"Got Rum?" Team Interview 2022

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Putting together a monthly magazine is not an easy task.  Thankfully for us at “Got Rum?”, we have the world’s best contributing writers, who tirelessly produce content for us, month after month.  

It is easy, however, for readers to lose track of the people behind the stories, so each December we reserve space for all contributors to share a bit of information about themselves, their achievements, goals and observations.

Here is a quick update from Luis and me:

  • “Got Rum?” has been in existence for 21 years now and its circulation has reached an all-time high, thanks in great part to a boom in the consumption of premium rum around the world.
  • The Rum University® continues to be the leading source of technical and professional training in the rum industry, with new classes scheduled for 2023 (see pages 52-55)!  Stay tuned for a new Rum University® series that will start next month, you won’t want to miss it!
  • Rum Central continues to grow rapidly, 2022 has been another record-breaking year and this upward trend has no end in sight.  Rum Central is dedicated to supplying quality aged bulk rums to distillers, bottlers and private label owners around the world.
  • Craft distilleries around the world continue to raise the bar and to incorporate the latest technologies into their business plans, mostly with favorable, well-received results.  This does not go unnoticed and large distilleries are also adapting their practices to reflect the higher expectations from consumers and policy makers.
  • Carbon footprint, recycling, fair trade, certified organic, renewable energy, these are all terms and concepts that are becoming part of the standard vocabulary of distillers around the world.  We applaud the trend and invite you to read pages 24-29 of this issue for an overview of the four winners in this year’s 5th Annual Rum And The Environment Awards.

I wish all a very happy holiday season and hope that 2023 brings us all even more good news about our beloved rum industry!

Margaret

Q: In August you traveled to Minnesota to attend Level 3 WSET spirit week and take their exam.  Can you tell us more about this? 

I certainly did, and I passed! It was one of the most challenging things I have ever done.  WSET Level 3 not only encompasses all of the rules/laws of spirits from around the world but it also focuses heavily on distillation and the chemistry involved.  It was an amazing experience.  

Q: Wow!  Congrats!  Now that you have all of this knowledge, what are your plans moving forward? 

I will continue to educate but also learn!  I now have the WSET 3, BAR 5 Day, and my 1st level Sommelier certification.   I would like to learn more about sherry and I am also just dying to attend The Rum University!

Q: You were so busy studying and preparing for your test, did you manage to still enjoy your hobbies (I know you love rock climbing)? 

I always make time for rock climbing and hiking, it is my passion and being outside keeps me happy and grounded.  It’s really good for my mental health as well as physical.

Q: I can’t believe a year has passed since you last gave us an update regarding the changes in your professional life.  Can you bring us up to speed on what’s happened since then?  Are you still enjoying your new role, do you still miss being behind the bar? 

I am still a spirits educator and absolutely love what I do.   I think I will always miss aspects of being behind the bar—creating drinks in a high volume/high pressure environment is something I always thrived on.   I miss the hospitality part of it, but I have to admit I do not miss working late nights !  I am in the right place.  

Q: The hospitality industry has been through a lot.  Do you think the worst has passed already or do you still see dark clouds on the horizon? 

I sure hope the worst has passed !   We still have a long way to go and I don’t know that it will ever be the same.   Staffing is still an issue in most places, but we are a strong group of people and will prevail.

Q: Of all your articles/recipes this year, is there one, in particular, you enjoyed the most? 

I think probably the New Orleans Cocktails article.  I was so thrilled to be back LIVE and in person for Tales of the Cocktail and I dearly love the history of cocktails that goes along with that city.  

Q: What are some of the things you are looking forward to in 2023?

A new year! I had some major personal losses in 2022 so the new year feels like a fresh start.  

Q: Is there anything else you would like to share with your fans? 

I have been really trying to travel more, so keep your eyes out for travel-related articles.  

Q: Everyone knows you as a professional, impartial rum reviewer.  How differently do you approach the review of a rum, when you know the brand and the details about the particular expression, as opposed to when you review a rum blindly as a judge during a competition?

When judging a rum blind during a competition, I do my best to evaluate and score a spirit on its own merits and score it accordingly.  The trick is to keep the palate fresh and as uninfluenced as possible from the previously consumed rums of the competition.  Water, aroma neutralization, and palate neutralizers are helpful in doing this.

Q: Looking back at all the new rums you tried this year (not just the ones you reviewed for “Got Rum?”), which ones were the most pleasant surprises?

A friend recently shared St. Lucia 1931 4th edition with me and that was a wonderfully complex rum that I enjoyed exploring.   I was grateful they shared it with me as it is one of their favorite rums.

Q: I know our readers enjoy meeting you and talking with you during rum festivals.  Do you already know which rum events you’ll be attending next year?

I am still figuring out my 2023 travel details and am hoping to make at least one rum event in the winter/spring months and then Tales of the Cocktail in the summer. I really do not have anything else planned at this time.

Q: How about personal rum travels or explorations, what were this year’s highlights?

Sadly, the timing did not work out so that I was able to attend any rum festivals this year, but my visits to both Puerto Rico and Barbados were highlights for different reasons.  Puerto Rico for the great agricultural and “farm to table” immersion as well as learning some of the deeper nuances of pairing chocolate and rum.  The Barbados Rum Experience was positively intense, with three days of seminars, two days of distillery tours, and optional things to do at night.  It was good to reconnect with participants I have known for years and share the experience with them.

Q: In the past you’ve expressed how limited the rum selection is in Georgia.  Have things improved at all?

Georgia rum selection waxes and wanes, but currently it is better than it has ever been.  The distribution system is challenging for brands so I am always glad when they find success in the state.

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

I would like to take a moment and thank everyone who takes the time to read my reviews and articles.  We only have so much time on any given day and I appreciate you choosing to use some of it to read my work.  I wish you all great health and happiness in the new year!

Q: Last year Chile dealt with several quarantines imposed by the government due to the pandemic.  How did the hospitality industry do this year? Has your bar, Red Frog, recovered or is it still dealing with the consequences from the quarantines?

We are not as burdened by the preventive measures imposed during the past couple of years because of the pandemic.  While it is a return to normalcy, it is not a “clean slate” when you get a new, clean start: there are still consequences we have to deal with, we were left with a lot of “baggage” that we have to deal with, but at least we are alive, healthy and on our feet, which is a great source of motivation.  We are struggling and will continue to do so.

Q: Are you planning special rum and cigar pairings with your friends or family to celebrate Christmas or New Year?

That is what I have in mind.  The last pairing I did with Alan Kallens was spectacular and I’m still in the process of deciding what to do this year.  Most definitely it will involve food, but it needs to be prepared with the pairing in mind, using reductions based on rum, sweet caramelization, and long baking periods.  I’ll be thinking about the menu, but that’s the general direction for this end of year surprise.

Q: Which was your favorite rum and cigar pairing from 2022?

I have to say that the pairing that stayed the most with me was the “Three Shots of Rum” one.  It is a pairing that reminds me of blind tastings, matching the rums with different stages of the cigar, resulting in a different spectrum of flavors each time.  A pairing full of memories, from accompanying a cigar with a white rum during a relaxing afternoon in Cuba to memories of other pairings involving older rums.  It was a very simple pairing, not at all complex, but it was able to evoke a lot of great memories.

Q: As part of November’s pairing, you smoked your last Bolivar Belicoso Fino cigar. Do you plan to replace the box with another one of the same brand or with a different one?

The Bolivar Belicoso Fino is one of my favorites.  While it is true that I enjoy each and every single cigar, this must be the format I’ve bought the most of, since I first stepped foot in Cuba in 2006.  Without a doubt I will purchase another box of Belicosos again as soon as I am able to.Q: Is there anything else you’d like to share with your fans?I enjoy the feedback I receive from many of our readers.  I enjoy helping guiding them, complementing their experiences a bit.  Many readers try the pairings at home and create their own memories.  The pairings do not need to use the exact elements that I use: it would be illogical of me to expect everyone to have the same products that I have available.  What I offer is more of a guideline with useful tips so that you can enjoy a pleasant after dinner experience or to enhance the poker game with your friends.  It is the simple details that can provide the foundation for an epic tasting experience that will be unique.  Being part of this is what motivates me month after month, always doing my best to offer good advice so that good rum and cigars can enhance your lives.I sincerely hope to continue to surprise “Got Rum?” readers with new ideas for experiences, simple or complex, that they can enjoy with their friends and family.

Q: Your series on Cuban rum has been fascinating, do you plan to continue exploring this history and possibly take a close look at modern Cuban rums?

First of all, thank you for appreciating my series. Yes, I would like to research and write a history of Cuban Rum to the present day. But, at the moment, I am focused on what, for the sake of simplicity, we could call the colonial period, from the beginnings to the birth of the Republic of Cuba in 1902.

Q: You recently attended a rum festival in Italy, was this the only festival you attended this year?  What was your impression?   Did any new rums at the event catch your attention?  If so, which ones and why?

In May I attended the Mixology Experience in Milan and in October the Rum Festival in Rome. They were wonderful events, with many visitors, many brands and some interesting new rum-related projects that were presented to the public. It seems to me that, after Covid 19, the rum industry is alive and well in Italy. The rum that especially caught my attention is Avola Rum, an Italian Rum made in Sicily with local sugarcane. I hope to visit Sicily soon and then tell this story to our readers.

Q: A Rum Historian’s job is never done, there is some much out there that needs to be uncovered, interpreted and placed into the overall context.  Are you planning any research-related travels soon?  If so, which destinations and why?

I would really like to travel to Cuba to visit distilleries and dig into libraries and archives, but at the moment I do not know when, maybe in March. I would also like to attend the Rhum Fest in Paris next April, it is one of the greatest rum events in Europe, but for various reasons I have never managed to go there. Maybe this will be the right time?

Q: Business owners and operators in the hospitality sector are the best source of information regarding how the economy has affected the industry.  What has been your experience?

When we were barely emerging from Covid 19 (fingers crossed!), there was the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the terrible war – so close to us – which has been going on for 10 months now, with severe damage to the European economy. I am not an economist, but with special reference to the rum industry, it would seem to me that, for now,  there have been no significant changes. Of course, many brands have lost the Russian market, but in Europe the desire to go out, drink and have a good time is great, and this also explains the success of the Rum Festivals. Maybe, the crisis has accentuated an already existing trend towards “drinking less, but better”, that is, towards quality and the Premium segment.

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

As I just said, I think that the trend towards the Premium segment and the quality of the products is continuing. But I’m afraid that all too often it is not a real, higher quality of rum in the bottle, but only in consumer perception – and in the price the consumer pays – due to careful marketing and packaging choices from some large companies.

Q: Another year of rum news has come and gone!  Which of this year’s stories stood out to you the most and why? 

Three stories caught my attention: the marketing of ‘sustainability’private label releases in the United States and the continued rise of Ready-to-Drink cocktails, RTDs.

Industry innovators like Destilería Serrallés in Puerto Rico, Montanya Distillers in Colorado and Flor de Cana in Nicaragua developed sustainable technologies years ago and have been using them ever since. Now, ‘sustainability’ is a buzz word in our industry that is often used in press releases. We can only hope that there is truth and real ecological results in these statements and not just marketing-speak.

For years, rum enthusiasts in the United States could only read and weep about the incredible releases that our European friends were enjoying. 2022 saw a dramatic increase in our availability of releases by independent bottlers. Last month alone, we  saw three companies, Holmes Cay, Down Island Spirits and The Royal Cane Cask Company release a 20 year old Foursquare all pot-still rum.

Canned cocktails have been around for years and most of them were terrible. The pandemic revitalized the idea as Ready-to-Drink cocktails. Even though they filled a need during a difficult time, many relied on grain alcohol and artificial flavors. In 2022 I found more and more RTDs that included real rum and real ingredients. When you run out of limes or Orgeat, a canned Mai Tai can be pretty cool.

Q: If I recall correctly, last year for Halloween you were going to be preparing and serving Rum Zombies to adults.  What did you do this year?

This year I made a sizeable batch of Mai Tais. However, the majority of our Trick-or-Treaters were older kids (I swear some looked like they had facial hair) without parents. I gave out what I could and drank the rest. The day after Halloween is often called the Day of the Dead, and that’s exactly how I felt.

Q: We all know you like to blend and age your own rums.  What blends are you currently working on and which one is your favorite?

The more I play with blending, the more I admire the work that you and Luis and other professional blenders do. By definition, the total (blend) should be greater than just the sum of its parts (individual rums). I have really struggled with that. During the pandemic, I came across Kevin Crossman’s Ultimate Mai Tai website (https://ultimatemaitai.com/). It is filled with Mai Tai history, travels and general knowledge, including Kevin’s recipe for his Ultimate Mai Tai Rum Blend, a mix of equal parts of Appleton 12, Smith & Cross, Plantation OFTD and Plantation Xaymaca. This is a great starting point, a rum with lots of flavor and mouthfeel. At Luis’s suggestion, I added some 6-year-old Clement Rhum Agricole. This is my current favorite mix. I started the year drinking it neat, on the rocks and in Mai Tais. When the temperature here in Arizona hit the triple digits, I found that an ounce and a half in a tall glass with ginger ale was a great refresher. Now I am back to sipping it and mixing Mai Tais and an occasional Old Fashion for my bourbon-drinking son.

Q: You have an upcoming family trip to Hawai’i and I know that you are considering taking a little road trip on your own to see some sugarcane fields and possibly visit a distillery (or two).  Have you already finalized the agenda for the trip?  I hope we get to read about your adventure soon!

We are spending five days on the Big Island and five days on Oahu. Both islands have creative distilleries, making rum from pressed Hawaiian sugar cane or Ko. Kuleana Rum Works is on the Big Island of Hawaii. They grow heirloom sugar cane varieties on their 45 acre ranch as the basis of their rums which they then blend with rums from Panama, Nicaragua, Barbados, Venezuela and other key rum destinations. You interviewed them in 2019 and I am anxious to see what’s new and taste their new Jamaica 11 blend. I have signed up for a rum tasting and a Mai Tai class at Kuleana.

Ko Hana Distillers is on the island of Oahu and each of their rums is made from a different heirloom sugar cane. Harvest, fermentation and distillation processes remain the same for all products, only the cane changes.  At Ko Hana, I have signed up for a tour of the cane fields, where I hope to see firsthand the different varieties of Ko.

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

I wish all our readers a great holiday, filled with family, friends and good spirits.