Rum Experience @ Vinopolis, London

[Paulipbartender]

Ladies and gentlemen, I must invite you all to come down to the WIRSPA Rum Experience room at Vinopolis.

At the end of the wine tours is a fantastic room that educates and brings to life the rum experience. There are samples of rum at different stages of ageing, an interactive Caribbean map, a water feature, educational displays and a bar displaying the 15+ brands that come under the Authentic Caribbean Rum (ACR) marque with knowledgeable staff.

It's aimed to inspire and excite the novice so maybe not targeted at our knowledgeable MOR visitors but it's a great addition to the London rum scene and the industry.

Do go and have a look if you're in town and let us know your thoughts anyone that's been

http://www.vinopolis.co.uk/

[Berbician]

I was there last Thursday (17th), and the Rum Experience Room had only been open for 3 days. It is only possible to visit this room after you've been round the wine section of the exhibition. Don't get me wrong, I love wine, but I didn't think I was in the right frame of mind - for tasting rum - after having consumed 5 (small) glasses of wine, 4 of which, incidentally, were excellent.

There were only three rums available for tasting:

XM 10 year old, which seems to get sweeter every time I taste it,

Angostura 5 year old, which I didn't like - same goes for most Trinidadian rum,

Cockspur 5 star, which was quite impressive compared to the Angostura 5 year old.

The "Authentic Caribbean Rum" marque includes 20 different rums which are listed in the folded leaflet that you can take home with you. When I was there, they only had 3 or 4 of those 20 for sale, but I was assured that they would have the others in stock fairly soon.

The 20 rums include some unusual ones - I'll just list the ones that I've never before seen on sale anywhere in London:

Borgoe 8 year old from Suriname,

Chairman's Reserve from St Lucia,

Clarke's Court Old Grog from Grenada,

Macoucherie Red from Dominica,

One Barrel from Belize,

Sunset Captain Bligh from St Vincent,

Westerhall Plantation from Grenada.

I will certainly be paying another visit fairly soon to see if any of these are in stock.

Incidentally, I paid Ј22.50 and for that you can taste 5 wines, 3 rums, 1 cocktail, attend a short demonstration on how to taste wine and look at all the wine related exhibits.

You don't have to go round the exhibition if all you want to do is buy rum (or whisky or wine for that matter). You just use a different entrance.

[Paulipbartender]

Each fortnight a different 3 rums will be available to taste but they all should be available to buy from the Whisky Exchange shop on site. After it all settles down of course....

You are right, your stamina is tested by the time you reach the rum rooms after the wines, the Bombay Sapphire experience and all. What did you think of the space as an educational tool, Berbician? We're planning on a large number of rum training events there and filling it with more rum related items to interact with....

[forrest]

This thing sounds awesome!

But i am in So Cal...

[The Scribe]

If any Statesiders head over and check out Vinopolis, make sure to hit Borough Market as well. It's a blast, and, if you're an obnoxious Yank like we were who tasted everything, it's also good for a free lunch, and a few cheap dinners from purchases there as well. On the other hand, there's a place that bills itself as a chocolate factory right around the corner. While it used to be a chocolate factory, it no longer is, and while their chocolate is good, it's not up to the level I would expect.
Cheers. - S

[Paulipbartender]

Yum! Borough market.

[Berbician]

Each fortnight a different 3 rums will be available to taste but they all should be available to buy from the Whisky Exchange shop on site. After it all settles down of course....

You are right, your stamina is tested by the time you reach the rum rooms after the wines, the Bombay Sapphire experience and all. What did you think of the space as an educational tool, Berbician? We're planning on a large number of rum training events there and filling it with more rum related items to interact with....

I was very impressed, but as I hinted before, it would be nice to be able to visit the rum room on its own - or perhaps do the wines on one day and then the rums and whiskies on another day. I think it will be great as an educational tool - the map will be very useful - and I'm in favour of anything that increases understanding of rum and the Caribbean - particularly the Guianas.

[Berbician]

Yum! Borough market.

If anyone hasn't been to Borough Market yet, it's definitely worth a visit. But make sure you go on a Friday or Saturday, as there's much less to see on other days of the week.

Best times: 10am to 6pm on Fridays, 8am to 4pm on Saturdays.

[Besotted]

Was sooo disappointed to have missed last year's RumFest! Already bought tickets for this year's (October 24). Looking forward to the Live Cocktail demonstrations and sipping as many of the 400 rums as I can in one day!

[Paulipbartender]

Get in touch before the fest, chief, and we'll hook you up with all the numerous drinking sessions around the week. All MOR members welcome to come play :-)

[Edward Hamilton]

The 20 rums include some unusual ones - I'll just list the ones that I've never before seen on sale anywhere in London:

Borgoe 8 year old from Suriname,

Chairman's Reserve from St Lucia,

Clarke's Court Old Grog from Grenada,

Macoucherie Red from Dominica,

One Barrel from Belize,

Sunset Captain Bligh from St Vincent,

Westerhall Plantation from Grenada.

That is quite a list, that I never have thought to put together. It certainly has some depth to it though I'm surprised that Borgoe 8 and One Barrel are included, not that they are bad rums, but I don't usually think of them when I'm making a list of West Indian rums.

Sounds like a great opportunity.

[Paulipbartender]

Not all of them have got their distribution sorted to be showcased in the UK programme to be fair, but you can now pick up Borgoe, Chairmans and Old Grog through Speciality. Old Grog in particular always stands out - that crazy tropical fruit aroma is like nothing else!

[Berbician]

I was at the Whisky Exchange shop a few weeks ago, and noticed that the Borgoe 8 year old is now on sale. However, when I saw the price, I quickly lost interest.

Ed's point about the exact dimensions of the "West Indies" is a very interesting one. As I'm sure every rum lover knows, the West Indies got their name because Columbus thought he was going to find India. For that reason, and others, there is plenty of disagreement as to what is in the West Indies and what isn't.

Guyana and Suriname are a long way from the Caribbean, yet they are both usually considered to be Caribbean countries. Both are in the CONCACAF zone for the purposes of the football (soccer) world cup, and both belong to CARICOM, as does Belize. At least Belize has a Caribbean coastline. But if we include Belize in the West Indies, then logically we should also include Mexico and all the Central American countries with the exception of El Salvador. Also, why not Colombia and Venezuela?

Finally, a large number of people, some of them travel agents, are convinced that Bermuda is in the Caribbean!

Yes, I know, I should get out more.

Must go now, it's nearly time for my electric shocks.