Revisiting Rum!

UPDATED: current spirits list is posted below!

It’s been far too long since our post-Delta, pre-Omicron “weird/world whiskeys” gathering, but with case numbers in Austin now very low, it is a great time to bring back the whiskey tastings!

However, we do not always try types of whiskeys–and this time, we’re going to revisit a great spirit that is gaining attention again–from both distillers and drinkers–because of the great quality barrels and bottles being produced. We are going to revisit the world of rums, and trust me: it’s not the stuff you drank with Coke in college! I’ve been drinking lots of rums lately, and my tongue and liver agree: there are many amazing rums to enjoy!

IMPORTANT: While I miss sharing spirits with you, NOBODY in our awesome network should put anyone at risk. Please do not attend if you are not feeling well, and I would greatly appreciate it if you take a rapid Covid test before attending if you can, vaxed or not. (I will!)

Our whiskey (and other spirits) tasting events are open to friends and their friends, but knowing approximate attendance will help me provide the best tasting experience. So, please RSVP below.

When & Where

Time & Date: 8PM on Saturday, April 2, 2022.
Location: An awesome house in Travis Heights–the address will not be posted but will be shared with all RSVPs.

RSVP

Let me know if you will attend by commenting below (with # attending) so that we can plan appropriately. (Note: comments won’t appear immediately on the page until I get a chance to approve them since bots have discovered my site… but I’ll be quick.) If you can’t figure out how to do that…

Rums–and other Sugarcane Spirits

For this event, we are going to revisit rums. I will bring several excellent rums, and as always guests are encouraged to add to the tasting palette by bringing something–as long as they take it home with them! (No spirits left behind!). Rums are made with sugarcane, and there are some other cane spirits as well. Please feel free to bring a cachaca, arrack, aguardiente, or any other sugarcane spirit.

See current evolving at bottom of page.

Tasting Events “Rules”

The “rules” have been established and refined over 24 previous whiskey (and “alt-whiskey”) events, for maximum enjoyment.

• Several different spirits will be provided that cover a range of taste profiles for comparison. As always, if you wish to bring a bottle to expand our comparison set and share with friends, please do (not required!)–but if you do then you must take your bottle home with you to enjoy on your own later! (There will be labels and a list.)
• All spirits provided by the hosts and being shared by guests will be posted below as we learn about them (let me know in the comments).
• You do not have to love rum (yet) to join us and have fun–just be willing to taste and learn a little. Some wine and beer will also be provided, but feel free to bring anything you want if you’re not (yet) into rum but still want to join the fun.
• There will be plenty of snacks, but you should eat a full dinner beforehand if you’re serious about tasting many rums and sugarcane spirits.
• Parking: There is some street parking in the neighborhood, but because it’s a spirits tasting event and we often end up with 20ish spirits (along with limited parking), we strongly recommend that you consider using a rideshare so you can really focus on the tasting. Nobody drives home intoxicated!

Rum & Cane Spirits list

The initial list is below. If you plan to bring something to share & compare (not required, but fun!), let me know and I’ll add to the list!

1. 1888 rum – Andy Boisseau
2. Aniversario rum, from Venezuela – Allison Warner
3. Balconies Distillery Texas Rum, from Waco TX – Jay Boisseau
4. Batavia-Arrack vab Oosten, an arrack (not rum) made with sugarcane and Javanese red rice, from Dutch East Indies – Jay Boisseau
5. Brugal 1888 rum, from Dominican Republic – Andy Boisseau
6. Canasteros 22 rum, from Colombia – Steve Krant
7. Clairin Vaval: a Clairin rum (fresh sugarcane juice), from Haiti – Jay Boisseau
8. Diplomático Mantuano rum, from Venezuela – Grace Hsieh
9. Diplomático Reserva Exclusiva rum, from Venezuela – Reid Wilson
10. Don Papa rum, from the Philippines – Suzette & Cole Hendrick
11. El Dorado Demeraro rum, from Guyana – Jay Boisseau
12. Flor de Caña 18 rum, from Nicaragua – Craig Warthen
13. Hamilton rum, from West Indies
14. Hamilton 114 Navy Strength rum, from West Indies – Jay Boisseau
15. Neisson Rum: an Agricole rum (sugar cane, not molasses) from Martinique – Jay Boisseau
16. Novo Fogo cachaca – Drew Proctor
17. Pecan Street Rum, from Pflugerville TX – Allison Warner
18. Probitas blended white rum, from Jamaica – James Allen
19. Ron del Barralito 3 Estrellas rum, from Puerto Rico – Allison Warner
20. Uruapan Charando Blanco, a single estate blended rum (sugarcane and molasses) from Mexico – Jay Boisseau
21. Zacapa rum, from Guatemala
22. Zacapa 23 rum, from Guatemala – Patrick McGarry
23. Zafra rum – Susan Yeager

Remember: All bottles brought by guests must be taken home to continue enjoying after the event! We do not do this to collect bottles, only to taste lots of things, share, and have fun!