Luis and I had the pleasure of attending the first annual International Rum Conference (Congreso del Ron) in Madrid, Spain last month, organized by its Director, Mr. Javier Herrera. It was during the conferences that I looked around only to see a great variety of representatives from the rum industry in attendance and it pleased me even more to see amongst these attendees many Master Blenders.
It was truly an honor to be present in a room full with Masters, united under one roof, eager and willing to talk about their life’s passion: rum. It is events like this one that give the Master Blenders the opportunity to step away from their work at the lab and to sit with their peers and discuss their personal experiences, changes, obstacles, methods, etc…
These discussions are what helps pave new paths for the future of rum, they offer a time to reflect that even though many of these Masters are from different countries that they all face the same or similar challenges together. All of the topics that each one touched on are so important and so valuable to help the industry as a whole to continue elevating the image of rum.
I want to personally thank each of the Master Blenders for taking the time out of their very busy schedules to not only participate at the conferences and festival, but to have been a huge part in the educational process of rum and for putting fine rums on the map. It is through our Master Blenders (and Distillers) that we, the general public, can enjoy great rums with friends and family and the reason that Luis and I fell in love with rum.
I also have some great news to share with you. It gives me great pleasure to introduce to you and welcome Mr. Philip Ili Barake as the newest editorial member of “Got Rum?”. Mr. Barake will be covering the section “Pairing Tobacco & Rum”.
We feel very fortunate to have a celebrated Cigar Sommelier as part of our team, offering excellent recommendations to our readers. With his extensive background, he brings great value and knowledge to the table.
We hope you enjoy your cigar and rum journey with Mr. Barake. Welcome aboard Philip!
