132: Inside rum et al. — Los Angeles's Must-Watch Experimental Rum Distillery, with Robyn Smith
You can watch the video version of this episode on YouTube.
In this episode, we sat down with the founder and distiller behind one of the most interesting rum projects in the U.S. right now, Robyn Smith of rum et al., a chemical engineering PhD turned rum distiller.
The premise behind rum et al. is simple but fascinating. Robyn started with a foundational, always-available rum she named Baseline. She's since released batches in which she introduces a "variable" to the Baseline recipe, such as dunder. This allows you to taste the exact differences that the variable brings to the flavor profile when tasted side by side. If you're a rum geek, it's a really cool tasting experience.
During the episode, we discussed:
How she went from chemical engineering PhD to rum distiller
Her experience in R&D for Lost Spirits Distillery
How rum et al. came to be
All the nerdy rum production details
The joys and challenges of being a one-woman operation
Congeners vs. esters
How ester measurements translate to flavor profile
What we might see from her next
And much more!
Be sure to check out her YouTube channel, This Blog's Neat! These videos about her rum et al. releases are a great place to start:
Have you had a chance to try Robyn's rum? What stood out to you in the conversation? Let us know via email (host@rumcast.com) or social!
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.
