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.

You can watch the video version of this episode on YouTube.

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.

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

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.

You can watch the video version of this episode on YouTube.

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.

You can watch the video version of this episode here.

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!

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.

You can watch the video version of this episode on YouTube.

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

Imbibe article on charanda

The Rumcast Guide to Mexican Rum

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.

You can watch the video version of this episode on YouTube.

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!

Relevant links:

American Cane website

Maggie Campbell Instagram

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.

You can watch the video version of this episode on YouTube.

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!

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.

You can watch the video version of this episode on YouTube.

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!

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.

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.

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

The Gleaner: New GI rum rules bar aging outside of Jamaica

Rum Wonk: Jamaica's Rum GI Changes - Overview and Analysis

Rum Revelations: Jamaica GI Rumblings with a French Twist

Click here to watch this episode on YouTube and subscribe to our channel!

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.

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.

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 [email protected]!

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.

Click here to watch this episode on YouTube and subscribe to our channel!

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.

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.

The List (Spoilers Ahead!)

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Unaged Rum (Molasses):

Will: Pelée’s Fury Martinique Grand Arôme Rum from Raising Glasses

John: Pelée’s Fury Martinique Grand Arôme Rum from Raising Glasses

Unaged Rum (Cane Juice):

Will: Alambique Serrano — Cartier 30

John: Alambique Serrano — Cartier 30

Aged Rum (5 Years or Less):

Will: Hampden Estate Great House 2024

John: Ghana 2020 from Down Island Spirits

Aged Rum (Over 5 Years):

Will: Fiji 2012 Flag Series Rum from La Maison & Velier

John: Cambodia 2016 Flag Series Rum from La Maison & Velier

“New to Me” Rum:

Will: O Reizinho Limited Edition White Rum

John: The category of UK Rum

Value Rum:

Will: Shakara 12-Year

John: Shakara 12-Year

Most Surprising Rum:

Will: Unaged Rum from Line 44 Distillery

John: Ten To One Five Origin Select

“Am I the A**hole?" Rum:

Will: El Dorado High Ester Blend

John: El Dorado High Ester Blend

Overall Rum:

Will: Alambique Serrano Blend #3: Matadiablo

John: Fiji 2012 Flag Series Rum from La Maison & Velier

Distillery of the Year:

Will: Krassel Family Distillery (Alambique Serrano / Cañada)

John: Krassel Family Distillery (Alambique Serrano / Cañada)

Bottler of the Year:

Will: Raising Glasses

John: La Maison & Velier

Click here to watch this episode on YouTube and subscribe to our channel!

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.

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.