Episódios
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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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Estão a faltar episódios?
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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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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!
You can also view the video version of this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36qPUvfw5vY
Be sure to subscribe to us there as well for more video content!
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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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.
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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: https://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.
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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): https://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.
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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, 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: https://www.islayrum.com/
Check out our episode on the wider UK rum scene here: https://www.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.
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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.
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. 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.
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In this episode, we explore the impressive start of possibly the only independent rum bottler in Canada, 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 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 https://www.birarum.com/
Also, be sure to check out Ivar's website Rum Revelations at https://www.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.
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In this episode, we're back with a fresh entry in our Rumcast Guides series — and this time we're taking on the rums of the United Kingdom!
Over the last 12 years or so, the UK has seen an explosion of domestic rum distilleries, with the number now reaching over 25 (and counting). We set out to taste a wide selection of these rums to get a sense of the emerging category's characteristics, standout bottles, and notable distilleries, encountering everything from straightforward crowdpleasers, to long fermentation, dunder-charged flavor bombs, to unique profiles we hadn't encountered before.
Following an overview of the category, the episode is divided into four flights that cover nine different distilleries and 16 different rums:
(13:45) Flight #1 - Unaged Lower Proof Rums:
Ninefold Pure Single Rum (46%) (pot still, molasses, 3-4 day fermentation)
Sugar House White Rum (43%) (hybrid pot/column, molasses, 7-day fermentation)
Outlier Distilling Hoolie Manx White Rum (41%) (pot still, molasses, 10-14 day fermentation)
Scratch Faithful British Rum (42%) (pot still, molasses, around 14-day fermentation, use fresh and aged dunder)
Islay Rum Distillery Geal 2022 Inaugural Release (45%) (double retort pot still, molasses, 7+ day fermentation)
Retribution White Rum (44%) (pot still, molasses)
(59:19) Flight #2 - Aged Lower Proof Rums:
J. Gow Revenge Rum (43%) (pot still, molasses, aged 3 years in ex-bourbon and virgin oak, a blend of their HD and DS marks)
J. Gow Fading Light Chestnut Cask (43%) (pot still, molasses, aged in chestnut cask over 12 months, 14-day fermentation)
Ninefold Cask Aged Pure Single Rum (45%) (pot still, molasses, aged at least 1.5 years in American oak)
Matugga Golden Rum (42%) (NAS, pot still, molasses, 7-day fermentation, ex-bourbon casks)
(1:33:41) Flight #3 - Unaged Higher Proof Rums:
J. Gow Culverin TC Marque (50%) (Pot and column, molasses, 5-day fermentation)
J. Gow Wild Yeast Series #2 Kveik 2022 (62%) (molasses, double batch fermented for 7 days and 9 days with a triple blend of Hornindal Kveik, traditional Norwegian farmhouse yeast)
Islay Rum Distillery Ùine Mhòr (55%) (double retort pot still, molasses, long fermentations ranging from 4-6 weeks featuring the use of matured dunder, native bacteria, and two commercial yeast strains)
DropWorks Funk Drop Rum (63%) (double retort pot still, "sugar cane honey," 7-day fermentation featuring their "wild trinity" yeast, dunder, and addition of muck during distillation)
(2:08:13) Flight #4 - Aged Higher Proof Rums:
J. Gow Hidden Depths Vol. 2 2017 (51.2%) (cask strength, molasses, aged 5 years in ex bere whisky/OWC oak cask)
Ninefold 3 Year Old Single Pot Still TWE Exclusive (62.2%) (cask strength, molasses, aged 3 years in ex-bourbon from Woodford Reserve)
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 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.
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