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.