Articles

An Interview with Leszek Wedzicha – UK Cachaca Festivals 2018

Bythefatrumpirate February 10, 2018

UK Cachaca Festival London and Manchester Cachaca is a Cane Juice spirit native to Brasil. It is often “lumped” in with rum. Some independent bottlers even label it as rum.

However as this fascinating interview with Leszek Wedzicha one third of the Cachaca Festivals UK team shows Cachaca is very much its own unique spirit.

1. Leszek welcome to thefatrumpirate. Please tell us a little about yourself and
your background in the Spirits Industry.

Firstly I would like to thank you for the interview opportunity and the space you are
opening for Cachaca. My passion for Brazilian sugarcane spirit was born during my time spent in Brazil. I consider myself a Cachaca enthusiast . While learning about different producers and brands of Cachaca I came with an idea to organise some events. In the hope that they could help the whole Cachaca category be more recognised in the UK. I am also representing Cachacaria Weber Haus in various events in the UK and
abroad.

2. So tell us all what exactly is Cachaca? It is it rum or is it something completely
different?

Cachaca is a sugarcane spirit produced in Brazil. It is made from a distillation of fresh sugarcane juice and it’s alcohol volume (ABV) ranges from 38% to 48%. To which sugar can be add it up to 6 grams per litre.Cachaca was first distilled between 1516 and 1532 and it was first distilled beverage to be made in Latin America.

It actually makes Cachaca an older brother of Rum to my knowledge. Although Cachaca is made from sugarcane juice with similarities to rum, I believe
you can not call Cachaca a rum. Cachaca is recognized as a distinctive Brazilian product, having as its exclusive raw material the fermented “must” of sugarcane juice. Most rums I would say 95%) are made from molasses. There are differences in ABV and wood use for aging. I think is just a matter of time before rum producers will age their rums in Brazilian native wood.

3. So how does it differ to Rhum Agricole? Would you expect a Rhum Agricole lover to enjoy Cachaca?

Rhum Agricole is also made from freshly squeezed sugar cane juice similar to Cachaca. It is a “terroir” shaped spirit. However, it is usually distilled to a higher ABV and has different origin. Having said that I believe Rhum Agricole fans will enjoy Premium Aged Cachaca.

I posted you un-named samples of Agricole Rhum from Martinique and 2 samples of Cachaca to compare and an additional extra premium sipping cachaca to try.

(This is a feature I will be writing about very soon to see how I got on identifying which was which)

4.Will Cachaca be a surprise to those familiar with Molasses based rum?

I believe so. But once we choose the right Cachaca type and the aged wood it
could be nice surprise. It is great in cocktails as well. These days everyone looks for origin.

People want more and more details, sugar content etc..The great thing about Cachaca is we know where the sugarcane comes from. Brazil produces organic Cachaca’s already. So we are ahead of the times in many respects.

5 How popular in Brasil is Cachaca? Is it really the nations spirit

Cachaca is the most consumed spirit in Brazil. It’s consumption is almost 5 times greater than that of Whisky (348 milion litres) and Vodka (270 milion litres). Brasil has an installed capacity of 1.2 billion liters per year. 70% of which is Industrial Cachaça (Column still and Continuous distillation) and 30% of Artisanal Cachaça (Copper Pot-still).

Currently, there are over 40 thousand producers (some 5 thousand brands) and micro-enterprises represent 99% of this universe. The sector is responsible for the generation of more than 600 thousand jobs, directly and indirectly.

6. How is it Cachaca consumed back in Brasil?

Cachaça is drunk in Brazil in various forms from Caipirinha, Rabo de Galo or Batida
and could be used as an ingredient for various cocktails. It is an extremely versatile drink. Remember it can be aged in over 30 different woods.

It can be consumed neat and brings a fantastic sensorial experience. In addition, many festive dates use cachaça to make seasonal cocktails like ˜Quentao˜, a kind of mulled wine made with Cachaça.

7. In which other countries beside Brasil is Cachaca popular? Does it have a global
audience?

In 2016 Cachaca was exported to over 50 countries with Germany followed by the United States being the higher importer. France, Portugal,Italy and Spain were also high in the ranking. The UK alone imported 396,949 USD* worth of Cachaca .You can find Cachaca all over the world these days.

* source Cachaca Export Ranking
http://indicadores.agricultura.gov.br/agrostat/index.htm

8. You have targeted the UK with the Cachaca Festivals? Why have you chosen the UK? Have you ran festivals in other European countries?

I believe there is a market and huge opportunity for Cachaca in the UK. Sadly lack of
information about the spirit and strategies chosen by big Cachaca brands have not worked so far. Cachaca is always on side in Rum or Spirits events but I believe we have a fantastic product.

In the future we should look the different approach to show what Cachaca really is and get its rightful place in the market. To my knowledge these are first dedicated Cachaca festivals outside of Brasil and we are hoping to make these annual events.

9. What are your aspirations for the Cachaca festivals? Do you hope to entice rum lovers?

The idea is to make Cachaça known worldwide.

Show its versatility, different terroirs within Brazil (more than 26 states with the extension of Europe in scale) and make rum and cocktail drinkers passionate about Cachaça.

10. What about lovers of other spirits such as Whisky and Gin?

Cachaca is the opportunity to try something new. The woods present in the aging of
the cachaca can add all the palates.

11. Do you also enjoy Molasses based Rums?

Yes, I do. I am not an expert on molasses based rums but I have enjoyed for example: XM Royal 10 Year old Rum, El Dorado 15 and more recently Penny Blue from Mauritius.

12. What Cachaca brands do you think we should be looking out for?

There are so many great Cachaca producers. Unfortunately many of them are not
available outside Brazil. I would rather not mention the brands but please come and join us in the festival to discover how unique and special Cachaca can be.

Thank you Leszek for a fascinating insight into the wonderful world of Cachaca. Leszek makes up just one third of the Cachaca Festivals UK team. The festival is head up by the House of Cachaca.

Also involved are veteran Rum Festival Organiser Jon Rees who also puts together the Cardiff, Bristol and Exeter Rum Festivals under the UK Rum Festivals banner. Jon was particularly keen to get involved in the venture

“I have been running rum events in the UK for six years and wanted to showcase the diversity of sugar cane spirits. Having only know Cachaca as an ingredient for a Caipirinha, I was amazed at the taste that aged Cachaca had and the different woods used for aging. When I was asked to help with the Cachaca festival I jumped at the chance to help showcase this much-understated spirit in the UK”

Making up the trinity is Hugo Tolomei, born in Rio de Janeiro, is an economist. He has adopted Europe as a home and currently resides in London, England. Entrepreneur and spirit specialist, he is passionate about good Cachaça and has as his dream to popularize Brazilian culture through the four corners of the world through caninha.

Details for the UK Cachaca Festivals 2018 can be found On Event Brite there are events in Manchester and London

Manchester is 7 April 2018 at the Britannia Sachas Hotel, M4 1SH

London is 14 April 2018 at the Unit 5 Gallery E2 8NH

More details can be found on Facebook and Twitter should you need it.

Articles

Rare Rums up for Sale on Whisky Auction
Bythefatrumpirate April 29, 2016
Over the past few years, the demand for rum, whiskies and other fine spirits has increased considerably, with many people now choosing to buy and sell their bottles at auction as an alternative to using specialist retailers.

www.whisky.auction is a new site that aims to simplify the auction process for many. The latest auction from Whisky Auction has many rare and old bottles of rum up for sale.

The rum highlights include: 
- rums dating from the 1930s and 1940s 
- a 25-year-old bottle of Wray & Nephew bottled in 1987 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Jamaica’s independence – never released for sale and the first time this bottle has ever appeared at auction 
- a Royal Navy flagon filled in 1953 
- a bottle of the rare 1940s’ Extra Strong 90° Proof rum from Caroni, the Trinidad distillery that closed permanently in 2002.
Buyers must register to participate in whisky.auction’s online auction:

The current auction started on Sunday 24 April and will close on Tuesday 3 May at 7.30pm BST.

Behind this site is a team of industry experts whose knowledge and expertise will bring honest guidance to sellers. What’s more, their contacts in the spirit industry bring to auction some of the rarest bottles in the world, with the aim of achieving the highest selling prices for the rarest bottles.

Whisky Auction Ltd is a newly registered company based in London. You can deliver your bottles in person to our offices or send them in by post, and we also offer a collection service. Similarly, you can collect your winning bottles from our offices or take advantage of our delivery service with some of the best shipping rates for both UK and international customers. We also offer FREE insurance on all UK deliveries.

If you have whiskies or other fine spirits to sell, or even an entire collection, please get in touch by emailing info@whisky.auction or by calling +44 (0)20 8838 9381.

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Top Ten Best Rums in the World Ever, Ever (Part One)
Bythefatrumpirate October 21, 2015

See what I did there? If it’s not yet apparent then what I have done with my title is infer that this article is going to include the ten greatest rums produced in the whole wide world ever……….

It isn’t. Instead, what it is going to do is run down the ten most annoying, outlandish, poorly researched or just plain lazy Click Bait pieces of so called journalism that have befallen our less than noble spirit over the past few years. Articles which have reeled us all in with promises of hidden gems and new an enticing rum experiences.

Anyone who contributes to the various Rum Communities on Facebook, Reddit and Google+ must have come across one of these lists and shook their head in disgust at the contents. What I will say this isn’t a go at those people who have shared these posts. I for one really enjoy these lists. Not in an informative way but as a means to cut through the bullshit and hopefully give people a more reasoned sense of what the list was intended to do. Please note these lists are very rarely intended to actually educate a rum consumer to make smarter purchases.

This top ten will be made up of lists so bad they can be condemned in their entirety to mere snippets of marketing bollocks that have been (un)wittingly passed on by the journalist without questioning their validity and pretty much anything in between the two “stools”.

So here we go with the first 5

10. Top of the Google Search of “Best Rums in the World” comes Gayot.com (pronounced as they helpfully explain as guy-OH) tagline “the guide to the good life”.

“The Flavour of the Islands” is beneath the articles tagline and they go to explain explain these are the top ten sipping rums (in the world)………

To be honest this list isn’t at all bad (although I don’t think they have actually ranked the rums in any particular order). The “click bait” 1-10 seems a liitle random and they don’t actively identify any rum as being the “best”. (I don’t think the 1-10 is really listing the rums in that order as such)

One of the biggest issues with this list is the lack of genuine tasting notes, it just seems to be regurgitated marketing speak.

However, the thing which really makes me question the credibility of this list is not just the inclusion of the Vizcaya 21 but the appearance of the ludicrously over-priced liqueur like Pyrat Cask 1623. Also note no sign of any rum from Foursquare or an aged Rhum Agricole of any description.

9. Next up is the “Ten Best Bottles of Rum in the World” once again quite a statement to make but clearly TheStreet know their stuff!

Well actually no – they don’t but they have at least sought out some experts in the shape of the International Spirits and Wine Competition (ISWC). The writer has also taken the time and effort to consult Wikipedia prior to writing the introduction.

The problem with this list is that they seem to have picked ten random winners in the various rum categories at the ISWC awards (it should be noted that budget Supermarkets Lidl and Aldi have their spirits judged and handed medals in these competitions as well). The results?

Rhum Neisson, 3 rums from Angostura, 1 from Rum Company (a rather interesting looking Guadaloupe Calvados finish), El Dorado 12, Havana Club Seleccion de Maestros, Inner Circle Green Dot (an Australian rum) and finally Appleton Estate 8 and 21.

Hardly a balanced overview of the rum world but some interesting selections nonetheless. The articles connecting to each rum are hardly inspiring. Mostly marketing. It might however provoke some interest in some decent and varied rum.

8. Grab List

Indeed this particular list does have a very much “grabbed” feel about it. This is not the Top Ten Rums in the world but the top ten brands. The introductions is cringe worthy and reminiscent of a 12 year old’s school project type paper.

The actual top ten are a pretty eclectic mix. How the wrter Santosh Kumar has come up with this list I have absolutely no idea. Take number 3 for example

“3. Tilaknagar

It is another Indian drinks company that really performs excellently in the field of alcoholic beverages. Madira is one of its top selling rum that made the company extremely famous all over the world.”

I’m pretty sure it isn’t just my ignorance which means I have never heard of this rum nor the company responsible for it. All I can think is it sells an awful lot in India.

It’s also worth noting the Mohan Meakin are not featured in this to ten despite them being the second best sellers in India. Interesting.

This list has largely flew under the radar and to be honest it isn’t one of the worst I have seen. It is rubbish and pretty much pointless but it is nowhere near as bad as some of the lists that are further down the rankings………..

7. Next up are Crave Online

Now this article is exactly that, an article which explains why Rum is the New Whisky. Now first of all the whole “converting whisky drinkers to rum” thing really pisses me off. It shows exactly the kind of inferiority complex rum seems to suffer from. “You should really try (insert random rum) if you like a nice bourbon”. Piss Off!

However the article takes an even more cynical turn and is basically Joy Spence from Appleton Estate trying to promote their rum via Crave Online.

The only reason this doesn’t appear higher in the list is that strangely it doesn’t feature and photo’s of any Appleton rums and despite it being a bit of a “plug” most of what Spence says makes perfect sense.

As the list goes on you will see there are for more cynical pieces of sheer advertising cheek being paraded around the net!

6. Caribbean Journal

I’d usually expect better of Caribbean Journal. Surely such a site should be able to come up with a decent list of quality rums, which have been well researched. And I’m pretty sure they have done just that in the past.

Unfortunately in this instance they have decided to focus on “American” rums. Again not a bad thing but lets have a closer look at what has been selected.

First up to cause my eyebrows too twitch was the final line of the Siesta Key piece ” Siesta Key’s signature spiced blend is a gold-medal knockout that isn’t just the best in America — it’s better than any in the Caribbean, too.” For something called Caribbean Journal to say that is some statement to make!

Papa’s Pilar is up next. Named after Ernest Hemingway’s boat the rum (especially the Dark 24) is a concoction hailing from many different corners of the Caribbean and beyond and with almost as many maturations and finishes. It’s heavily sugared as well which should surprise no-one.

However according to the research ” This is a blend of rums from around the US and the Caribbean, but it’s distilled right in America” I’m pretty sure I don’t need to say anything at this point. One more educated commentator and fellow unfortunate reader of this article has asked how this works – needless to say he has had little by way of a valid answer thus far. I wonder why…….

Next up is one my particular favourite marketeers Lost Spirits Distillery. According to the article as well as produce aged spirits in his reactors, Bryan can also produce Demerara rum in the US! Simply incredible!

The rums featured in this article aren’t all bad but the lack of research beyond marketing lines is terrible. I’d be surprised if the writer has even tasted any of the rums mentioned.

So that completes our first five awful pieces of so called journalism. I’ve every confidence that few people will have got a great deal out of any of the lists and many will be left as disenchanted as myself and many others around the Rum Community.

Don’t be too concerned about these though. They are just the tip of the Iceberg. The next five (which will be published soon) are far, far worse………..

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Read More Top Ten Best Rums in the World Ever, Ever (Part One)
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Manchester Rum Festival 8th June 2019
Bythefatrumpirate November 17, 2018

MANCHESTER RUM FESTIVAL RETURNS FOR A THIRD YEAR
‘The perfect Christmas present for rum lovers’

Rum advocate and Manchester based Dave Marsland of Drinks Enthusiast is bringing back Manchester Rum Festival for a 3rd year running, hosting it at the new event and exhibition space Brickworks, within Barton Arcade on Deansgate. Saturday 8th June 2019 will see an expansion of the previous two sold-out festivals, resulting in both an afternoon and evening session for the first time, with ticket prices frozen from the 2018 festival, staying at £20 per person.

Seminar Room Added for 2019!

The festival, created by Dave in 2017 to show that Manchester and the North of England are contributing in a major way to the growing rum category, will feature for the first time a seminar room that will house some of the world’s best rum speakers, brand owners and cocktail bartenders. It will also see the return of Revolución de Cuba as the festivals bar supporter, offering a variety of rum cocktails through their Cuban bar experience. The in-house festival shop will also be present once again, this time hosted by Marigot Bay Bar and Café, the latest venture opened by Dave in July 2018 in Altrincham. Alston Bar and Beef are also returning as one of the festival’s food vendors.

Revolucion de Cuba Return!

Exhibitors will be announced over the coming months through the festival website and social media pages, as well as further activities around the city. To purchase tickets, visit http://www.manchesterrumfestival.com

Last year’s event was epic (as was the year before) so we’d thoroughly recommend getting yourself along this year. Tickets sell out fast. For more information I had a chat with Dave last year about the event.

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St Lucia Distillers set to travel the UK
Bythefatrumpirate March 2, 2017March 2, 2017

This March and April, UK distributor Emporia Brands have put together a calendar of events involving its award-winning St Lucia Distillers range, after the initial success of last year’s programme.

I attended and throughly enjoyed one of these events last year in Newcastle. Dave is a great host and the rum speaks for itself! My write up is here if you have any doubts about attending (your bar really should have some SLD rum in 2017!)

Brand Ambassador Dave Marsland and the Emporia Brands team will be touring fifteen cities as they bring together the Chairman’s Reserve range, which includes Gold, Spiced, White Label and Forgotten Cask, the Admiral Rodney, and an edition of premium expression 1931, plus a selection of the distillates from which they are blended.

In 1931, the Barnard family founded a distillery at Dennery, St Lucia. Now based on the other side of the island at Roseau, the distillery has been considerably modernized and new technologies and improvements constantly incorporated. The installation of pot stills in 1998 added considerably to the variety of rums being produced in this highly regarded distillery which received the accolade of Individual Distiller of the Year at the International Spirits Challenge, one of six trophies received in six years – a unique achievement.

With the premise of a flavour experience, the tour sees an approach to the range that offers bartenders and key industry figures invited to not only learn about St Lucia, but ideas on how to embrace the versatility of St Lucia Distillers, from the Spiced variety to the rare 1931.

Cities on the tour include Manchester, London, Leeds, Brighton, Liverpool, Birmingham, Nottingham, Leicester, Newcastle, Cardiff, Reading, Edinburgh, Dundee, Aberdeen and Glasgow, with Emporia Brands looking to strengthen their campaign as they look ahead to the next instalment of the ‘Chairman’s XI’ with their ever-expanding sales team seeking out some of the UK’s best and brightest to follow in the footsteps of some of the industries key figures, including Lyndon Higginson of The Liars Club in Manchester, Danny Murphy of Aloha in Liverpool and Adam Binnersley of the MOJO Group.

Places are limited for each session, due to the rarity of gaining the exclusive 1931 and distillates for the tasting’s. To secure your place, please contact Dave Marsland at dave@emporiabrands.com, stating the session you wish to attend from the list below.

Manchester Mojo, 9th March, 1:30pm

London Burlock, 15th March, 2pm

Leeds Mojo’s, 15th March, 1:30pm

Brighton Oki Nami, 21st March, 1pm

Liverpool Maya, 23rd March, 1:30pm

Birmingham Island Bar, 4th April, 2pm

Nottingham Brass Monkey, 5th April, 3pm

Leicester The Queen of Bradgate, 6th April, 2pm

Newcastle Alvino’s, 11th April, 1pm

Edinburgh Reekie Tiki, 16th April, 4pm

Cardiff The Dead Canary, 21st April, 2pm

Aberdeen Bos’n, 23rd April, 3pm

Dundee Draffens, 24th April, 4pm

Reading Milk, 26th April, 2pm

Glasgow Distill, 26th April, 4pm

About Emporia Brands:

Emporia Brands is a spirits importer, exporter and innovator which is relentless in seeking, around the world, distillers who respect artisan traditions of quality.

For more information on St Lucia Distillers, please visit www.emporiabrands.com

Follow Chairman’s Reserve on Twitter @ChairmansUK, Facebook at www.facebook.com/ChairmansReserveUK and Instagram at www.instagram.com/chairmansreserveuk

Follow Emporia Brands on Twitter @EmporiaBrandsUK, Facebook at www.facebook.com/EmporiaBrands and Instagram at www.instagram.com/emporiabrands

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Cachaca of the Year 2020
Bythefatrumpirate December 30, 2020December 9, 2025

Cachaca of the Year 2020. For our first Cachaca of the Year, I willl not name a shortlist, I will just announce which cachaca I enjoyed the most this year. To be honest (and shame on you all) the reviews of cachaca I do, just don’t generate the same kind of interest that my usual rum reviews do.

This is partly because cachaca is still very much a “niche” product outside of Brasil. So, I understand that a lot of you probably won’t look to read a review of a spirit you cannot actually access. Which is fair enough I guess.

I work closely with Leszek Wedzicha who is a cachaca enthusiast and advocate. He visits distilleries in Brasil and sources samples of cachaca for me to review. From the outset, the project we are working on, has been about raising the profile of cachaca in the UK/Europe.

Leszek, was very keen for me to build up a portfolio of cachaca reviews – written in English. The idea being that this will create more interest in cachaca in Europe, thus enabling and encouraging producers looking to export into Europe. In turn growing awareness of cachaca outside of Brasil.

For anyone who hasn’t tried cachaca ,it is more available than you might think with Master of Malt and The Whisky Exchange having a very healthy selection. You’ll even find some over at everyones favourite online retailer – Amazon.

Before I reveal the Cachaca of the Year I will give a few notable mentions of other cachacas I have tried this year that have been very impressive. First up we have an SBS bottling from 1423, which stricitly speaking isn’t cachaca but its mighty tasty nonetheless. Brasilian distillate meets European ageing.

I would also advise picking up a bottle of this unaged “straight from the still” cachaca from Magnifica which is available at a bargain price over at Master of Malt.

Without further ado my cachaca of the year for 2020 is Delicana Balsamo Aged 10 Years. This is a cachaca which is available in Europe. The person responsible for the brand Bert Ostermann, is based in Germany. I have only had a couple of cachacas which have beaten this one. As the review indicates a higher ABV would probably give this a bit more oomph. That said even at 40% it’s a great cachaca which I enjoyed immensely.

If you are interested it is available here.

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An Interview with Mads Heitmann – Romhatten.dk
Bythefatrumpirate August 10, 2015August 10, 2015

The Danish Speaking world has one of the better Rum websites to boast about. With reviews, articles and its own forum Romhatten is impressive and its design is sleek and modern.

A lot of websites could take a lot of pointers from the site. Unfortunately for English speakers such as myself the site doesn’t automatically translate too well from Danish into English. However, with a bit of persistence it is possible to pick up on the meaning of most of Mads’ pieces especially his reviews.

Rum is very popular in Denmark and Mads is an individual who is very active in spreading the word in his home country, organising rum tastings and other events.

Curious about the popularity of rum in Denmark and always keen to hear from other “rummies” I decided to ask Mads a few questions which he very kindly answered for me. Enjoy, there are some cracking answers here and I’m sure a lot of you will nod in agreement.

1. What inspired you to set up the Romhatten Group?

The “Romhatten Forum” group on Facebook is an offspring of Romhatten.dk. Romhatten.dk is a Danish website that I formed in 2010. The website only deals with rum and is based on the rum reviews that I make. I also write articles on rum for the web page

I set up the Facebook group in 2012 in order to gather all the users of romhatten.dk. On this platform, the Danish rum lovers can meet and talk rum. It’s a great forum where we all can learn more about rum – information is what it’s all about.

In 2015, the website has so far received over 80,000 hits and some of these users are looking to the forum on facebook. The forum has almost 2,000 members. Romhatten.dk also has a facebook page which so far has over 5,500 likes.

FYI: The word “Romhatten” is a Danish word that I have made up. The word covers a person who is crazy about rum. An English version could for example be “Rum Loony”.

2. How popular is rum in Denmark?

Rum is very popular in Denmark. My interest of rum began in 2007 and since that time I have seen a huge development in rum in Denmark. Rum was in 2007, something that people in the general public did not consider to be something you could drink neat as with cognac and whisky, but that is no longer the case. Today, when I travel around in Denmark I see that people have accepted rum as a sipping spirit.

Rum has found a foothold in Denmark. In the Danish wine and liquor stores, rum takes up more and more space on the shelves and many of these shops rely more and more on selling rum – they follow the increasing demand. Many shops are experiencing that sales of rum have long overtaken whiskey, cognac and gin. I have spoken with several owners of liquor stores who say that when they sell ten bottles of spirits then seven of them are rum where cognac, whiskey, gin, vodka and tequila are share the last three bottles. It is very impressive!

However, the sweeter rum are the most popular rum in Denmark. The bestsellers are Ron Zacapa and Ron Diplomatico but also Oliver & Oliver’s products (Puntacana Club, Opthimus and Quorhum) sell very well.

3. How expensive is alcohol in Denmark? Prices here in the UK are pretty high compared to other EU countries especially France and Spain but Scandinavia is notorious for its high alcohol prices and strict alcohol legislation. Is this the case in Denmark as well?

It is not the case in Denmark. Denmark is an alcohol friendly country when compared to Norway and Sweden. In Denmark, we don’t have the same state-owned alcohol monopoly as Sweden – in Sweden it’s called “Systembolaget”. In Denmark, we have a free trade in beer, wine and spirits. The prices are a little high, but is overall in line with those seen in England, I believe. Due to the high prices we unfortunately see that many Danes go to Germany to buy wine, spirits and beer. On the other hand, we also see that many Swedes buying their alcohol in Denmark.

4. What are the aims of the Romhatten group? Do you have any views which members are expected to be in agreement on?

Maybe some more events for the members. We have already held a series of events in Denmark with Skotlander Spirits, where all the users of Romhatten were invited to a free tasting event. All over Denmark (in Aarhus, Aalborg, Odense and Copenhagen) rum lovers showed up to select Skotlander Spirits next rum. All fully booked events and all in all 500 participants. Five different blends were showcased and the result of the votes was this Skotlander Cask Rum. It’s the users of Romhatten.dk who selected the blend for this rum – I am very proud of that.

5. Have you organised any events etc under the Romhatten name? (I note what looks like a rum tasting event on the site)

I started making rum tastings in connection with Romhatten.dk in 2012 and since then I have hosted about 100 tastings around Denmark. On Romhatten.dk I offer rum tastings for private gatherings and businesses and since 2012 I have held tastings for both large and small crowds – it’s has so far ranged between 4 and 120 persons.

Besides the rum tastings where one can book me to come and talk about rum, I arrange events to which people can buy tickets. These events include both tastings where I myself do the tasting, but also tastings in cooperation with rum brands. This year I have among other things, held tastings in collaboration with Ron Zacapa and later this year there will also be tastings in collaboration with Sprit & Co. who represents Ron Diplomatico in Denmark. Back in 2013, I also had the honor of arranging a master class with John Georges from Angostura, who was visiting Denmark. The attendance of these tastings are good – the events are usually sold out.

6. On a more personal level how did your own Rum Journey begin?

I had my first sip of “premium rum” back in 2007. At the time I was drinking Bacardi Black with cola at the high school parties, but decided to try two bottles in the more high end category. Without knowing anything about rum I chose a bottle of Matusalem 15 Solera and a bottle of El Dorado 12 Years Old Rum and I was immediately hooked.

This year I publish a book on rum. The book will be called “Rombogen” (The Rum Book) and is put out by Politikens Forlag. As I drank my first glass El Dorado Rum in 2007, I had probably never dreamed that I would go and write a book on rum. It’s a little crazy to think about actually!

7. What rums do you find yourself going back to time and time again? What rums can’t you be without?

My first rum love was El Dorado Rum from Guyana, and what is it they say about first loves? However, I am becoming more and more nerdy over the years. Currently, I am very interested in the independent bottlers. Bottlers like Bristol Spirits, Silver Seal, Velier and Berry’s Own Selection are just some of the bottlers that I think is very exciting. The other day I bought a Bristol Classic Rum distilled in 1985 at the old Versailles Still. When I find something like this in a liquor store it’s like finding an old treasure. I just have to have it!

That said, my rum collection (which now counts well over 150 bottles) always holds a few editions of El Dorado Rum – the 15 and 21 expressions are very nice Demerara rums. El Dorado’s 25-year vintage edition of 1980 and 1986 stands out for me as the ultimate rum – a rum which I unfortunately only have tasted three times… so far.

8. And on another notes are there any rums or producers/bottlers you actively avoid buying from? Any reasons?

There is products on the market that I think is less interesting than others, of course. And there are also rum products, which I not consider to be “real rum” but more as a result of a consumers market which demands certain things. You will find these products that I refer to in the category of rum because of lack of regulation. These products should perhaps rather be found in other spirit categories and not in the rum category as such.

9. Do you have a signature drink or cocktail you could share with us?

I love cocktails and I want to be able to taste the liquor used in my cocktail. I am especially fond of the Rum Sour made with El Dorado 15 Years Old Rum. It’s a simple cocktail that always impresses guests – I usually use this recipe:

You need the following:

50 mL El Dorado 15 Years Old Rum

50 mL lime juice

1,5 tsp sugar

1 egg white

Angostura Bitters

1. Put all the ingredients except the angostura into a shaker with LOTS of ice. Shake enthusiastically. Pour it into an old-fashioned glass.

2. Add a couple of drops of Angostura bitter on top. A mouthwatering cocktail!

10. And finally where do you see the Rum Category going in the 5 years? Where would you like to see it going?

Of course I hope that the popularity of rum continues to rise and with it, I also hope that the market is developing in the right direction. I would like to see more independent bottlers in the future, such as the newly established Compagnie Des Indes, which for the Danish market has made a series of single cask bottlings – delicious stuff. Bottlers sending rum on the market where the distillery, year of distillation, year of bottling, etc. is known is always exciting and it is not at least something that I feel that the rum category currently are missing. More products with more transparency.

And there you have it a very interesting and informative interview with a very interesting and driven individual. Cheers Mads!

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Read More An Interview with Mads Heitmann – Romhatten.dk