87: From Rum Geek to Rum Bottler with Down Island Spirits Founder Mike Streeter

In this episode, we sit down with Mike Streeter, founder of Down Island Spirits — a brand that's part of the new wave of American independent bottlers hitting the rum scene over the last few years. We talk through all aspects of starting a rum brand (and sourcing great rum), including:

• The hardest parts of becoming an independent bottler

• Down Island's process for selecting what to bottle

• How he arrived at Down Island's inaugural four selections

• Sourcing from brokers versus directly from distilleries

• The story behind Down Island's two newest releases from Brazil and Martinique

• The style of Brazil's Epris Distillery

• The unique effect of aging rum in amburana casks

• His love of St. James Distillery

• Overlooked amazing rum travel destinations

• Getting into the rum importing business

• What types of releases we can expect to see in the future

• And much more!

You can learn more about Down Island at their website: https://www.downislandspirits.com/

P.S. Did you know you can support The Rumcast on Patreon now and get bonus episodes, happy hours, and more? You can! Head to patreon.com/therumcast to check it out.