The Rumcast

Will Hoekenga and John Gulla
  • 4.9 (125)
  • FOOD
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY
The Rumcast

Explore the world of rum by hearing from the people who are shaping it.

  1. 1 DAY AGO

    Semi-Blind Rum Review #8: Swell de Spirits Réunion Rhum Agricole 2011 (Isautier)

    Want to see video of this episode? Go here to watch on YouTube and subscribe to our channel: https://youtu.be/SuTLmF_z-uE 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. 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.

    24 min

  2. DEC 8

    Introducing Rosalie Bay: Dominica's First-of-Its-Kind Rum Distillery

    Want to see video of this episode? Go here to watch on YouTube and subscribe to our channel: https://youtu.be/pJ3JI8SNXPQ 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): https://raisingglasses.com/product/rbd1/ Rosalie Bay's website: https://rosaliebaydistillery.com/ Oceans Forward's website: https://www.oceansforward.org/ The Last Turtle documentary (available on YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncI-HSp22g0 National Geographic's Secrets of the Whales docuseries (episode 4 features Dominica's sperm whales): https://www.disneyplus.com/series/secrets-of-the-whales/3aHpgjYaJTM5

    1h 50m

  3. NOV 24

    The Rumcast Guide to Madeira Rum

    Want to see video of this episode? Go here to watch on YouTube and subscribe to our channel: https://youtu.be/pJ3JI8SNXPQ 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.

    1h 58m

  4. NOV 10

    A Flag Series Tasting Guide: Trying 3 New Rums from La Maison & Velier

    Want to see video of this episode? Go here to watch on YouTube and subscribe to our channel: https://youtu.be/9XzPKQV2kQU Check out the Rumcast Patreon community for more bonus content like this: patreon.com/therumcast 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.

    48 min

  5. NOV 3

    Semi-Blind Rum Review #7: Compagnie Des Indes Trinidad 2003 (TDL)

    Want to see video of this episode? Go here to watch on YouTube and subscribe to our channel: https://youtu.be/efPj4pXerVI 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.

    22 min

  6. OCT 27

    Introducing the Rumcast Single Cask Project: Part 1 - What's in a Name?

    Want to watch the video version of this episode? Head to YouTube to watch and subscribe: https://youtu.be/Az6e2uYGL4s 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 (host@rumcast.com), 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.

    1h 6m

  7. OCT 12

    Putting Sicilian Rum on the Map: The Making of Mater Rum & Distilleria Alma with Hugo Gallardo

    Want to watch the video version of this episode? Head to YouTube to watch and subscribe: https://youtu.be/884PXOYoaU0 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: https://www.distillerialma.com/ Relevant links to the Jamaica Rum GI discussion in the intro: The Gleaner: New GI rum rules bar aging outside of Jamaica: https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/business/20241009/new-gi-rum-rules-bar-ageing-outside-jamaica Rum Wonk: Jamaica's Rum GI Changes - Overview and Analysis: https://www.rumwonk.com/p/jamaicas-rum-gi-changes-overview Rum Revelations: Jamaica GI Rumblings with a French Twist: https://www.rumrevelations.com/post/jamaica-rum-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.

    1h 27m

  8. OCT 6

    RESULTS SHOW: Crowning the 2024 Rumcast Fantasy Rum Draft Champion

    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): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GA4_PEkFFA8Nj7ciWN1kEk3MyH_0xA8RnIxvjRfCdR8/edit?usp=sharing 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: https://www.youtube.com/@therumrevival And Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rumrevival/ Special thanks to The Auditor Reviews for his draft grades article: https://theauditorreviews.com/rumcast-3rd-annual-rum-fantasy-draft-grades/ 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.

    40 min
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4.9
out of 5
125 Ratings

About

Explore the world of rum by hearing from the people who are shaping it.

Information

  • Creator
    Will Hoekenga and John Gulla
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2024
  • Episodes
    129
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Show Website
    The Rumcast

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