The Role of the Rum Blogger
By Amit Sood
Whilst there are many trade professionals/spirits experts/rum ambassadors who do their utmost to promote Rum as a category and to educate the global bartending fraternity, I have a strong desire to point out that in recent years there have been a vast number of amateur enthusiasts who have taken it upon themselves to travel and inspire trade and consumers alike to sample more of the world’s great Rums’.
I wish to pay homage to the Blogging community and to two individuals in particular who I have had the pleasure of getting to know well during my time working with Authentic Caribbean Rum. While some bloggers of food and drink can divide opinion and rub people the wrong way, I am firmly in favour of those that carefully go about their business and do good things for the Rum category as a whole, by selectively and thoughtfully writing about the great and good that this much loved spirit has to offer.
The first person I wish to talk about is Peter Holland, mastermind behind “The Floating Rum Shack”. thefloatingrumshack.com/content/
His mission is simple:
TheFloatingRumShack.com is the online vessel for sharing our experiences in the world of rum and sugar cane spirits with a view to encouraging consumer participation and rum world domination…
I first met Peter at a 2011 London Cocktail week party. His dedication to what is an avid hobby is second to none and this was apparent in our early conversations. Since then although our paths have not crossed enough, it is fair to say he and the Floating Rum Shack have grown in stature. He is a well-respected individual and I was glad to finally catch up with at our first ACR session in London.
At our first ACR training session in London, Peter was of particular help and support. His personal stories and accounts of visits to see many of the Rums in the ACR family were of use and interest to everyone and were appreciated by me especially as he bought extra colour and life to the session. Peter’s passion has no bounds and the fact he has funded a lot of his exploits himself are testament to the message he continues to convey. All I wish to add is keep up the great work and continue to spread Rummy love worldwide.
Someone else who I have had the pleasure of meeting and who has been a great supporter of the ACR campaign thus far is Steven James of Rum Diaries, find his thoughtfully and well-constructed ramblings (as he puts it!) at http://rumdiariesblog.wordpress.com/
His humble confession to be an amateur and developing enthusiast is something that should not deter you from reading his blog. No Rum topic is off the schedule as Steven reports diligently on new products, cocktail competitions and what he is drinking.
I do believe that even a hardened trade professional who loves Rum can really learn a great deal from those that really do dedicate most of their free time to writing such blogs. It helps you keep your finger on the pulse of what is a very fast moving category at present and I personally appreciate all the sources of knowledge and rum content out there. This open sharing of information is what has helped to shape 21st century bartenders and consumers. I am of the opinion that in today’s age it is vital that the world’s spirit loving and consuming communities continue to be brought closer together. Our great industry is truly benefiting from an age where social media and the internet have helped to overcome the geographical boundaries that we once suffered so greatly from. Long live the great bloggers out there. Keep doing your thing so people the category grows and develops. I raise a glass to the two of and wish you well with all future Rum blogging endeavours.
‘The views expressed above are the opinions of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of WIRSPA Inc.’