Spirits Class – Rum and the Art of Blending

Blending gets a bad name in the world of spirits for understandable reasons. Blended Scotch, with notable exceptions, is the lowest quality of that spirit. Many American distillers use blending to produce simple, homogenous products meant to offend as few palates as possible, yet there is nothing inherently wrong with blending distillates together. Whiskey makers of top quality routinely blend together barrels that have specific qualities to produce something that is more than the sum of its parts. In the world of tiki drinks, bartenders often call for multiple types of rum, taking advantage of the unique qualities of each to improve the final mix. Rum distillers and bottlers can take advantage of the same principles.

In this class, Evan Christie will take you on a multi-distillery, multi-island adventure through the world of rum. Expect to taste rums from all over the world of sugarcane distillation in all different styles – from gentle and easy-going to aggressive and funky. Each Rum will show not only the distillers art but the blenders as you will learn how the inherent qualities of different distillates lend themselves to a harmonious whole. Come explore the beautiful world of blended rum, and have a good deal of fun along the way.