"Got Rum?" Team Interview 2024

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Putting together a monthly magazine is not an easy task.  Thankfully for us at “Got Rum?”, we have the world’s best contributing writers, who tirelessly produce content for us, month after month.  

It is easy, however, for readers to lose track of the people behind the stories, so each December we reserve space for our contributors to share a bit of information about themselves, their achievements, goals and observations.

Here is a quick update from Luis and me:

  • “Got Rum?” has been in existence for 23 years now and its global readership continues to increase year after year
  • Rum Central is now fully operational from its new facility in the famous Texas Triangle, from where we are offering faster turnaround time on bulk rum orders.
  • Rum Central’s bottling services were launched in 2024, offering increased flexibility to our bulk rum clients.  We can now handle supply chain logistics for our domestic and international clients, from our strategically located warehouses.
  • While inflation and uncertainty has claimed many craft distillers in the USA in 2024, our investments in infrastructure and logistics have strengthened our position in the market, guaranteeing long-term consistency and scalability for our bulk rum clients.
  • In 2025 we will unveil The Rum University’s new campus, where we will offer a much wider and deeper range of rum training courses.  We will also continue to be Moonshine University’s rum curriculum partner as well, offering public courses in Texas and Kentucky.

And last, but not least, we are working on new and exciting rums with our clients, stay tuned!

I wish all a very happy holiday season and hope that 2025 brings us all even more good news about our beloved rum industry!

Margaret Ayala

This year was certainly a mixed bag as far as rum reviews were concerned, but the ones that really stood out were the Worthy Park 109, Mount Gay Estate Series Two, Oxbow Estate Rum-Rhum Louisiane 2022, and perhaps the biggest was the Crossfire Hurricane rum blend.

Q: Distillers and wholesalers/distributors are facing many challenges this year due to inflation.  What have you noticed on the consumer side?

Talking to consumers about the rums that entered the market in 2024 revealed quite a lot of fatigue related to high-end, expensive rums, and some buyers’ remorse related to rums they purchased in 2023. There was a great deal of discussion about flavorful multi-purpose rums that can function well as an affordable cocktail base and also be an enjoyable sipping rum.

Q: Do you have any rum-centric trips planned for next year?

If all goes well, I hope to return to Central America, where rum will not necessarily be the focus of my trip but will certainly be a part of it given the right opportunity. I also hope to visit some distilleries and attend some regional and national spirit events.

Q: Is there anything else that you’d like to share with our readers?

I appreciate everyone who takes the time to read my work and who reaches out to discuss rum or one of the spirit events we may have attended together. I have always believed that these subjects are best shared experiences, and it is a pleasure to connect with everyone. I particularly enjoy helping folks plan their rum-related travel experiences and hearing about them after they return. In 2025, I hope all of Got Rum?’s magazine readers enjoy a prosperous new year and enjoy their imbibing responsibly.

Cheers!

Q: How is the economic situation in Chile, particularly as it relates to the hospitality industry?  What have you been doing, since selling your bar (Red Frog)?

Ever since we sold and temporarily closed Red Frog in May of this year, we’ve experienced things that only other entrepreneurs can possibly know: loss of contact with clients and friends, loss of beloved personnel and a feeling of starting from zero again.  All these are simple things, but they take a toll on your feelings.  I had ample time to meditate and decide what to do about it.  Among all my options, one offer kept me coming back to it, it required “turning the page” and starting from scratch again, it had high expectations and a goal that was still not clearly defined.  It involved my relocation to the end of the world, to the city of Punta Arenas, a tourist destination with a lot of potential, especially given an idea I had been discussing with Luis Ayala, which was to age rum in the Patagonia.  This is why, since October, I’ve moved here with most of my belongings, living in this beautiful part of the world.

Q: Last year there were new cigar brands that were introduced into Chile, have they succeeded commercially or is the cigar market showing signs that it is saturated?

There are brands coming and going all the time, Chile is an attractive emerging market in that regard.  As far as rum, the country is not consolidated, not like 20 years ago: today the consumer market is split, with large percentage of it belonging to Pisco (domestic and Peruvian) and to Gin (mostly global brands, but also a few domestic ones that are starting to get traction).The work being done by distributors, including their new strategies (good and bad) represent the new status quo for the brands.  Rum continues to be a weak category, somewhat abandoned, with the same leading brands, resulting in repetitiveness when it comes to cigar pairings.  To summarize, cigar and rum pairings continue to rely on a small group of brands that is not showing much growth.

Q: Do you have any rum/cigar travel plans in the near future?

While getting to know this area, I visited several greenhouses growing fruits and local vegetables.  Believe it or not, you can still grow interesting harvests in this part of the world, by taking advantage of the daylight hours (very long days in the Summer).  While speaking with a local producer, I mentioned to him the crazy idea of growing tobacco here.  Since they would grow inside greenhouses, it would only be for leaves for wrappers.  As far as sunlight hours, it would be great, but the high humidity poses a problem.  We will need open agriculture land, with controlled humidity, where the leaves could be aged for 1 to 2 months.  We could achieve a unique result, excellent for the industry, so I proposed helping him with this project.  Can you imagine if we succeed?  A wrapper from the Southern end of the world, with valuable characteristics beyond the origin itself.

Q: Is there anything else you’d like to share with your fans?

My decision to relocate to this part of the world boils down to believing that the project is good: start a restaurant from zero and, above all, to kickstart something that I had discussed with Luis and Margaret Ayala many years ago, which is to benefit from the weather and historical attributes of this zone, to create intriguing and attractive rums aged in Patagonia, a place many people want to visit.

Cheers!

Q: In this month’s “Rum Historian” you suggest that this and the next article will wrap up the History of Cuban Rum.  Is this correct or will there be additional articles?

Probably I did not explain myself clearly, what I meant was that the December article and the January one will focus on tourism in Cuba during Prohibition. I apologize if that was not clear. I would like to continue my History of Cuban Rum until the present day. I am not sure whether I will be able to do that, because Cuba is a very difficult country today. We’ll see, but I certainly would love to.

Q: In the USA, craft distilleries and distributors struggled to survive this year.  How is the distilled spirits industry in Italy, in particular, and in Europe in general? 

Craft distilling is a relatively new trend in Italy and all over Europe. As far as I know, it is growing slowly but steadily with new producers arriving in the market. In Italy some newly born craft distilleries produce gin, whiskey, our typical amari (bitter herbal liqueurs), and also rum. Certainly, the European economy is going through a difficult period, we have two wars at our doorsteps and major competitiveness issues, and this is taking its toll on consumption in general. I know that some economic sectors, like automotive and luxury, are suffering particularly, but it does not seem to me that, for now, the spirit industry is among them. 

Q: Have you noticed any new consumer trends in Europe this year?

No, I have not noticed new consumer trends. I have to say, though, that my ability to observe the market has been poor for some time.  For personal and family reasons, traveling has been difficult for me for the last few years, therefore I no longer have that direct knowledge that only participating in events and visiting cities and countries can give.  

Q: Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?

Doing research and writing about rum and spirits gives me great satisfaction, and I hope my articles are appreciated by our readers. As far as I am concerned, despite the above-mentioned difficulties that make it difficult for me to carry out field research for now, I still have many stories to tell and a great desire to tell them.

Q: Another year of rum news has come and gone! Which of this year’s stories stood out to you the most?

First, I think 2024 has to be the Year of the Independent Bottler. Our friends in Europe have always enjoyed an amazing selection of rum that we never saw here in the States. Now, we see offerings from all over the world, from Eric Kaye’s historical Holmes Cay Infinity to Down Island’s Paraguay Rum. For those of us that can’t afford a 20-year-old Foursquare bottling, there are younger, multi-country blends.

Edward Hamilton continues to offer great bottles at a price that doesn’t empty an old retired person’s wallet.  Kudos to Raising Glasses for offering affordable, 375ml versions of some of their rums.

Second, I was saddened to see where the Renegade Rum Distillery was for sale. Mark Reynier spent four years and a great deal of money to resurrect rum in Grenada. He was determined to show the effects of terroir on rum. He went so far as to create his own sugarcane fields in different parts of the island to show how weather and location can affect the rum. Perhaps some rum company with deep pockets will keep the distillery from fading into rum infamy.

Q: For this holiday season, have you chosen a “holiday cocktail” for the celebrations?

This year we had friends and family from all over the country join us for Thanksgiving. I decided the drink of choice would be a Rum Old Fashion. But what rum to use? I wanted a rum that would satisfy whiskey drinkers and that could hold up to the sweetness of the simple syrup. I wanted the earthy flavors of a Guyanese rum, but a lot of the popular brands were too sweet. I settled on Denizen’s Merchant Dark and then added some Smith & Cross for a little funk. I made five different blends, varying the proportions of each rum, made the Old Fashions and let the crowd decide which was best. It was a lot of fun! Oh yeah, and then we ate turkey. Lots of turkey.

Q: Do you have recommendations for must-have stocking stuffers for rum-lovers this year?

I always enjoy a good rum book. This year I liked Dave Broom’s Rum, The Manual. Dave Broom is an award-winning author who has been writing about spirits for over 35 years. At 222 pages, Rum The Manual does a good job of balancing the history, production, variety and enjoyment of rum. I think it would be a good gift to introduce friends to our wonderful world of rum.

Some good friends gave me a copy of Fassionola, The Torrid Story of Cocktails’ most Mysterious Ingredient by Gregorio Pantoja and Martin Lindsay. Although not a rum book per se, it tells the interesting story of a cocktail ingredient that I had only seen in passing references. Lots of good stories, interesting history and great photos. This is one of those books where you sit by the fireplace, pour a good rum and open the book to some random page and enjoy.

Q: Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?

Being at that age, my wife and I lost several family members and good friends this year. Hopefully, without sounding too preachy, I would suggest that this Holiday Season you make a good drink or pour a nice rum and enjoy it with someone close to you that maybe you don’t see very often. Heck, maybe even your Mother-in-Law.