The Rumcast

Will Hoekenga and John Gulla
The Rumcast

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

  1. MAR 16

    Uruapan Charanda: 100+ Years of Making Mexico's Other "Rum" with Miriam Pacheco

    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. You can watch the video version of this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/5zegq3Mv0NY In this episode, after a quick discussion of potential bottles for our Rumcast Single Cask Project, we dive into all things charanda with Miriam Pacheco, the general manager of Uruapan Charanda. If you're familiar with the aguardientes de caña from the Mexican state of Oaxaca, think of charanda like their cousin from the state of Michoacán — a similar Mexican cane spirit that is often made from fresh sugarcane juice, but can also be made from molasses or piloncillo. Once among the hundreds of charanda producers in the state, Uruapan is now one of only two or three remaining. Miriam talked us through the distillery's 100+ year history, including: What separates charanda from other Mexican cane spirits Why they put "rum" in quotation marks on their label Why the number of charanda producers has dwindled over the years The range of distillates they produce from their collection of pot and column stills Their newer line of single cane varietal rums What you might find aging in their warehouse of 400+ casks And much more! As we've said before, there's no shortage of interesting cane spirits coming out of Mexico these days. Uruapan is definitely one of them. Check out these links to learn more: Uruapan Charanda website: https://charandaartesanal.com/ Imbibe article on charanda: https://imbibemagazine.com/charanda/ The Rumcast Guide to Mexican Rum: https://www.rumcast.com/episodes/mexican-rum-guide

    1h 35m
  2. MAR 2

    American Cane: A New Chapter in the American Rum Revival w/ Maggie Campbell & Darin Vest

    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. You can watch the video version of this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/X5e3-D6ByWs In this episode, we're excited to bring you the first public window into American Cane — the new American rum company that announced Maggie Campbell would be joining as CEO back in October. If you've been listening to the show for a while, you'll know that we've followed Maggie's career closely from her days leading Privateer Rum to her more recent work at Mount Gay's Estate Rum Program. So ever since the announcement came that she would be returning to American rum, tons of rum enthusiasts have been waiting for more details. Disclosure: As discussed in the intro, Will has served on American Cane's advisory board since 2022. We sat down with Maggie and the co-founder of American Cane, Darin Vest, to get as many answers as we could to questions like: What exactly is American Cane, and how did it begin? What kinds of rum can we expect to see from them (and when)? Is there a distillery? Where will it be located? How is the role of CEO different from Maggie's past roles at rum companies? Where does American rum stand stylistically, and where is it headed? What do the next five years look like for the company? And a whole lot more! Relevant links: American Cane website: https://www.americancane.com Maggie Campbell Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/halfpintmaggie/

    1h 42m
  3. JAN 13

    The Future of the Jamaica Rum GI with Christopher Gentles, GM of the Spirits Pool Association

    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 get an inside look at the status and future of the Jamaica Rum GI (Geographic Indicator) with Christopher Gentles, general manager of the organization championing the GI (and doing other interesting things), Jamaica's Spirits Pool Association. If you're a fan of Jamaican rum, this interview is a must-listen. We discuss: National Rums of Jamaica's legal challenge to the GI What rum enthusiasts can expect to happen next Why the GI is important to Jamaican rum The debates over aging at origin and adding sugar Creating a tasting panel for Jamaican rum marks The evolution of the Jamaican rum category in recent years And much more! Note: After the recording of this episode, the Jamaica Gleaner reported that National Rums of Jamaica has accused other producers of Jamaican rum involved in the GI of anti-competitive practices and sought help from the Jamaica Fair Trading Commission: https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/business/20250112/update-rum-fight-goes-fair-trading-commission If you want a deeper look at the Jamaica Rum GI, check out these articles: Jamaica Observer: Court battle over ‘Jamaica rum’ unfortunate, says Jimmy Lawrence; NRJ argues litigation necessary as JIPO erred in GI designation - https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/2024/11/27/court-battle-jamaica-rum-unfortunate-says-jimmy-lawrencenrj-argues-litigation-necessary-jipo-erred-gi-designation/ 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

    1h 5m
4.9
out of 5
127 Ratings

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

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