Details have been announced for the annual Boutique RumFest, the event for the bar and drinks trade linked to consumer show RumFest.
This year, the trade-only event will be held at London’s ILEC Centre on Friday October 10 – the day before RumFest itself takes over ILEC on October 11 and 12.
Run in association with bottle products company Cork Supply, it will showcase new rums and newly emerged distilleries.
This year’s event will also host for the first time a series of specialist rum forums that will include a session on importing a rum brand, hosted by bar and drinks experts The Cocktail Lovers.
There will also be a debate on premiumisation within the rum category, hosted by rum aficionado Martin Cate, owner of award-winning San Francisco bar Smuggler’s Cove.
Another forum will feature Joy Spence, master blender for Appleton Estate rum. Additional forums will be announced soon.
Registration for those interested in attending is open now and can be submitted at http://rumfest.co.uk/boutique-rumfest-registration-trade-only/. Successful applicants will be confirmed by Friday September 26.
Like RumFest, Boutique RumFest was founded by global rum ambassador Ian Burrell who set out to create an event specifically for distributors, buyers, rum aficionados, key industry figures and rum producers as well as the bar trade and the press.
It will host a wide selection of rums from every corner of the globe, such as Mexico’s Izapa Rum and Centenario from Costa Rica. India’s Amrut distillery will be showcasing its Old Port Deluxe rum, which received a gold medal in the International Review of Spirit Awards, while the highly collectable Tres Hombres will also be present at the event.
Family-run Koval from the US will be showcasing its rum for the very first time in the UK, produced at its completely organic distillery, while visitors can sample the new Duppy Share golden oak-aged Caribbean rum from Jamaica and Barbados.
Others will include the Fiji Rum Company and Dos Maderas rum from Spain, which combines Caribbean and Hispanic heritages to create a very unique rum.
The finale to Boutique RumFest will be a VIP invite-only launch party on the Friday evening, providing an opportunity to sip rums and meet fellow industry insiders.
Standard tickets for RumFest are also now on sale, at £49.95, which includes access to all areas of the event and single-measure tastings from most of the exhibitors. Newly introduced Golden Tot Tokens at £5 each allow for additional tasting of the rarest, most expensive and premium rums on offer. One token can be exchanged for a rum retailing £80 to £100, and more expensive rums will be available for additional tokens.
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