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143: Unveiling the 2025 Rumcast Fantasy Rum Draft Champion + Results Breakdown
Oct 12

Oct 12 143: Unveiling the 2025 Rumcast Fantasy Rum Draft Champion + Results Breakdown

Will Hoekenga and John Gulla

We've tallied the votes and are ready to reveal the champion of the 4th annual Rumcast fantasy rum draft (along with the debut of a new hit rum-themed song from John Gulla — be sure to listen to the very end).

142: Habitation Velier: Tasting Their 2025 Releases + a Brief History of an Iconic Rum Series
Oct 5

Oct 5 142: Habitation Velier: Tasting Their 2025 Releases + a Brief History of an Iconic Rum Series

Will Hoekenga and John Gulla

In this episode, we take a deep dive into one of the iconic series of the rum world: Habitation Velier, Luca Gargano's collection of unique pot still rums from all corners of the globe.

141: The 4th Annual Rumcast Fantasy Rum Draft
Sep 20

Sep 20 141: The 4th Annual Rumcast Fantasy Rum Draft

Will Hoekenga and John Gulla

The annual competition is back! Listen and vote to help us determine who built the best desert island rum bar.

140: Behind Our 2nd Cask Selection + the Rumcast Reserve Label Reveal
Sep 7

Sep 7 140: Behind Our 2nd Cask Selection + the Rumcast Reserve Label Reveal

Will Hoekenga and John Gulla

Find out which rum will be accompanying our upcoming Guyana VSG release and get a first look at our Rumcast Reservel label design!

139: Inside Rum Buying at The Whisky Exchange, with Dawn Davies
Aug 24

Aug 24 139: Inside Rum Buying at The Whisky Exchange, with Dawn Davies

Will Hoekenga and John Gulla

Go behind the scenes with the head buyer at the UK’s premier spirits store.

138: The Rumcast Guide to Guyana Rum (Part 2)
Aug 10

Aug 10 138: The Rumcast Guide to Guyana Rum (Part 2)

Will Hoekenga and John Gulla

Part 2 of our deep dive into Demerara Distillers Ltd. and one of the world’s iconic rum styles.

137: The Rumcast Guide to Guyana Rum (Part 1)
Aug 1

Aug 1 137: The Rumcast Guide to Guyana Rum (Part 1)

Will Hoekenga and John Gulla

Part 1 of our deep dive into Demerara Distillers Ltd. and one of the world’s iconic rum styles.

Blind Rum Reviews #9 & 10: Dead Reckoning "The Black Pit" & Roaming Road 17-Year Spain Rum
Jul 20

Jul 20 Blind Rum Reviews #9 & 10: Dead Reckoning "The Black Pit" & Roaming Road 17-Year Spain Rum

Will Hoekenga and John Gulla

We review two mystery rum samples and try to guess their identities.

136: Roaming Road Spirits: From Liquor Store Owner to Rum Bottler with Mike Gilmore
Jul 6

Jul 6 136: Roaming Road Spirits: From Liquor Store Owner to Rum Bottler with Mike Gilmore

Will Hoekenga and John Gulla

An in-depth interview with Mike Gilmore, founder of Roaming Road Spirits, one of the newest independent rum bottlers in the U.S.

135: Revealing the Identity of Our First Ever Single Cask Release (and Why We Picked It)
Jun 22

Jun 22 135: Revealing the Identity of Our First Ever Single Cask Release (and Why We Picked It)

Will Hoekenga and John Gulla

We announce the rum we selected at Main Rum Company for our first ever single cask release, along with a tasting and discussion on why we selected it. Plus, another special announcement at the end!

134: Behind the Blends at Black Tot Rum with Head Blender Oliver Chilton
Jun 8

Jun 8 134: Behind the Blends at Black Tot Rum with Head Blender Oliver Chilton

Will Hoekenga and John Gulla

We sit down with Oliver Chilton, the head blender at Black Tot Rum, to nerd out on all things blending—from their recently reformulated flagship blend, to their new solera blend, to their annual master blender's reserve releases, and beyond.

133: The Rumcast 2025 Hot List: The Top 20(ish) Buzziest Bottles (and Upcoming Releases) of the Year
May 26

May 26 133: The Rumcast 2025 Hot List: The Top 20(ish) Buzziest Bottles (and Upcoming Releases) of the Year

Will Hoekenga and John Gulla

We discuss the most talked about and anticipated rum releases of 2025.

132: Inside rum et al. — Los Angeles's Must-Watch Experimental Rum Distillery, with Robyn Smith
May 11

May 11 132: Inside rum et al. — Los Angeles's Must-Watch Experimental Rum Distillery, with Robyn Smith

Will Hoekenga and John Gulla

A conversation with the woman 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.

131: 20 Rums in 60 Minutes: The First Rumcast Sample Extravaganza!
Apr 27

Apr 27 131: 20 Rums in 60 Minutes: The First Rumcast Sample Extravaganza!

Will Hoekenga and John Gulla

Rapidfire thoughts on 20 interesting rums, all delivered in under 60 minutes.

130: The Alambique Serrano Vida Nativa Series Tasting Guide
Apr 14

Apr 14 130: The Alambique Serrano Vida Nativa Series Tasting Guide

Will Hoekenga and John Gulla

A guided tasting through Alambique Serrano's Vida Native rums with recommendations, favorites, and more, plus a look at their upcoming 3 Años blend.

129: Heavy Rum from Panama? The Making of Grander's New Cane Harvest Rum
Mar 30

Mar 30 129: Heavy Rum from Panama? The Making of Grander's New Cane Harvest Rum

Will Hoekenga and John Gulla

In this episode, we invited Grander founder Dan DeHart on the show to break down the making of an atypical new heavy rum from Panama called Cane Harvest.

128: Uruapan Charanda: 100+ Years of Making Mexico's Other "Rum" with Miriam Pacheco
Mar 16

Mar 16 128: Uruapan Charanda: 100+ Years of Making Mexico's Other "Rum" with Miriam Pacheco

Will Hoekenga and John Gulla

In this episode, after a quick discussion of potential bottles for our Rumcast Single Cask Project, we dive into all things charanda with Miriam Pacheco, the general manager of Uruapan Charanda.

127: American Cane: A New Chapter in the American Rum Revival with Maggie Campbell & Darin Vest
Mar 2

Mar 2 127: American Cane: A New Chapter in the American Rum Revival with Maggie Campbell & Darin Vest

Will Hoekenga and John Gulla

In this episode, we're excited to bring you the first public window into American Cane — the new American rum company that announced Maggie Campbell would be joining as CEO back in October.

126: Inside Our Trip to Liverpool's Main Rum Company: The Rumcast Single Cask Project Part 3
Feb 13

Feb 13 126: Inside Our Trip to Liverpool's Main Rum Company: The Rumcast Single Cask Project Part 3

Will Hoekenga and John Gulla

At long last, the day arrived — we visited the Main Rum Company in person to taste through dozens of incredible rum casks in search of the perfect one for our ongoing single cask project!

125: Our Top 6 Rum Predictions for 2025 (Plus Grading Our 2024 Predictions)
Jan 27

Jan 27 125: Our Top 6 Rum Predictions for 2025 (Plus Grading Our 2024 Predictions)

Will Hoekenga and John Gulla

Per our annual tradition, we each make three predictions for the world of rum in 2025 — from types of releases, to specific distillery developments, to broader trends that may impact rum enthusiasts, and beyond!

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