Rum Renaissance is off and Running





        Good thing I took the time to have a good breakfast yesterday, because the day seemed like it never stopped afterward.     The day really got underway with the Bank's 5 Island Rum lunch, then off to the first round of the rum judging.    After a short break to grab a bite of supper, it was off to the Brugal VIP Party at the Palms Hotel.

     The Bank's Lunch introduced us to a really nice blended white rum that is very suitable to mixing your "high end" cocktails calling for white rum.     This rum is a marriage of rums from Trinidad, Jamaica, and Indonesia that are blended for their specific flavors.     Our hosts offered up some fine cocktails and a tasty lunch and a told us of the history and the making of this truly unique concept of making rum.




Rum XP's at work

      The judging of the first 18 rums was next on the agenda for the day and it was off to the judging room we all went.     After the assessment of 18 very nice rums, and the evaluation paper work completed, we were able to see what the rums actually were.     Many of us were surprised by how high that they had scored some of the rums, but the anonymous nature of the judging takes any of the preconceived notions of a rum out of the picture.

    Now it was break time and a time to get ready for the Brugal VIP Party later in the evening.





These are the Rum XP's



     Its into a taxi we go for the short ride down Collins Avenue to the Palms Hotel and the Brugal VIP Party.       From the minute we arrived we knew that this was going to be a fun evening out on the lawns in the back garden.    The appetizers and the cocktails were excellent and the chance to carry on conversation with many of our colleagues and friends in the industry.      Many of the members of the Rum XP's only get to see each other at these events and a lot of information and stories are passed back and forth as the evening goes on.

     The music was of the island variety and kept feet moving all evening long.     By the time we called it a night and headed back to the Deauville most of us were quite ready to call it a night and it was only 10:30 in the evening.   



The Rum Bar Guys, Adam Kanter of the Philly Rum Bar and Bahama Bob Leonard of the Rum Bar in Key West with the Brugal Gals



It was probably a good thing that we made an early retreat back to the room, because this day is even busier.     Breakfast with Atlantico, Lunch with Koloa, two judging session, Zafra VIP Party, and the Bacardi VIP Party.      I'm felling tired already, but I've got the stuff to get through.     Keep up with our progress as the week continues.   Today was really only the beginning of events that make this festival so special.    ;o)