The Rumcast

In this episode, we caught up with Ben Jones (director of North America for Spiribam) to catch up on all things related to Spiribam's portfolio of rum brands/distilleries, like Rhum J.M, Rhum Clément, St. Lucia Distillers, and their latest acquisition — Saint-Maurice Distillery in French Guiana, makers of La Belle Cabresse and other brands.

We chatted with Ben about:

New and upcoming releases from J.M and Clément (including several off-the-wall cask finishes)

How involved he/Spiribam are with product development and feedback at each distillery

The cool story behind the making of Chairman's Reserve Legacy, which we've often lauded as a great value rum

What the future of sugarcane cultivation (and cane juice rum production) looks like at St. Lucia Distillers

Why Rhum J.M VO is being replaced by Terroir Volcanique

An update on high ester production at St. Lucia Distillers

The growing market for cane juice spirits from around the world and how that impacts the rhum agricole category

What to expect from Spiribam's acquisition of Saint-Maurice in French Guiana

The future of Spiribam's Mauritian rum brand, Arcane

And 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.

In this episode, we embark on a journey to discover which Foursquare rums that are $50(ish) or less are truly the best value. To do this, we went through a blind tasting of 10 widely available affordable rums distilled at Foursquare Distillery:

Alleyne Arthur's Special Barbados Rum (43% ABV)

Old Brigand Black Label (43% ABV)

Real McCoy 5-Year (40% ABV)

Doorly's 5-Year (40% ABV)

Doorly's XO (40% ABV)

Doorly's 8-Year (40% ABV)

R.L. Seale's 10-Year (43% ABV)

Doorly's 12-year (43% ABV)

Real McCoy 12-Year (40% ABV)

R.L. Seale's 12-Year (46% ABV)

Note: We mention in this episode that some online sources state that Doorly's 12 is a blend of 90% ex-bourbon cask rum and 10% ex-Madeira cask rum. We reached out to Richard Seale to ask about it and he responded with, "We have never released any info on the blend of Doorly’s 12."

Along the way, we rate each rum blind so we can walk away with our own personal rankings (and a Rumcast average ranking). We edited in a reveal of each rum so that you will know which rum we are talking about as we taste it.

You can find the spreadsheet with our scores and the reveal of each rum here (spoiler alert!): https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1pJ--B3oDKMu4pXVkHF7uBEwgyXFfC_gMN1AXnXHwEMc/edit?usp=sharing

These rums represent one of the most common gateways to Barbados rum, Foursquare, and even the rum category itself for so many people. It was a blast to go through them, and we came away with a bunch of surprises.

P.S. If you’d like to watch a video version of this episode, it’s already available for our Patreon subscribers at patreon.com/therumcast.

In this episode, we sat down with Ed Tiedge, master distiller at Copal Tree Distillery (the makers of Copalli Rum) in Belize. Copalli is yet another example of a large, relatively new operation devoted entirely to making cane juice rum all the way from field to glass. 

They have some interesting upcoming releases that caught our eye (we noticed them in the TTB label registry), so it was a good time to connect with Ed and get the scoop on everything they're up to. We discussed:

Ed's journey from owning a craft distillery in New York to moving to Belize to become a rum distiller nearly 8 years ago

How he applied his eau de vie background to making rum

Having their early rums evaluated by Richard Seale

How Copalli arrived at its initial lineup of releases (and how they landed on a 75% column / 25% pot blend for their unaged rum)

The different cane varietals they're cultivating (and how each expresses itself differently in the rum)

Experimenting with various cask types

Their upcoming single cane varietal 100% pot still release

How a self-avowed hater of flavored rums ended up making a cacao rum

And more!

You can learn more about Copalli on their website. 

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.

In this episode, we sat down with Shaun Caleb, master distiller at Demerara Distillers Ltd. (makers of El Dorado Rum) to discuss a wide range of topics related to DDL and his career in rum, including...

His path from Guyana to Princeton University and back to Guyana to work for DDL

Learning to distill on some of the oldest stills in the world

How DDL's range of both historic and modern stills allow them to produce an array of 20+ rum marques

The differences between the Port Mourant double wooden pot still and Versailles single wooden pot still, and how they express themselves in the rum

How DDL had the foresight to preserve its heritage stills

Why modern distilleries don't use wooden stills

High ester rum production at DDL (and how it differs from Jamaican high ester rum production)

Why there aren’t “lost” DDL rum marques

The backstory on DDL's decision to reduce its practice of aging rum with caramel in the barrels

The one type of still Shaun would add to DDL if he could

What to expect from El Dorado Rum in the future

And much more!

Also, before we got to the interview, we created a March Madness themed bracket of Demerara rums (it ties into the interview, we swear).

You can find out more info about El Dorado Rum and Demerara Distillers Ltd. at the following links:

Official El Dorado Rum website

Matt Pietrek’s deep dive into Demerara Distillers Ltd. on Cocktail Wonk:

Part One

Part Two

Q&A with Shaun Caleb

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.

Announcement: We’re now offering annual subscriptions that allow you to save 10% on the Rumcast Patreon community! Head to patreon.com/therumcast to check it out.

In this episode, we're picking back up with our Rumcast Guides series and turning our focus toward home with the United States. With hundreds upon hundreds of distilleries making rum (most of which have spotty distribution at best), it can be a difficult to actually find the stuff worth exploring in the first place. Which distilleries are actually serious about making rum? What kind of styles are emerging? What do we even mean when we say "American rum"? We explore all this and more, including...

The most common characteristics of American rum

Does American rum have a style?

The most intriguing regions within the category

What's up with so many distilleries using crystallized sugar as a portion (or all) of their rum base rather than 100% molasses?

The landscape of cane juice rum in the U.S.

A high-level look at 20 noteworthy distilleries 

What we would put in our "Intro to American Rum" rum flights

And more

If you'd like to explore our past episodes on some of the producers mentioned in this episode, check out:

Episode 37 with Kyle Reutner of Ko Hana Distillers: https://www.rumcast.com/episodes/kohana-distillers-hawaiian-sugarcane

Episode 27 with Erik Vonk of Richland Rum, Steve Jefferson of Kuleana Rum Works, and Pepe Alvarez of San Juan Artisan Distillers: https://www.rumcast.com/episodes/the-sugarcane-files

To explore other episodes in our Rumcast Guides series, check out:

The Rumcast Guide to Jamaican Rum: https://www.rumcast.com/episodes/jamaican-rum-guide

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

The Rumcast Guide to Puerto Rican Rum (Part 1): https://www.rumcast.com/episodes/puerto-rican-rum-guide-1

The Rumcast Guide to Puerto Rican Rum (Part 2): https://www.rumcast.com/episodes/puerto-rican-rum-guide-2

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.

In this episode, we sat down with Shannon Mustipher (rum educator, cocktail consultant, and author of Tiki: Modern Tropical Cocktails) to dive deep into the art of making modern rum cocktails. Shannon has spent the better part of a decade designing and launching many rum-focused bar programs and is known for her modern approach to cocktail making.

Topics discussed include:

The creative process of constructing rum cocktails

Naming cocktails

What she's been up to since the 2019 release of Tiki: Modern Tropical Cocktails

How to use multi-spirit split bases in recipes

Knowing when to use Rum Fire vs. Wray & Nephew vs. Rum Bar Overproof

Rum styles that are the most challenging to work with in cocktails

Her thoughts on cocktail competitions and shows like Netflix's Drink Masters

What is was like to appear on a recent CBS segment about rum

Her favorite bar right now

And much more!

You can find Shannon on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/shannonmustipher/

You can find all the info on her book, Tiki: Modern Tropical Cocktails, here: https://www.rizzoliusa.com/book/9780789335548/

Photo Credit: Noah Fecks - https://www.noahfecks.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.

In this episode, we complete our interview with Renegade Rum's Mark Reynier and Jane Nurse (we released Part 1 last week, and you can check it out here).

In Part 2, we get deeper into the production process of the rum and how each stage can impact terroir (for example, using cultured vs. wild yeast). They also took us through the long-term vision for Renegade's releases (which is quite different from the releases we've seen so far), the broader conversation around transparency in rum, and much more!

Relevant Links:

The Renegade Rum Website

"Why We're Not Interested in Tallying Esters" - an article on Renegade's site that we reference near the end of this episode

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.

In this episode, we sit down with Renegade Rum's Mark Reynier and Jane Nurse to learn all about the Grenada distillery's terroir-driven approach to cane juice rum. This is one of the newest distilleries of its size in the Caribbean, and the path to bringing it to life was not easy. In Part 1, Mark and Jane take us through the winding journey of not only building a distillery from scratch, but also planting hundreds of acres of sugarcane across an array of locations around the island in an effort to highlight all the flavors the land has to offer. 

We discuss:

How an Englishman got the idea to build a rum distillery from scratch in the Caribbean

Why Grenada became the ideal location for the project

How Mark's experience starting Bruichladdich Distillery in Scotland and Waterford Distillery in Ireland informed Renegade

The setbacks that nearly killed the project multiple times

What terroir means in the first place (and how Renegade thinks about the concept)

Why terroir in spirits has drawn heavy debate and controversy

And 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.

28 Distillery Visits. 11 Countries. 13 Months.

In this episode, we sit down with Richard Nicholson, founder of the New Zealand Rum Society and your fellow Rumcast listener, to unpack what can only be described as a rum journey of epic proportions. Richard spent 13 months on the road taking 28 distillery visits, attending numerous rum festivals, and visiting three of his own personal rum "Holy Grail" destinations, from Barbados to Martinique to Guadeloupe to Madeira to Scotland and beyond. 

In addition to pulling as many rum travel tips out of Richard as we could, we also went deep into his on-the-ground exploration of rhum agricole and all of the delightful surprises it has to offer right now, his trip into the cellars of the Main Rum Company, and much more, including:

How he went about planning this rum odyssey in the first place

His #1 "run, don't walk" destination for other rum enthusiasts based on his journey

The magic of Marie-Galante rums

Cane juice rums more people should be talking about

Adventures at rum festivals across Europe

The ins and outs of Madeira rum

And more

You can follow Richard and his adventures with the New Zealand Rum Society here on Instagram. 

You can also check out the New Zealand Rum Society on Facebook. 

Also, if you're curious to see the complete list of distilleries Richard visited, here it is:

Barbados x3: Foursquare, Mount Gay, St. Nicholas Abbey

Martinique x8: Depaz, La Favourite, La Mauny/Trois-Rivières, Neisson, Rhum JM, Saint James/J Bally, A1710, HSE (aging/bottling didn’t get to Usine du Simone)

Guadeloupe x6: Bologne, Damoiseau, Kurakera/Longueteau, Montebello, Reimonenq, Papa Rouyo

Marie Galante x3: Bielle, Poisson (Père Labat)/Rhum Rhum, Domaine de Bellevue

Madeira x5: O’Reizinho, Engenhos do Norte, Engenhos da Calheta, Engeno Novo (William Hinton), Florentino Izildo de Gouveia Ferreira

Amsterdam: Rummie Club

Scotland: Ninefold

Scotland (Scotch distilleries): Arran, Lagg, Springbank, Glengyle, Glen Scotia

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.

For the first episode of 2023, we're looking ahead and making 3 predictions each for the world of rum this year. Before we look ahead, however, we look back on the predictions we made for 2022, face the music on our misses,  and debate our hits.

We're curious — what predictions do you have for rum in 2023? Email us at [email protected] and let us know!

Cheers to 2023!

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.