42: Diving into Boston Apothecary, the Internet's Deepest Rum Rabbit Hole (w/ Stephen Shellenberger)

In this episode, Stephen Shellenberger takes us on a deep dive into Boston Apothecary, his rum and spirits-focused blog that has become one of the largest digital repositories of historic research on rum production.

We discuss:

• The origin story of Boston Apothecary

• The historical significance of Rafael Arroyo, and why Stephen is so fascinated with his work

• What’s the deal with “rum oil,” the aromatic body that Arroyo prized above all others

• Stephen’s presentation on grand arome rums at Lallemand and WIRSPA’s Alcohol School conference in Jamaica

• Fission yeast in rum

• And a whole lot more!

Relevant Links:

• Check out Boston Apothecary here

• Here’s the “Top Ten Blog Moments in Rum” article mentioned in the show (a great starting place for exploring the blog)

• All of Arroyo’s available works online in one place

• Arroyo’s “The Aroma of Rum,” an excerpt from which is read during the show

• Stephen’s presentation on grand arome rum (with annotated commentary) from Alcohol School

• Further reflections on the Alcohol School presentation

• Another view on fission yeast from Richard Seale that is worth checking out

• Stephen’s article on the single use glass issue in spirits mentioned at the end of the show