Spirited seminars for Jamaica Rum Festival 2022
Published:Thursday | June 16, 2022 | 12:10 AM
The 2022 staging of the Jamaica Rum Festival (JRF) will feature a series of interactive and educational seminars exploring the history and provenance of Jamaican rums.
The sessions will take participants through time-honoured rum-making traditions and show how the spirit has contributed to Jamaican culture and heritage. Included will be sessions such as ‘Appleton Estate, The Spirit of Luxury’, led by Dr Joy Spence, master blender of Appleton Estate Jamaica Rum and the first woman to hold the title globally; and ‘Pot Sills and Pods’ presented by Worthy Park Estate.
Dr Spence’s session aims to be an experiential journey. It will allows patrons to indulge in Appleton Estate’s ultra-premium range as they sip and enjoy Appleton Estate 12 Year Old Rare Casks, Appleton Estate 15 Year Old Black River Casks and Appleton Estate 21 Year Old Nassau Valley Casks with elevated pairings.
Appleton Estate will also present ‘Cocktails and Cuisine’, led by Senior Blender David Morrison. Using Appleton Estate Signature, Appleton Estate 8 Year Old Reserve and Appleton Estate 12 Year Old Rare Casks expressions, Morrison will take guests through an inspired rum and food pairing with Mystic Thai’s Kareena Mahbubhani, giving guests the tools to recreate and impress even the most discerning palates. “Appleton Estate is pleased to present two of the seminars at the Jamaica Rum Festival. Through the seminars, we hope to deepen the appreciation of consumers for our award-winning rums. Our expressions are exceptionally smooth, mellow and full-bodied and rival any fine scotch or cognac. Through the seminars, we will take persons through the rum-making process, how to best enjoy each expression in the range and how to pair cocktails with food to unlock complementary flavours,” said Kamal Powell, regional marketing manager, J. Wray & Nephew Limited.
Drink recipes and techniques form the core of Wray & Nephew White Overproof Rum presentation ‘Culture in a Cup’. The session, led by ‘The Official Spirit of Jamaica 60’, aims to teach new mixes and will be led by industry expert and JWN Academy instructor Sharmon Hinds-Smith. Hinds-Smith will present the history of Wray & Nephew White Overproof Rum and the rum-making process, accompanied by a bartending and mixology session with St Aublyn Kidd, otherwise known as Captain Kidd.
PURE CHOCOLATE GOODNESS
Worthy Park Estate has partnered with Jamaican chocolatiers Pure Chocolate Company for its ‘Pot Sills and Pods’ session. Senior Blender Craig Nicholson will guide participants through a pairing of four Worthy Park pot still distilled rums with handmade Pure Chocolate Company chocolates, while engaging in the history and art of pot-still rum making.
“Our showcase at the Jamaica Rum festival this year will be the best ever for rum enthusiasts. Through our international award-winning Rum-Bar and Worthy Park rum brands, we seek to celebrate Jamaica’s legacy of pot still rum distillation. From our refreshing white rums to our deep-flavoured dark rums, we will have everything on display for rum aficionados to savour,” shared Tamika West, marketing manager of Worthy Park Estate.
A trio of professionals will lead the ‘Discovering Hampden Estate: Trelawny’s Best Kept (Rum) Secret’ session. At the heart of Hampden’s popularity and cult-like following is its process which has remained unchanged since the late 1700s. Director Christelle Harris; Mosi ‘Peppie’ Grant, tour manager; and Kenroy Gordon, quality control manager, will take guests on a deep dive into this historical gem on a virtual distillery tour led by Grant. Guests will also explore the art and science behind the unique flavour profile of Hampden Rums. In addition to tasting Rum Fire Overproof, Hampden Estate 8-Year-Old and Hampden Estate Overproof Aged Rum, attendees will get to taste a single-cask distillery exclusive hand-selected by Gordon himself. The seminar will close with the hosts recreating four of their favourite Rum Fire and Hampden Rum cocktails for guests to sample, originally created by some of the brand’s celebrated bartender friends worldwide.
Monymusk Rums presents ‘Discover 1755 – A Classic Rum Experience’ hosted by Robert Gordon, quality control manager and senior blender and mixologist Trevor Luke promises rum lovers and aficionados present at the 2022 Jamaica Rum Festival the opportunity to learn about the knowledge and heritage of the Monymusk brand.
The Jamaica Rum Festival will be held on Saturday, June 25, in a spirited celebration of Jamaica’s rich rum heritage, capped with a live concert presented by Appleton Estate Jamaica Rum, featuring Capleton, Sanchez, Tessanne Chin, Romain Virgo, D’Voyce, D’Burnz, Runkus, Sevana, and Kalyra.
Seminar tickets are now available via Gustazos.