The Rumcast

In this free bonus episode, we're releasing global rum ambassador and Equiano co-founder Ian Burrell's full interview from our 100th episode, which was full of interesting nuggets about the development of Equiano, rum education, where we can expect to see exciting new rums come from over the next several years, and much more! 

Also, we try to guess our way through a mystery sample provided by Rumcast Patron Kyle in DC, only to fail spectacularly.

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.

Without further delay, we're super excited to share our 100th episode of The Rumcast with you!

As we've hinted, this episode is special to us, and was really a labor of love. Rather than going with the typical format, we invited a dozen past guests to return for individual interviews where we looked back at how rum has evolved since 2019 (when we started working on the show), and where they think rum is headed over the next 5 years or so. You'll hear from:

Kate Perry of La Maison and Velier

Zan Kong of Worthy Park

Eric Kaye of Holmes Cay

Ian Burrell, the global rum ambassador and Equiano co-founder

Margaret Monplaisir of St. Lucia Distillers and the new WIRSPA chairperson

Lance Surujbally of TheLoneCaner.com

Jeff “Beachbum” Berry, the legendary author and owner of Latitude 29

Craig Nicholson of Worthy Park

Ed Hamilton of Hamilton rum

Carsten Vlierboom of E&A Scheer

Steve Magarry of the new Sydney Rum Distillery (formerly of Beenleigh)

Maggie Campbell of Mount Gay

We assembled highlights from those individual interviews into an episode that takes us through the major themes that came up, such as:

The emergence of "new" rum regions around the world (and which ones we'll be seeing more of)

The long-term prospects of all these emerging distilleries

The good and bad sides of premiumization, and whether rum can avoid the latter

New GIs we're likely to see in the future

The future of bulk rum sales and independent bottlings

What the acquisition of E&A Scheer means

And so much more that it would be impossible to list it all! 

We'd love to know what you think of the episode and what your takeaways and thoughts are — so please shoot us an email at [email protected] and let us know.

And seriously — a huge THANK YOU to everyone for listening!

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.

This episode is sponsored by Wonk Press — Get 10% off Modern Caribbean Rum by Matt Pietrek and Carrie Smith now through February 11 with promo code RUMCAST. Plus, Matt and Carrie will sign your book at no additional cost!

Music Credits for this Episode:

“On the Delta” by John Patitucci

“W. A. Mozart, Symphony No.38 in D major” by A Far Cry

“Cover Charge” by TrackTribe

“Djansa” by The Mini Vandals featuring Mamadou Koita and Lasso

“Momo Do” by The Mini Vandals featuring Mamadou Koita and Lasso

“Ratatouille’s Kitchen” by Carmen Maria and Edu Espinal

“Sleepy West” by JHS Pedals

Per tradition, we're back with our predictions for what will happen in the world of rum in 2024 — from trends, to releases, to new projects, and beyond. 

In the spirit of accountability, we also take a look back at last year's predictions for 2023 and grade how close each one came.

Have a listen and send us an email at [email protected] to let us know your predictions for the new year!

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.

Happy holidays and New Year (in advance), everyone!

In our fourth 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, along with another round of "Am I the a**hole for not liking this rum?"

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.

In this episode, we went deep on the eight marks of Jamaica's Hampden Estate and the making of the recently released 8 Marks Collection with Peppie Grant (Tour Manager at Hampden), Daniele Biondi (Export Manager at La Maison & Velier), and Howard McCalla (Production Manager at Hampden).

Speaking with people from both Hampden and La Maison & Velier allowed us to get the full story behind the 8 Marks Collection, from the rum itself to how the release came together in the first place. We discussed:

How the idea for the 8 Marks Collection came about

Challenges in creating a unique product like this

The best ways to taste through Hampden's marks

How to approach blending marks together

Why higher ester level does not automatically make a rum more complex

What exactly is cane juice vinegar?

Whether certain marks are only made on certain stills or not

Hampden's rumored 3,000 (or even 7,000!) ester level rums

Why Jamaica limits ester levels in rum

The perils of the "high ester" descriptor

The upcoming aged version of the 8 Marks Collection

Hampden's future

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.

This episode is sponsored by Wonk Press — Get 10% off Modern Caribbean Rum by Matt Pietrek and Carrie Smith now through December 10 with promo code RUMCAST. Plus, Matt and Carrie will sign your book at no additional cost!

In this episode, we set out to answer a surprisingly interesting question — which 80 proof rums are the best values? Which ones punch above their weight? Which ones should we not ignore just because they're 80 proof?

We selected a group of 10 popular aged molasses-based rums we had on hand and pitted them against each other in a head-to-head tasting bracket.

While it would be impossible to fit ALL the worthy 80 proof rums into one episode, we tried to select 10 that represent popular, widely available options around the world. And we're open to doing additional brackets with other 80 proof rums (or other types of rum) if you like this episode!

While we often pine for higher proof options, the reality is that 80 proof will likely remain the most common option for standard releases for the foreseeable future, so why not figure out which ones offer the best sipping experience for the money?

This turned out to be a really fun exercise that delivered several unexpected winners and losers along the way. At the end, there could only be one champion.

Here is the link to the article on 80 proof spirits mentioned in the introduction: https://vinepair.com/articles/80-proof-liquor-spirits-history/

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 got a full report of all the exciting happenings and new bottles showcased at UK RumFest, Whisky Live Paris, and other events across Europe from Chris Hassan Francke, owner of one of Washington, DC's premier spots for rum, The Green Zone. Chris took us deep into the rum festival scene in Europe from the perspective of both a rum fan and bar owner. We discussed:

First impressions of new releases like the El Dorado High Ester Blend, Worthy Park Overproof, Foursquare's second edition of LFT, and more

Other standout bottles from all events

The differences between these events and typical rum festivals in the U.S.

Noticeable absences from UK RumFest

His impressions of the many UK-made rums showcased at the event

UK RumFest vs. Whisky Live Paris — which is better for rum geeks?

Tasting Bacardi from 1905

The types of rum he most wishes existed for his bar

The new 100% rum bar concept he's working on in DC

The underground Richard Seale t-shirt economy

And much more!

Whether you're interested in upcoming releases, which rum events to attend, or designing a rum bar, there's a little something for everyone in this interview.

And as we mentioned in the intro, send an email to [email protected] to let us know what some of your favorite rums of 2023 have been!

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 have a freewheeling conversation on a topic we've wanted to delve into for a long time — molasses production and the role it plays in rum! 

Maggie Campbell (Estate Manager at Mount Gay) and Zan Kong (Commercial Manager of Spirits at Worthy Park) lent their expertise and sterling personalities to guide us through the ins and outs of the sticky liquid that goes into making the overwhelming majority of the world's rum. 

Of course, we also discuss the new Mount Gay and Worthy Park releases that have been making the news recently — Mount Gay's first single estate rum and Worthy Park's new overproof expression.

Zan and Maggie both have firsthand experience working at distilleries that have their own sugar mills, which is quite uncommon in the world of modern rum production. This allowed them to guide us through a number of fascinating topics, including:

The incredible amount of work that goes into molasses and sugar production — and the unique skillsets it requires

The differences between all the various molasses descriptors we often see, from Grade A to Grade C to blackstrap to high test, and beyond

Worthy Park's decision to integrate cane juice into their rum-making process

The making of Mount Gay's new sugar mill (and what it allows them to do)

The concern level for the quality of modern mass-market molasses

Does "single origin" molasses make a difference?

How different types of molasses impact flavor in rum

And much more!

This episode is sponsored by independent bottler Raising Glasses. To check out (and order) their latest releases, visit 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.

For this episode, we asked our patrons to send in their top rum-related questions — and they delivered! We share our thoughts on:

What is presently the most underappreciated rum-producing country?

What rums do you always keep in stock?

What is your go-to daily drinker? (Go-to rum and go-to cocktail)

Now that you have been into rum for a while, have your buying habits changed?

If each of you were an independent bottler with no limit on cost, what is the one distillery you would want to pick a barrel from, and why?

If you could resurrect one now defunct rum, or now defunct distillery, which would it be and why?

How do you handle the questions like "I don't like rum, convince me", or "I drink Captain Morgan, what should I try next"? How do you recommend rum to tequila, gin, bourbon, and scotch people?

Can American rum go toe to toe with rum from other countries?

What developments do you hope to see over the next decade in U.S. rum distilleries located in sugarcane producing states?

What are some rum events on your bucket lists? And what rum events have you gone to that you do and, just as importantly, don't recommend to the community?

What is a way someone new to rum can learn about what is going on in the rum industry, new rums coming out, etc?

What is the weirdest, but most accurate, descriptor you've ever picked up when nosing/tasting a rum?

We plan to get to all of the remaining questions in a Mailbag Volume 2 bonus episode that will release later this month.

Episode Links:

Here is the GoFundMe for Daniel Regueira's (co-founder and distiller at Chicago Cane Cooperative) motorcycle injury recovery mentioned during the intro: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-daniels-motorcycle-injury-recovery

The Rumcast Guide to American 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.

In this episode, we sat down with Jason Zeno of Porchjam Distillery / Cheramie Rum to take us inside one of the most interesting up-and-coming American rum distilleries out there right now. Located in New Orleans, they're making a significant volume of fresh cane juice rum that's beginning to trickle its way into several markets across the U.S., and have some exciting aged releases coming up as well. We talked to Zeno about:

How he went from making whiskey for Beam-Suntory to making cane juice rum in Louisiana

Their long journey to finding a source of fresh cane juice

The perils of trucking fresh cane juice in from two hours away

The upcoming harvest season

Their multi-faceted approach to aging

Why they make 3 different types of cane juice rum

The broader landscape of Louisiana rum

The status of a regional designation for Louisiana rum

Winning over more drinkers for cane juice rum

Pearl Jam, somehow

And much more!

If you want to learn more about Cheramie, you can check out the interview Will did with Zeno back in 2021 for deeper details into their production 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.