147: Carrying on the Mount Gay Legacy with Trudiann Branker, Master Blender
You can watch the video version of this episode on YouTube.
In this episode we sat down with Trudiann Branker to go inside her role as master blender at one of the rum world's iconic distilleries, Mount Gay. After taking over for former master blender Allen Smith, Trudiann has played a huge role in shaping the current era of Mount Gay and Barbados rum, from reformulating traditional blends to charting a new course with the estate rum program.
We discussed:
The surprise conversation that led to her becoming master blender
What it was like to create new blends for XO, Black Barrel, and more
The making of a Master Blender Collection rum
The balance between tradition and trying new things
Her philosophy as a blender
Mount Gay's production process
The future of the estate rum program
Her table tennis skills
And much more!
You can get more details on the rums discussed in this episode on Mount Gay's website.
Catch up on our past episodes with others from the Mount Gay universe:
This was one of our favorite conversations of the year, so we're excited for you to hear it!
P.S. As a reminder, Rumcast Reserve bottles are officially available in stores and shipping from our online retailer! You can grab your bottles here.
