New Article: Plugging Into the Rum World
Hey folks!
After writing the Rum 101 article, I got to thinking: “What else would I want to have known when I was just starting out as a rum nerd?” The result is my latest article: Plugging Into the Rum World. This article covers the “everything else” category, including books to read, groups to join, other Web sites to read, where to buy rum, and where to attend rum festivals. It’s a real soup-to-nuts of all things rum beyond this blog. There’s a big rummy world out there, so once you’ve exhausted the resources here, get out there and be a part of it!
Cheers,
Josh
New Article: Rum 101
Hey folks!
I started writing this article years ago, but it always seemed to stay on the back burner. There are a lot of primers on rum out there, but some are too short, others are too long. This one hits on most of the points I wish I knew when I got into rum, so perhaps some of you will find it useful (especially those among you just starting out).
At just under 7,000 words, you couldn’t call it short, but I’ve provided on-page links for the various sections to allow you to skip around as needed. Check it out and add your own thoughts in the comments section. I’m sure I missed stuff despite having some editing help from my fellow rum nerds. Read the article here or click the image below.
Cheers!
Josh
Visiting the Enmore Sugar Factory
Greetings!
Today we take a bit of a detour from our distillery recaps and move upstream to see where molasses comes from. After visiting DDL’s Diamond Distillery, we had the unique opportunity to visit the Enmore Sugar Factory and ride through the nearby cane fields which supply it. The scale of the plant appears massive to the layperson, so imagine our surprise when we learned Enmore was actually one of the smaller sugar factories in Guyana. Read the story here, and see what it takes to produce the molasses that makes some of our favorite rums around the world.
Visiting Demerara Distillers Limited
Hey folks!
Today we continue our recap of the ACR rum distillery visits with the Guyanese portion of the trip. We got up close and personal with the amazing antique stills at the Diamond Distillery and saw how innovative new technology was being employed side-by-side with technology from the 1700s. Read the article here and check out the photographs–you’ll feel like you went, too!
Cheers,
Josh
New Rum Review: Cartavio
Howdy folks!
Today we’re taking a break from our distillery tour recaps to bring you a review of a really exciting line of rums from Peru called Ron Cartavio. Recently reintroduced to the U.S. market, Cartavio really has something for everyone, and I for one was very pleasantly surprised by it. Read the review here and see what all the excitement is about!
Cheers,
Josh
Visiting the West Indies Rum Distillery (WIRD)
Hey folks,
After a short holiday break, I’m back with the last of my Barbados distillery visits, recapping our time at the West Indies Rum Distillery. WIRD doesn’t offer public tours these days (a third-party firm used to operate tours there) but they kindly opened the gates for our group. This visit was a bit different as WIRD is primarily a bulk rum producer, and also because of its beachfront location. Read the article here and have a look around with me.
Cheers,
Josh
Visiting the Mount Gay Distillery
Hey, folks!
Today we’re back with another recap from Barbados. This time it’s a trip to the Mount Gay Distillery way up north in Saint Lucy. Prior to this visit, I figured Mount Gay to be a much larger outfit given their wide distribution and relatively low prices. In short, I was wrong. Read the article here and take a virtual tour of Mount Gay to see why.
Yours in rum,
Josh
Visiting the Saint Nicholas Abbey Distillery
Greetings, rum chums!
Today we recap our visit to Barbados’ only microdistillery: Saint Nicholas Abbey. This working plantation represents a labor of love from the Warren family, owners since 2006. We visited under the auspices of the Authentic Caribbean Rum program, and I must say it was a very memorable part of an altogether amazing trip. Read the article here and you’ll soon see why this is a must-visit attraction when on Barbados.
Cheers,
Josh
Visiting Foursquare Rum Distillery
Greetings!
A many of you know, I recently had the amazing opportunity to visit six Caribbean rum distilleries thanks to the good folks at the Authentic Caribbean Rum program. Today marks the first in a series of articles recapping the visit, and we begin with a tour of the illustrious Foursquare Rum Distillery in Barbados.
Click here and read all about it!
Cheers,
Josh
New Rum Review: Foursquare Port Cask Finish
Greetings, rum chums!
Today we’re back with another gem of a rum from Barbados, the Port Cask Finish from Foursquare Rum Distillery. We’ve seen a lot of rums finished in various fortified wine barrels (mostly Sherry) and my most common complaint is that the wine ends up overpowering the rum. Look, I like Sherry and Port as much as the next guy, but if I want to taste Sherry, I’ll pour a glass of it.
Fortunately, such us not the case with Richard Seale’s port-finished release. As you can see by the fill level of the bottle below, I’ve spent some time with this one before writing about it. Read the review here and see why this rum is so special.
Cheers,
Josh
Inu A Kena 