The Rum Lab

Topic: 1-Year Celebration | Symphony No 3 Rum

Guests: Jaaz, Samuel, and Charles (Founders) 

During the following presentation, Jaaz, Samuel, and Charles (Founders) share how they made a new brand a staple brand already in some cities of the USA.  

Topic: Visiting Thrasher Rum Distillery | Virtual Tour

Guests: Todd Thrasher (The Main Guy)

During the following presentation, Todd Thrasher will take ys on a virtual tour thru his distillery in Washington, D.C.  

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Topic: Visiting E&A New Offices / A modern heritage company

Guests: Niels Benschop - Chief Commercial Officer 

During the following presentation, Niels Benschop virtually takes us on a journey to see the E&A's new facilities and shows us how this 100+ years old company continues on the Rum Sourcing Relm. 

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Topic: Costa Rica - Natural Aging & Art of Blending

Guests:  Daniel Mora - Ron Centenario Global Brand Manager 

During the following presentation Daniel Mora will share highlights and traditions of Natural Aging, plus some of the in's & out's of blending.

Topic: Industry Rum Rebels

Guests:  

Martyna Halas:

Martyna is a freelance journalist, content writer, and musician. She is a women’s rights activist and mental health advocate, currently contributing to HealthyPlace.com and Are We Europe magazine. She was also the Rock 4 Choice festival organizer in Ireland in 2017, which preceded the country’s historic abortion referendum. 

Privately, she enjoys craft beer and is always on the hunt for a Cabernet Franc. She discovered vintage rum thanks to Rene and is often accompanying him to spirits events and distilleries as a photographer. Their recent business trip to Grenada, The Caribbean, inspired her to create their new website TripsAndTaste.com (currently being updated).

Rene van Hoven:

Rene is an F&B teacher, international wine & spirits judge, and a vintage rum collector known as Rene’s Rarities. He has contributed articles to magazines such as More Than Drinks, Whisky Passion, and Rum Porter. Rene also published a book entitled “Journey To Above The Clouds,” which documents his study of Zacapa Rum and their Guatemala facilities. 

He is a recurring guest at various spirits festivals and competitions, where he gives rum masterclasses and offers visitors a chance to taste rarities from his private vintage collection. Some of the most notable worldwide events include Miami Rum Renaissance, Michelangelo South Africa, and the German Rum Festival in Berlin. 

What You'll Learn: 

Female empowerment and gender equality continue to be a hot topic worldwide. One of the last few macho industries that are finally catching up is the rum world. 

Female master blenders are on the rise, so it’s safe to assume that rum production is no longer a boys-only playground. That’s where our book comes in: we’re here to tell the stories of the best female master blenders in the rum industry and celebrate their achievements. 

Introducing Joy Spence as the first female Master Blender in 1997 revolutionized the rum world and the entire spirits scene. Ironically, research tells us that women are better equipped to handle this job as they are naturally better tasters than men. 

Therefore, it’s about time to take them more seriously. This book aims to give them the attention they deserve.

Each chapter will focus on a different master blender and the brand they represent. The reader will learn about their upbringing, education, and journey towards the top of the ladder in the rum-making process. We will also highlight their struggles and perseverance in reaching their goals, as it can’t be easy to be the only woman in a male-dominated world. 

We want this book to be visually engaging, so we hope to use promotional pictures and photos from private archives (childhood, first steps, behind the scenes). The aim is to give the readers a feeling as if they know the ladies personally.

Topic: What's typically inside a bottle of Martinique rum

Guests:  JERRY GITANY - Co-Founder of La Confrérie du Rhum

What You'll Learn: 

Join Jerry Gitany (directly from Paris, France) and Federico Hernandez as they talk about what's typically inside a bottle of Martinique rum. The presentation  will also feature a beautiful Infographic curated by the team at La Confrérie du Rhum. 

Topic: 5 Yeast to consider during fermentation when making premium rum

Guests:  Jaiker Soto - Master Blender & Consultant

What You'll Learn: 

Jaiker Soto is from Venezuela. His background and expertise in the spirit industry are: Master Blender / Master Distiller / Spirits making-process specialist / Spirits manufacturing operations / R&D / Ageing & Sensory. 

Join Federico Hernandez as he journey's the world of rum.

Image by iStock photo

Topic: Q&A with Latin's America longest working female Master Blender

Guests:  Carmen López de Bastidas (Destilería Carúpano Master Blender) 

What You'll Learn: 

Carmen López de Bastidas is Venezuela’s first certified female Master Blender who has been, for the past 32 years, passionately developing the exquisite profiles of Ron Carúpano. She was born and raised in the coastal town of Carúpano (Venezuela) and before devoting her full time to rum, Carmen moved to Caracas to study and obtain her Chemistry degree, starting her career as a Quality Control Specialist. 

In 1990, Destilería Carúpano, a local rum manufacturer, reached out to her, offering to lead their newly-created quality control department. Ron Carúpano has been a family-owned business since its foundation in 1762, with ambitious hopes and determination to expand to the international market. For this reason, the company needed to standardize its production system to ensure consistency and quality. 

The board of directors understood they needed someone with a strong chemistry background to help them get the company to the next level, so they entrusted Carmen with this colossal task. That is why she is responsible for the award-winning commercial and prestige lines of Super Premium Venezuelan Ron Carúpano, setting the tone and paving the way for women to lead in the world of Rum. In her own words, being a rum master blender means "having the capacity, the taste, and olfactory sensitivity as well as the dedication to know how to mix different types of rums with different aging vintages to create extraordinary products that elevate every occasion in life". 

Join Federico Hernandez as he journey's the world of rum.

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Topic: DRAM OF THE DEAD:  THE BUM ON HIS NEW ZOMBIE RUM

Guests:  Jeff "Beach Bum" Berry

What You'll Learn: 

Legendary historian Jeff "Beachbum" Berry recently launched a new "Zombie Rum" blend in collaboration with the Ed Hamilton - Ministry of Rum brand. This will be a great opportunity to learn about what's behind this creation.

Join Federico Hernandez as he journey's the world of rum.

Topic: Tales of Spice Rum + Pirates

Guests:  Brad Bunn (Owner) 

What You'll Learn: 

TBA

Join Federico Hernandez as he journey's the world of rum.

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Topic: The Rum Lab visits DUSA

Guests:  Miguel Monsalve - DUSA Brand Ambassador 

What You'll Learn: 

DUSA is located in one of the geographical areas with the most natural resources in Venezuela, in the middle of the three largest sugar cane producer states – Lara, Portuguesa, and Yaracuy. Rains throughout the year, springs, and an altitude – that generates warm temperatures during the day and cool temperatures at night – favor the development of high concentrations of sucrose in the stem of the sugar cane, making it one of the sweetest on the continent.

In the Hacienda Saruro, next to the town La Miel (Lara), the complex has one of the few plants in the world with different distillation systems gathered in one place. Therefore, the manufacturing plant can produce not only rum but also whiskey, gin, vodka, and cocuy.

DUSA covers an area of 1,300 hectares where the plant, industrial effluent treatment plants, and crops are located. The company owns different farms where they grow sugar cane, cereals, and fruits, enough raw materials to produce a great variety of liquors.

Join Federico Hernandez as he journey's the world of rum.

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Topic: Rum talks w/ 3 Women behind Ron Botran

Guests:  

Magda López (Master Blender #1) 

Leslie Taracena (Master Blender #2) 

Yasmin Chapeton (Master Blender #3) 

What You'll Learn: 

Ron Botran story started with Five Rum-Loving Brothers. They made one eye-opening journey, from sunny Spain to glorious Guatemala. And in 1940, they founded Botran. A rum with a distinctive attitude.

One as vivid as our sugar cane juice and as colorful as our land. It helped us become the first sustainable rum in the world. And it continues to push us as we fill every glass with the bright and vibrant spirit of Guatemalan rum. 

Today 3 women (Magda López, Leslie Taracena, Yasmin Chapeton) are Master Blender for Ron Botran. 

Join Federico Hernandez has he journey's the world of rum..

Topic: Traveling to the mountains | La Destileria Virtual tour

Guest:  Jose Muñoz & Luis J. Cruz (Partners) 

What You'll Learn: 

When standing up La Destileria, Luis Cruz was not only faced with the decision of leaving the private sector, but the challenge of building a new business model in on-going financial crisis Puerto Rico was facing.  A passion for distilled spirits and the desire to bring commerce back home ultimately tipped the scales in favor of taking on the hurdles and developing Puerto Rico’s first Craft Distilling concept.

By using non-traditional distilling and aging methods, paired with our love and enthusiasm for craft products La Destileria breaks barriers set forth by PR’s long standing, distilling rich history and brings forth two new interpretations of Puerto Rican Rum. This is just the beginning....

Saving the world, one bottle of rum at a time!

Topic: Club Caribe "Puerto Rico" Distillery Tour

Guest:  Félix Mateo - Distillery & Environmental Affairs Director at Club Caribe Distillers

What You'll Learn: 

Club Caribe Rum is distilled in the mountains of Cidra in Puerto Rico, producing white and flavored rums that are great for cocktails. 

 The pure fresh water used in Club Caribe comes from a volcanic aquifer and gives the rum its great taste. Only the highest quality ingredients go into each bottle to create mixable rum that bears the name of it’s Puerto Rican distillery.

Our rum making tradition dates back centuries to when sugarcane production began on the island of Puerto Rico. From the fields to the factories, a process was born and perfected over time. Since 1948, “Rums of Puerto Rico” has promoted and ensured that each of our rum brands meet the highest standards of quality. No other country shares our requirements for process and craftsmanship. 

Join Federico Hernández and Feliz Mateo as they showcase the wonders of Club Caribe Distillers. 

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Topic: Boukman Rhum - botanical clairin story

Guest: 
- Adrian Keogh - Idea Distiller
- Josette Bruffaerts-Thomas - Founder of Haïti Futur 

What You'll Learn: 

Haiti Futur is an organization that aims to develop quality education and support entrepreneurship in Haiti, while promoting Haitian culture.

It all began in 1791 at a secret ceremony, where Dutty Boukman swore an oath to liberty, sealed it with rum and sparked the revolution that freed Haïti.

Two centuries later, Boukman honors Haïti’s rich tradition of clairin trempè – handcrafted spiced ‘rhum’

IN THE SPIRIT OF DUTTY BOUKMAN, WE REINVEST IN THE SUGAR CANE COMMUNITIES IN HAITI THAT CREATE THIS PRODUCT

Topic: Fede's Journey at Dest Serrallés (PR)

Guest: Silvia Santiago - Master Distiller 

What You'll Learn: 

Destilería Serrallés is a rum producer located in Ponce, Puerto Rico, and best known for its Don Q rum brand. The company is Puerto Rico's oldest family-owned company.

Federico had the opportunity to visit the distillery and film great content. We hope to be able to share it with the audience. 

Zavvy is proud to present the 2021 California Rum Festival. 

The 6th California Rum Festival will be held at Hibernia Bank, San Francisco. We know it's not always easy (or possible) to travel to events in person, so Zavvy has you covered. For the first time, you'll be able to attend the festival virtually with us via livestream. 

Patrons will have the opportunity to virtually attend either the...

1. The Seminar Room (Starting at 2:30 pm-ish EST)
   
   
2. Grand Tasting Room with your host Will Hoekenga (Starting at 4pm-ish EST)

Instructions: 

1. Log in to your Patreon Account and/or Crowdcast Account. Make sure your Patreon Account is the same as your Crowdcast Account.  Or whichever way you usually log in as a Patron to watch Zavvy content on Crowdcast.
   
   
2. Once you log into the the event, you will see the option to click a schedule on the upper left side of the screen. Click the schedule and then select whether you'd like to join the Seminar Room or the Grand Tasting Room. Feel free to change at any time.

Topic: My experience visiting San Juan Artisan Distillery

Guest: 

Pepe Alvarez | President

Jose R Alvarez | Head Distiller

What You'll Learn: 

SAN JUAN ARTISAN DISTILLERS PUERTO RICO’S FIRST "AGRICOLA" RUM ESTATE DISTILLERY. 

Federico had the opportunity to visit the distillery and film great content. We hope to be able to share it with the audience.