Nossa Cachaça — Get 10% off any order at NossaCachaca.com with promo code RUMCAST. (nossacachaca.com)

We discussed:

The evolution of rum-making at Angostura over the years

Angostura's involvement with Bacardi in the 1980s

Why pot stills have yet to catch on at Angostura, despite a few attempts

What changed in rum over the course of his four decades of making it

Added sugar in Angostura rum

Which blends Angostura did and did not add Caroni rum to

The career path of a master distiller

And much more!

P.S.Did you know you can support The Rumcast on Patreon now and get bonus episodes, happy hours, and more? You can! Head to patreon.com/therumcast to check it out.

110: Alambique Serrano and Cañada Rum: Tradition Meets Innovation in Oaxaca’s Cloud Forest (feat....

The Rumcast 2024-06-10 | In this episode, we chatted with Jason Paul Cox and Isidoro Krassel Jr. of Alambique Serrano and Cañada Rum — two exciting projects featuring cane juice rum from Mexico. Jason is the founder of the brands and Isidoro is one of the four brothers from a family that has been producing aguardiente de caña in Oaxaca's mountainous cloud forest for over 100 years.

This episode is sponsored by Nossa Cachaça — Get 10% off any order at NossaCachaca.com with promo code RUMCAST. (nossacachaca.com)

These are truly fascinating rum projects and we had a blast learning more about them. We discuss:

What makes this rum different from other Oaxacan producers like Paranubes and Dakabend

The Krassel family's unique approach to muck pits and high ester experimentation

The vast range of profiles they can create thanks to their custom column still, pot stills, and dry and humid aging environments

The challenges of harvesting cane and fermenting on the side of a mountain

The making of Alambique Serrano's initial blends

The unique design of the Krassel still, which Isidoro's grandfather invented

A surprise reveal of their new 70% ABV rum, Cartier 30

And much more!

Also, a few links to stuff mentioned in the episode:

Alambique Serrano website: alambiqueserrano.com

Cañada Rum website: cloudforestrum.com

P.S.Did you know you can support The Rumcast on Patreon now and get bonus episodes, happy hours, and more? You can! Head to patreon.com/therumcast to check it out.

109: Rolling Fork Rum and the Complexities of Barrel Aging

The Rumcast 2024-05-25 | This episode is sponsored by Nossa Cachaça — Get 10% off any order at NossaCachaca.com with promo code RUMCAST. (nossacachaca.com)

In this episode, we talked to Turner Wathen and Jordan Morris, the co-founders of Rolling Fork Rum, and went DEEP on everything the Kentucky-based independent bottler has learned about secondary maturation (and more) since getting started in 2017. We discussed:

Rolling Fork's focus on utilizing an array of ex-bourbon and ex-whiskey casks for secondary maturation

How much of a difference do different types of ex-whiskey casks REALLY make on a spirit that is primarily already aged in ex-bourbon casks?

Why they just launched a rum blend designed for cocktails after their first cocktail rum failed

How they work through disagreements as co-founders

What it's like selling rum deep in the heart of bourbon country

How different types of casks — from ex-fortified wine barrels to ex-whiskey barrels — react to the wild temperature swings in their aging warehouse

Matching the right type of cask to the right rum

How the independent bottler landscape has changed since they got started in 2017

And a whole lot more!

A few links to stuff mentioned in the episode:

Check out The Rum Revival's blind tasting of Rolling Fork rums finished in five different cask types (youtube.com/watch?v=fCVYrA7TmVw)

Check out Rolling Fork's website and online store here (rollingforkrum.com)

P.S.Did you know you can support The Rumcast on Patreon now and get bonus episodes, happy hours, and more? You can! Head to patreon.com/therumcast to check it out.

English Harbour 1981: Semi-Blind Rum Review #3

The Rumcast 2024-05-18 | We're back with another episode in our Semi-Blind Rum Reviews series. This time, we swapped roles with Will as the blind taster and John as the rum selector. It turned out to be a quite rare rum — English Harbour 1981, a 25-year-old rum from Antigua Distillery Limited, bottled all the way back in 2006!

P.S. Did you know you can support The Rumcast on Patreon now and get bonus episodes, happy hours, and more? You can! Head to patreon.com/therumcast to check it out.

Where to Listen to (and Follow) The Rumcast:

Patreon: patreon.com/therumcast
Website: rumcast.com
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
Facebook: facebook.com/therumcast
Instagram: instagram.com/therumcast

And wherever else you get your podcasts!

#rum #rumcast

108: Tales from the Back of the Cabinet: Revisiting 6 Long Overlooked Rums in Our Bars

The Rumcast 2024-05-11 | For this episode, we reached DEEP into the backs of our cabinets and pulled out a selection of rums we had long overlooked, neglected, or even forgotten about in our bars to see how our thoughts have evolved (or IF they have at all).

The rules were simple: it just had to be a bottle we hadn't tasted in at least two years.

Along the way, we discuss everything from market correcting Myers's Original Dark to John discovering (re-discovering?) one of the three best rums he's tried all year to packaging debates and more. It was a fun time, and we hope this inspires you to have your own back-of-the-cabinet adventure!

P.S.Did you know you can support The Rumcast on Patreon now and get bonus episodes, happy hours, and more? You can! Head to patreon.com/therumcast to check it out.

107: San Juan Artisan Distillers & the Emerging Puerto Rican Craft Rum Scene with Pepe Álvarez

The Rumcast 2024-04-27 | In this episode we talked to Pepe Álvarez, founder of San Juan Artisan Distillers, the only Puerto Rican distillery making pot still rum from fresh sugarcane juice in a true farm-to-bottle setting.

You may recall we featured Pepe as one of three interviewees in an episode back in 2021, but we wanted to bring him back for a solo interview so we could take a deeper dive into what we both think is a super interesting distillery making great rum.

It was also a chance to speak more broadly about the new wave of craft rum distilleries that have launched in Puerto Rico over the past decade or so, opening an exciting new chapter for the island's rum industry.

We discussed:

Creating a new, unconventional style of Puerto Rican rum

The evolution of the distillery's sugarcane farming operation

How much help Puerto Rico's craft distilleries receive from the government's rum tax cover over relative to the big distilleries on the island

Ideas for leveling the playing field in Puerto Rican rum

Working with legends in rum like Frank Ward and Luis Planas

Learning to make pot still rum on an island where no one used pot stills

Deciding on bottling ABV

The broader craft rum scene in Puerto Rico

The perils of finding distribution outside the island

Upcoming blends and releases from San Juan Artisan Distillers

And much more!

Oh, and John decided to replace the rapid fire segment???

You can check out San Juan Artisan Distillers' website here: sanjuanartisandistillers.com

P.S. Did you know you can support The Rumcast on Patreon now and get bonus episodes, happy hours, and more? You can! Head to patreon.com/therumcast to check it out.

106: Kuleana Rum Works: Discovering the Big Islands Take on Hawaiian Rum with Steve Jefferson

The Rumcast 2024-04-14 | In this episode, we sat down with Steve Jefferson, co-founder and CEO of Kuleana Rum Works, a distillery on Hawaii's Big Island that's putting their own spin on fresh cane juice rum. From growing their own heirloom Hawaiian sugarcane to sourcing and blending rums from around the world, they have a unique approach that's resulting in some pretty damn good rum. We chatted about:

Going from sailing around the Caribbean to starting a rum distillery in Hawaii

Working with a 30+ year veteran of Martinique rhum agricole on Kuleana's production process

The big gamble Steve made to acquire the 45 acres that became Kuleana's farm

Nerdy production and still design details

The current state of their aging program

How they plan to utilize the 35 varieties of heirloom Hawaiian sugarcane

Their relationship with Ko Hana on Oahu

Why Kuleana sources and blends rums from around the world in addition to distilling their own

Their connection to High West Whiskey

Their crowdsourced funding campaign

And more!

Plus, at the beginning, some rambling thoughts on John's travels in Italy, amaro, chasing the solar eclipse, and the impact of minor ABV differences.

You can check out Kuleana's website here (which also has a link to their funding campaign): kuleanarum.com

P.S. Did you know you can support The Rumcast on Patreon now and get bonus episodes, happy hours, and more? You can! Head to patreon.com/therumcast to check it out.

105: Inside The Islay Rum Company: A Unique Take on Scottish Rum with Ben Inglis

The Rumcast 2024-03-30 | With John on vacation, I flew solo on this episode to welcome Ben Inglis, distillery manager and co-founder of The Islay Rum Company, to the show to get the full story on his unique approach to Scottish rum.

If you listened to our Guide to UK Rum episode (rumcast.com/episodes/uk-rum-guide) , you'll remember that John and I rated both of the Islay Rum Company rums we tried quite favorably, so we'd been hoping to talk to Ben ever since. We discussed:

How Ben convinced the Vintage Malt Whisky Company to back his vision of Islay's first rum distillery instead of building a Scotch whisky distillery

Scottish Gaelic pronunciations

The pressure that comes with putting the word "Islay" on a bottle of rum

Contending with the island's flavor profile expectations

Building out the distillery in a historic lemonade factory

Why getting a custom made double retort pot still was a must

Crafting their initial flavor profile

Experiments with long fermentation, native bacteria, yeasts, and more

Balancing inspiration with originality

What's aging right now? And when can we taste it??

And a whole lot more!

You can learn more about The Islay Rum Company here: islayrum.com

Check out our episode on the wider UK rum scene here: rumcast.com/episodes/uk-rum-guide

P.S. Did you know you can support The Rumcast on Patreon now and get bonus episodes, happy hours, and more? You can! Head to patreon.com/therumcast to check it out.

Transcontinental Rum Line High Seas: Semi-Blind Rum Review

The Rumcast 2024-03-16 | We review Transcontinental Rum Line High Seas from La Maison & Velier, with a semi-blind twist. One of us knows the identity of the rum being reviewed and one of us goes in with no information about the rum whatsoever, besides its color in the glass.

TCRL High Seas Specs:

ABV: 45%

Blend: Tropically aged Panama rum, unaged Jamaican rum, unaged grand arome rum from Martinique

Price: Around $30-40

P.S. Did you know you can support The Rumcast on Patreon now and get bonus episodes, happy hours, and more? You can! Head to patreon.com/therumcast to check it out.

Where to Listen to (and Follow) The Rumcast:

Patreon: patreon.com/therumcast
Website: rumcast.com
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
Facebook: facebook.com/therumcast
Instagram: instagram.com/therumcast

#rum #rumcast

Shakara Thailand 12-Year Rum: Semi-Blind Rum Review

The Rumcast 2024-03-16 | We review Shakara 12-Year Thailand Rum from La Maison & Velier, with a semi-blind twist. One of us knows the identity of the rum being reviewed and one of us goes in with no information about the rum whatsoever, besides its color in the glass.

Shakara 12-Year Thailand Rum Specs:

ABV: 45.7%

Molasses

Column Distillation

Price: Around $50-60

P.S. Did you know you can support The Rumcast on Patreon now and get bonus episodes, happy hours, and more? You can! Head to patreon.com/therumcast to check it out.

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#rum #rumcast

104: Introducing Semi-Blind Rum Reviews: Shakara 12-Year Thailand Rum and TCRL High Seas

The Rumcast 2024-03-16 | This week, we’re introducing a new episode format — the Semi-Blind Rum Review!

In these reviews, one of us will know the identity of the rum being reviewed and one of us will be going in with no information about the rum whatsoever, besides its color in the glass.

Our goal is to hopefully provide an unbiased and fun look at new(ish) rums you might be curious about. We'll also be publishing video versions to YouTube. (youtube.com/channel/UCJweQhO6f_Igps6gnMuMeBQ)

In this episode, we reviewed:

Shakara 12-Year Thailand Rum (the new release from La Maison & Velier)

ABV: 45.7%

Molasses

Column Distillation

Price: Around $50-60

Transcontinental Rum Line High Seas

ABV: 45%

Blend: Tropically aged Panama rum, unaged Jamaican rum, unaged grand arome rum from Martinique

Price: Around $30-40

As always, would love your thoughts on this episode format, and any takes you have on the rums!

Cheers!

This episode is sponsored by Wonk Press — Get 10% off Modern Caribbean Rum by Matt Pietrek and Carrie Smith now through March 30 with promo code RUMCAST. (wonkpress.com/discount/RUMCAST?redirect=%2Fproducts%2Fmodern-caribbean-rum) Plus, Matt and Carrie will sign your book at no additional cost!

P.S. Did you know you can support The Rumcast on Patreon now and get bonus episodes, happy hours, and more? You can! Head to patreon.com/therumcast to check it out.

103: Bira Rum and the Emerging Canadian Rum Scene w/ Karl Mudzamba (and Special Guest Ivar de Laat

The Rumcast 2024-03-03 | In this episode, we explore the impressive start of possibly the only independent rum bottler in Canada, Bira Rum (birarum.com/bira-rum) . Founder Karl Mudzamba took us inside his journey from Zimbabwe, to playing professional rugby in New Zealand, to starting Bira in his current home of Vancouver, BC. Bira has hit the ground running with unadulterated, cask strength releases from Fiji and South Africa, with much more to come.

Along the way, fellow resident of Canada Ivar de Laat of Rum Revelations (rumrevelations.com) hopped on the call with us to chime in on the state of rum in Canada, from the options available to rum enthusiasts to the intriguing rums coming out of Canadian distilleries in recent years.

We discuss:

Karl’s rum origin story

The nuances of the Canadian rum market versus other parts of the world

Up and coming Canadian rum distilleries (yes — they exist!)

The all-night Bira ritual of Zimbabwe’s Shona people

Early lessons in launching a rum brand in Canada

How Karl landed on Fiji and South Africa for his initial bottlings

The quest for geeky unaged Fijian rum

Do sugary rums help introduce rum to more people?

The Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) as one of the world’s chief rum villains

What’s next for Bira

And much more!

To learn more about Bira Rum, check out their website at birarum.com

Also, be sure to check out Ivar's website Rum Revelations at rumrevelations.com

P.S. Did you know you can support The Rumcast on Patreon now and get bonus episodes, happy hours, and more? You can! Head to patreon.com/therumcast to check it out.