London Rum Experience

[Paulipbartender]

Did everyone get home safely from RumFest and the monster parties that surrounded them? Did we lose anyone?

I still haven't recovered fully and the bar still needs cleaning. Must have been a great few days partying. Thanks to everyone for contributing to such a great event and weekend.

To the tea-leaves (Robburrs) - thanks for your energy, manic conversation and for being fantastic fun. And thanks for the rum you got me which I stupidly allowed to get stolen. You can't turn your back for a second with tea-leaves around.....

Matt (Rum Dood) and Tatu (Count Silvio) - you guys were indefatigable. Always one of the last few drinking at the bar and always with a smile on your face ('cept you Tatu....smile!). Thanks for getting involved and making the weekend so much fun.

The crazy Europeans, Rene and Kristina - thanks for proving that no-one does high-energy, crazy drinking like us Euros. Lovely meeting you both.

Ed, Ian Willams, Dave Broom and all the other experts who entertained over the weekend, thanks for the wonderful, informative and sometimes incredibly geeky rum conversations I never got bored of finding myself in during the last few days. Cheers buddies.

Can't wait to hear your accounts and share some crazy photos.

[EssentialSpirits]

How was the event?

we had our rum there.

[Count Silvio]

Hehe Paul, I was too concentrated on tasting all the nice stuff I didn't smile but I did have a great time! We were actually joking about that with Matt, that we were always the last two standing up, atleast at Portobello.

Essential Spirits - I remember tasting Sgt Classick rum at Paul Artrips seminar which was there among other rums.

[EssentialSpirits]

Very cool! Sgt Classick goes international!!! :)

Hope you enjoyed it

[RobertBurr]

there is SO MUCH to say about RumFest UK, I'm not sure where to begin. I've written a short bit about the IPBartenders party Friday night on another thread.

Paul McFadyen is on my very short list of the most fun and well informed folks in the rum realm with boundless energy and depth of knowledge -- and his new status as junior fireman is undisputed. Reed-o was in it up to his ears and showed a rare bit of humility when the blind tasted rums were revealed to the judges.

Ian Burrell is the Rum God of Europe and a hell of a good rap artist if you ask Scooby-Do. His super-cool restaurant and bar in Camden Town is the center of the universe of real honest rum culture and Caribbean cuisine.

The kids at Specialty Drinks and The Whisky Exchange (Sukhinder, Raj, Adriano, Jen, Tim and all) are tops of the retail game with unmatched knowledge of the best brands and the market east of the Atlantic.

The list of judges and seminar leaders read like a who's who of the rum world: Dave Broom noted author; Duane Dove, the rum and chocolate master; Ed Hamilton of Ministry of Rum; Papa Jules of Mahiki; CHester Brown of Mount Gay; Wayne Collins the super-star of cocktails; Kristina Wolf of NOSE super-store in Berlin; Rene van Hoven of Dutch Rum Pages; Ian Williams author and rum historian; The 2 Robert Burrs from Gifted Rums as well as other noted experts.

The Tiki Face-Off between the uber-talented teams at Trailer Happiness and Mahiki was a blast -- once again -- featuring an explosive, fiery finish full of over-the-top hijinks, tomfoolery, lots of rum, fresh juice, monkey business, and blood.

The number of rums on display was notable with plenty of new discoveries to be sampled.

There are lots of photos going up on Flickr so everyone can get a feeling for the Rum Experience. More links to follow...

[Tiare]

There are lots of photos going up on Flickr so everyone can get a feeling for the Rum Experience. More links to follow...

How can i find these photos on flickr Robert?

It would be fun to see them even though i wasn`t able to attend.

cheers.gif

[forrest]

It would be fun to see them even though i wasn`t able to attend.

i can't look, i wont..

[RobertBurr]

How can i find these photos on flickr Robert? It would be fun to see them even though i wasn`t able to attend.

My son Robert left with friends for a Nine Inch Nails concert in Orlando upon arriving back in Miami. When he returns later today, I expect he'll start uploading images. Also, RumDood has a few good snaps.

[Dood]

One word: Superawesomecoolfreakingamazingsauce.

That pretty much sums it up.

I don't know how indefatigable I was though...I wasn't the one up till 7 am Sunday/Monday. Although, in my defense, I left Portobello when Jake said that he was closing up and the Burrs left.

I've got the write-up of Friday posted, and I'm still digging through my notes on Saturday and Sunday to get write-ups posted of those as well.

All I can say is that our hosts in London redefined "generous". I feel the need to open a bar just to host them in return!

Paul, Ian, Ben, Rikki, Jake and everyone else who put together such a fantastic show, thank you so much for letting me and the rest of us be a part of something truly special. And as always, if anyone is ever in the LA/OC/SD area of California, give me a shout and I'll begin the process of returning the favor.

[Edward Hamilton]

I was hoping to post something sooner, but have been struggling with an internet connection on the road.

The night before I flew to London I poured rum at a Martinique Tourism event at the Boat House in Central Park and that was the night after the New York Ministry of Rum Festival so I didn't exactly show up rested.

It was good to see many of the usual suspects again. Thanks to Paul, Tim, Rikki, Joules, Ben, Ian, Jen, Jake and the others that made our trip memorable. The US was well represented, my only regret was not making it to Floridita, so I guess I'll have to go back soon.

Even tasting 60 rums in one day was somehow enjoyable, just wish I'd brought the fixin's for a ti' punch when we went to ip, so I'll have to put that on the list for the next time I'm in London.

[the NOSE]

Hallo again ;-)
Thank you for that wonderful event and some amazing days!
It was really a big pleasure for me to meet your all in London.

[RobertBurr]

Hallo again ;-)
Thank you for that wonderful event and some amazing days! It was really a big pleasure for me to meet your all in London.

The pleasure was ours. It was wonderful to spend some time with you judging rums, learning about your shop, tasting your cachaзa samples and enjoying some time at Jake's Portabello Star.

[Edward Hamilton]

It was nice to meet you as well after seeing your name on email and the trade registry for so long. Welcome to the forums.

[Dood]

It was a great pleasure meeting you and talking about and drinking plenty of rum.

BTW, for anyone that hasn't seen it yet, I posted a short runthrough of the festival itself (left out extracurricular fun) here: http://rumdood.com/archive/2008/11/04/uk-rumfest-2008.aspx

[gatomalo]

Agh, I'm so annoyed I missed it! :mad:

I had planned to go to RumFest on the Sunday but I was coming back from holiday in Mexico that morning and my return flight landed late, so I had to give it a miss. Looks like I missed a corker!

At least I managed to come back with a couple of bottles of Mocambo 20 yrs art edition to ease the pain!

Maybe next year, eh?

[Paulipbartender]

Gato,

Sorry you didn't make the RumFest. You'll have to come up and visit our bar some time soon to check what you missed...

[gatomalo]

Sorry you didn't make the RumFest. You'll have to come up and visit our bar some time soon to check what you missed...

I'd love to! Thanks Paul! When's a good time to pop in? You're in Notting Hill, right?

[Paulipbartender]

In the NH area - we're right at the top of Ladbroke Grove. You can pop by anytime during the day. Probably better later on, so we can drink in earnest...

[gatomalo]

In the NH area - we're right at the top of Ladbroke Grove. You can pop by anytime during the day. Probably better later on, so we can drink in earnest...

Sounds good! I've just found your address on the ipb website so now I know where you are. I live and work in south London so it's a little bit out of the way for me but I hope to get along soon when I have a free evening (I often teach in the evenings, so I'm not sure when that might be).