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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.
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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 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)
Rosalie Bay's website
Oceans Forward's website
The Last Turtle documentary (available on YouTube)
National Geographic's Secrets of the Whales docuseries (episode 4 features Dominica's sperm whales)
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Click here to watch this episode on YouTube and subscribe to our channel!
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
Madeira Rum certification process PDF
Madeira Rum organoleptic requirements PDF
Our episode 55 interview with Peter Holland
Our episode 73 interview with Richard Nicholson
Secret Rum Bar's Madeira Rum series
Fat Rum Pirate's Calheta rum review
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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Want to see video of this episode? Click here to watch on YouTube and subscribe to our channel!
Check out the Rumcast Patreon community for more bonus content like this!
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? Shoot us an email or 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.
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Want to see video of this episode? Click here to watch on YouTube and subscribe to our channel!
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 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.
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Want to watch the video version of this episode? Head to YouTube to watch and subscribe.
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 shoot us an email ([email protected]), comment, or message 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.
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Want to watch the video version of this episode? Head to YouTube to watch and subscribe.
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.
Relevant links to the Jamaica Rum GI discussion in the intro:
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
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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Want to watch the video version of this episode? Head to YouTube to watch and subscribe.
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).
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 The Rum Revival.
Be sure to follow Arminder on YouTube and Instagram!
Special thanks to The Auditor Reviews for his draft grades article. 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.
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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!
Want to watch the video version of this episode? Head to YouTube and subscribe: https://youtu.be/ZMT9r_GXk0w
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 The Rum Revival 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!
As always, we'd love to hear what thoughts or questions this episode brought to mind for you. Shoot us an email or join us in Patreon for access to the Rumcast Discord community.
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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Note: Watch this episode on YouTube for video of the whole interview!
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.
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.
As always, we'd love to hear what thoughts or questions this episode brought to mind for you. Shoot us an email or join us in Patreon for access to the Rumcast Discord community.
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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Want to see video of this episode? Click here to watch on YouTube and subscribe to our channel!
In this edition of our Semi-Blind Reviews series, we blind taste Rhum JM Fumée Volcanique (not to be confused with Rhum JM Terroir Volcanique), followed by the other two bottles in the distillery's new Atelier series — Jardin Fruité and Épices Créoles.
These are all modestly priced, lightly aged rhum agricoles that bring something new to the table for Rhum JM.
Have a watch 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.
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Note: Watch this episode on YouTube for video of the whole interview!
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.
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?
IWSC: Sustainable Spirits Packaging
Glass Hallmark: How Is the Glass Industry Delivering on Lighter Weight Glass Packaging?
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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Note: Watch this episode on YouTube to see all the bottles we discuss!
In this episode 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 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.
Let us know — what are your favorite bottle designs out there right now? What did we get right and wrong? Send us an email at [email protected] or a comment on social to share 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.
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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.
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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Want to see video of this episode? Check it out on YouTube and subscribe to our channel!
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.
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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 (from over 2 years ago!) on it. We're talking, of course, about The Main Rum Company — 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.
***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: https://www.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: https://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: https://www.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.
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Want to see video of this episode? Check it out on YouTube and subscribe to our channel! https://youtu.be/8b99b-s4isg
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.
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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.
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.
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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.
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: https://www.alambiqueserrano.com/
Cañada Rum website: https://www.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.
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This episode is sponsored by Nossa Cachaça — Get 10% off any order at NossaCachaca.com with promo code RUMCAST.
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
Check out Rolling Fork's website and online store 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.
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