Exclusive Interview with Mr. Joel Lackovich, Co-Founder, Rock Sound Rum in Austin, Texas

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Q: What is your full name, title, company name and company location?

Joel Lackovich, Co-Founder, Rock Sound Rum, Austin, TX

Q: What inspired you to get into the spirits industry and why rum?

A few years ago, while enjoying some R&R with my wife and our four children, I was having a rum cocktail, and I had a crazy idea that I could craft a rum that could make a significant contribution to the rum industry. Rum has always been one of my favorite spirits.  I was born and raised in Florida and after college I bartended at the largest night club in Washington DC (early 2000’s). My wife is an island girl (she’s from the beautiful island of Guam) and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every tropical vacation I’ve been on with a rum cocktail in hand.  Having had all of these experiences, I’ve become extremely partial to rum and all of its wonderful phenotypic properties.

Q: Your brand name, Rock Sound Rum, is very catchy.  What is the story or inspiration behind the name? 

A brand name is important because it is the face of the brand, so we put a lot of effort into trying to capture the essence of what our product means to us and where it takes us when we enjoy it. We were inspired by the beaches of Rock Sound, Bahamas, a spot where 80’s bands would retreat to after recording at a studio in Nassau. Rock Sound Rum is made for people who appreciate a killer cocktail and a whole lotta adventure.  Our marketing has a slight 80’s lean to it because we believe this era reflects the care-free nature that our brand embodies. In fact, our font style is inspired by The Beastie Boys. That’s a great story to be told over a bottle of Rock Sound Rum!

Q: Where did you gain the knowledge needed to launch Rock Sound Rum? 

Using my knowledge from my degrees from the University of Florida in Microbiology, Chemistry, and Biotechnology, I started researching some of the most iconic rum cocktails. To my knowledge, no one had ever taken a white paper approach to understanding the science behind a rum cocktail. The output of this research not only earned publication in Got Rum? Magazine as The Cocktail Scientist, but also helped with creating our impressive and unique formulations for Rock Sound Rum.

Q: The food and beverage industries were hit pretty hard by the Covid-19 pandemic.  How did it affect your plans to launch your brand and how were you able to overcome the hurdles? 

We feel for everyone in the food and beverage industries that have been hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. These are truly unprecedented times that we live in and we are sensitive to that. We had our plans all set to launch at the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in March and decided to cancel them before SXSW was officially cancelled. As things began to unfold, we felt strongly that there was no better time to launch than during a pandemic because we believe that now more than ever the world could use our “Summer Vacation in a Bottle”! We truly have something unique to offer! So, we bottled our first batches and were picked up by Republic National Distributing Company (RNDC) soon thereafter. 

Q: What rums are currently in your portfolio? 

For the better part of the past two years I have been putting my science degrees to use. I’ve been developing and formulating what we feel is a desired need in the rum industry, and that is a delicious rum (not a liqueur) that has a high ABV content combined with fresh fruit flavor and color and is appealing to the multi-cultural millennial palate.

We currently have four rums in the Rock Sound Rum portfolio, and they are:

  • Original Light Rum: Our Original Light rum is smooth. It is mixable in everything from tiki classics to your favorite frozen cocktail!
  • Smoked Coconut Rum: Our Smoked Coconut rum is infused with Texas mesquite flavor. It is perfect anytime, neat or mixed, on or off the beach!
  • Key Lime Rum: Imagine if you could bottle Mom’s Key Lime Pie? That is what our Key Lime rum tastes like. A little sweet and a lotta tart!
  • Grapefruit Rum: With a perfectly balanced flavor profile, our Grapefruit rum is citrusy and bright. It makes a great plus one cocktail with your favorite mixer!

Q: Where can people buy Rock Sound Rum? 

In the coming weeks Rock Sound Rum will be available for purchase online. In the meantime, Austinites can find Rock Sound Rum in select liquor stores. We’ll be distributed statewide throughout Texas in the months to come and nationwide after that. Sign up to receive updates at rocksoundrum.com.

Q: Do you have plans to add more rums to your portfolio?

Yes! In fact, I have created and formulated over 51 different rums. However, we launched with Smoked Coconut, Key Lime, and Grapefruit because we felt these flavored rums captured the best flavors of summer. We have a planned release for Rock Sound Rum Pineapple so do keep an eye out for more delicious new flavors from Rock Sound Rum in the future!

Q: What is your favorite rum cocktail and why?

Before I started writing for Got Rum? Magazine I was quite partial to the Mojito. However, as I took a further dive into research, I became a fan of all cocktails simply because there is so much history and science behind each and every one. In the last year, there is one rum cocktail that has come to have an extra special place in my heart. The “Love Shack” is a signature cocktail that I created for a dear friend’s wedding and it was a huge hit at the reception!  Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 oz Rock Sound Rum Original Light
  • 2.0 oz pineapple juice
  • 1.0 oz mango juice
  • 1.0 oz cream of coconut
  • 0.25 oz grenadine

Directions:

  1. Shake vigorously over crushed ice for 15 seconds.
  2. Strain into a cocktail glass with crushed ice.
  3. Garnish with Pineapple Cube (Tiki Umbrellas optional)

Q: Our readers know you very well, thanks to your monthly column as “The Cocktail Scientist.”  In your column you dissect cocktails, explaining their origins, ingredients, flavor profiles and chemical interactions.  Do you think this knowledge allows consumers or mixologists to have a deeper appreciation for the mixed drinks?

As a featured writer for your magazine, I began a journey of enlightenment into the world of rum cocktails and wanted to share the biochemical and physical properties behind them.  Through my research I have discovered that the creation and evolution of most cocktails is no mere accident. I share what makes each cocktail unique and why, and I often dispel myths - especially those around nutrition. Over the past few decades, rum cocktails have garnered negative attention, often being stereotyped as unhealthy and loaded with calories, carbohydrates and sugars but that’s not always the case.  I truly hope that consumers and mixologists have become even more personally connected to their favorite rum cocktail, and ones they want to try, and that they’ve learned some pretty interesting facts and science along the way.

Q: If people want to contact you, how may they reach you?

I am readily available at the following email addresses and would love to speak to anyone about Rock Sound Rum, or about cocktail science.

joel@rocksoundrum.comjoellackovich@yahoo.com 

Q: Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?

Yes! Over the past few years, I’ve been extremely fortunate to have met so many wonderful people and organizations because of Rock Sound Rum. I would especially like to thank Pinterest, the Jack Welch Management Institute, Yelp Austin and Got Rum? Magazine for creating platforms that inspire and motivate industrial craft artists like myself. I would especially like to give shout outs to my partners at Rock Sound Rum that are dedicated to making this dream a reality no matter what!

Margaret: Again Joel, thank you so much for this interview and I wish you and your team much success.

Cheers!

Margaret Ayala