From the Editor
The Month of Pleasant Smells
Luis Ayala for december
People who know me well have chuckled at the sight of me, following my nose, like a dog at a park chasing a squirrel. I am driven by scents, to the point that I often stop a conversation or a stroll through a park, to follow a scent to its source: sometimes a blooming tree, other times a person smoking a pipe.
Nathaniel Parker Willis (American author and poet) once wrote:
“It is the month of June,
The month of leaves and roses,
When pleasant sights salute the eyes
and pleasant scents the noses.”
Following my nose has also helped me greatly in my profession as a rum consultant, allowing me to trace contaminants or undesired elements to their sources: moldy barrels, stale water, contaminated fermentations, missed distillation cuts, etc. I like smells because they speak to us at a very fundamental level and, with a bit of training and education, those messages can be translated into chemical or biological explanations of reality.
As you go through these pages, perhaps with a cup of coffee (or a cocktail) beside you, I challenge you to detect all the aromas you can, intuitively at first and then using your intellect, to determine their origin and their effect on your emotions.
This month’s issue is, once again, full of information brought to you by the best team of rum writers in the world. Marco Pierini prepares us for the upcoming 50th Anniversary of Black Tot Day, while Cris Dehlavi shares her favorite cocktail books. If you fancy cigars, you don’t want to miss Philip’s pairing, an excellent rum-twist on a smoky whisky cocktail.
We are also starting our search, for the third consecutive year, for rum companies that are doing something exceptional for the environment. Please refer to pages 46-47 for information on how to nominate one.
Cheers,
Luis Ayala
Editor and Publisher