European Rum and Cocktail Online Festival 2020

*Press Release*

EUROPEAN RUM & COCKTAIL ONLINE FESTIVAL 2020

www.rumcask.com/onlinerumfestival

On Saturday 8^th of August, RumCask brings you the European rum and cocktail online festival, a virtual voyage into the delicious world of rum, taking festival goers on a journey to meet some of the leading rum producers from around the globe.

As part of the festival guests will learn how to create 4 rum cocktails live from international cocktail bars, sample over 25 unique tots of rum and listen to distillers and brand owners share stories and insights into how they make their incredible products.

This is a one-off experience to enjoy from the comfort of home, whilst long-haul travel is currently restricted, tasting the true spirit of Trinidad, Barbados, Bermuda, Martinique and Guadeloupe. Distilleries to be showcased include Foursquare, Trinidad Distillers Ltd and Damoiseau.

The live cocktail sessions will start at Duke of Tokyo (Amsterdam) and Dirty Dick (Paris) then end at Montanya (Colorado, USA) and El Del Frente (Havana, Cuba).

The festival is the brainchild of rum aficionados, Indy Anand, Jaz Anand and Chet Ladwa of RumCask with over 15 years’ experience in the rum industry between them, this is a celebration of all the elements of rum culture that they love.

Each ticket entitles people to a bespoke festival pack containing rum tasters, a festival booklet and cocktail recipes to shake up live, guided by the bartenders.

Tickets are £60 each, on sale HERE and must be purchased by Wednesday 29^th July in order to send out the festival packs in time. The festival is only available to people living in Europe due to time-zone restrictions and postage.

If you use the discount code UKRUMCLUB you can save £5 on the price of your ticket too!

The European Rum & Cocktail Online Festival

• Saturday 8^th of August 2020
• 12:00 – 20:00 (BST) hosted on the Zoom video platform
• The festival starts with greeting everyone for a welcome cocktail session live from the Duke of Tokyo cocktail bar in Amsterdam
• Guests can then select a series of ‘rooms’ to join to learn about the different rums
• There is an hour’s break for lunch at 1pm
• Three rooms will run each hour for people to access at their leisure
• There will be 30 minute breaks after each hour session to relax and refresh
• All video sessions will be recorded for people to re-watch (or if they missed it) after the event

The Festival pack includes:

• 25 samples of unique rums (20mls of each)
• All of the non-perishable ingredients to make the four cocktails
• A booklet with information on all of the rums to be sampled, instructions on how to make the cocktails and full info about the event
• The booklet will be the official festival guide and a great reference point for people to use throughout the day (and beyond) for key information on the brands, talks, cocktails and bars.

Cocktail bars to be visited:

Duke of Tokyo – Amsterdam, Netherlands. Making the Tun-Up Punch with William George Rum

Inspired by the buzzing back streets of Tokyo’s coolest neighbourhoods, Duke of Tokyo is a Karaoke bar and cocktail bar featuring Japanese flavours, cocktails, Sake and spirits.

Montanya – Colorado, USA. Making the The American Junglebird with Damoiseau Arrangés Mango & Passion Fruit

Montanya Distillers has been elevating rum for over a decade, distilling and serving artisan cocktails at nearly 9,000 feet above sea level in the heart of the Colorado Rockies.

Dirty Dick – Paris, France. Making the Mango & Passion Fruit Bellini with Montanya Oro rum

Not far from the Moulin Rouge cabaret club lies an unexpected bar – a temple to all things tiki, created by Californian Scott Schuder. Serving an ever-changing selection of tiki cocktails both old and new.

El Del Frente – Havana, Cuba. Making the Cuban Spiced Mojito with Black Tears Cuban Spiced rum

El Del Frente is in the heart of Havana’s young and vibrant café bar culture, and the cocktail list is impressive and wonderfully eccentric. The vibe is relaxed it’s a perfect place to sit and loose a few hours of your life, leaving with a smile on your face.

*End*

Having attended their European Rum Festival it looks set to be a cracking day of events, and having had a brief insight into the Rums and further plans for the day, it’ll be one that you’d be foolish to miss!

© Steven James and Rum Diaries Blog 2020. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material, both written and photographic without the express and written permission from this blog/sites author and owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Steven James and Rum Diaries Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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La Confrérie du Rhum Cuvée No2

This is the second release linked to the La Confrérie du Rhum Facebook Group and makes a switch to the French West Indies in the form of Guadeloupe. Hailing from the Bellevue au Moule Estate and Distillery which was established at the end of the 19th Century by a Mr Rimbaud from Martinique. The distillery is now owned and run by Mr Hervé Damoiseau after it was acquired by Mr Roger Damoiseau in April 1942.

This particular expression was distilled in March 1998 in a column still. Cask #86 was aged in Guadeloupe until September 2013 when it was transferred to Germany. The Rum was extracted from the barrel in November 2014 and bottled in January of this year (2015). This makes the Rum a rather accurate 16 years and 9 months old! This is NOT an Agricole…..it is a molasses based Rum.

A little more subdued, this releases label has a more muted colour palette, being shades of cream but the same fonts have been used along with the same red text. There is also a greater availability of this release as 156 bottles have been produced. The bottle shape and familiar red wax seal from the first release remain.

Again, the Rum was inhaled so quickly that this only represents my initial thoughts based on one the one glass that I have enjoyed. As before, if I am successful in obtaining a bottle, I reserve the right to revisit my notes…

La Confrérie du Rhum Cuvée No2 – 42% abv

Tasting Notes

In the glass: The Rum is a crisp coppery gold in the glass. A little swirl leaves a wall of Rum, then long droplets lazily meander back down. The first aroma is perhaps one of my childhood, but it is of Fruit Salad chewy sweets. It’s beautiful. There is a little astringency, a tiny medicinal edge and a lot of fruit there. This smells like it will be quite syrupy. Next there is some freshly cut apple and a heavy dose of rhubarb! Spicy oak and vanilla round this one out. It is a pleasure to sit and smell.

In the mouth: Initially there is a whiff of smoke along with the medicinal note. This is not at all like the aromas. It is not syrupy and is most certainly not as fruity as the nose says. The oak is dominant and there is a slight vanilla sweetness that gets dried out very quickly by the moisture sapping oak. A touch of liquorice and some pepper hit my tongue next. This is so so drinkable. The finish is of a decent length and has a cheek tingling oak spice. Hints of smoke and that drying oak influence and medicinal note carry this over the finish line. Where did the fruit go? Would less age allow more of the fruit to push through the oak? There is a bitter note right at the end like treacle coated raisins. There is also a faint prune note right at the back of the finish.

Sadly this sample is now gone……but I’m hopeful of a bottle of this Rum when it goes on general sale. 156 bottles means that there is a better chance for more people to try this, and try it you should. It is a certain purchase for me.

Big thanks again go to Benoît Bail for allowing me the opportunity to try this Rum.

*Bottle Image Courtesy of MsOdD*

© Steven James and Rum Diaries Blog 2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material, both written and photographic without the express and written permission from this blog/sites author and owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Steven James and Rum Diaries Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content