New York Rum Festival returns this June – The Spirits Business

Hosted by The Rum Lab, the New York Rum Festival will bring together rums from around the globe.

Now entering its seventh year, the New York Rum Festival will be held on Saturday 8 June at 100 Sitton Studios in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. The festival will feature more than 160 expressions of rum from Fiji, Reunion Island, Belize, Spain, Barbados, Martinique, Jamaica, St Lucia and more.

“This is an incredible opportunity for rum enthusiasts and industry professionals to come together to learn, network, and discover the latest trends in the world of rum,” event producer Federico Hernández said.

This year, highlights include a broad offering of Puerto Rican rum, and new expressions from Rhum Barbancourt from Haiti and Planteray Rum (previously Plantation Rum) from Barbados. A number of educational sessions are offered as well, like The Importance of Puerto Rican Rum in the Spirits Industry, Transcontinental Ageing, and French Heritage in Rhum.

Following the festival, the Rum Conference will be held on Monday 10 June at 307 W 38th street in Manhattan. Sessions there will include Jamaican Rum-Me Crazy, Multiple Dimensions of Rum Blending, and a masterclass on Botran Rum.

Tickets start at US$75 and are available in tiers. The Trade ‘Industry’ Session from 2pm to 3:30pm is tailored for professionals in the bar, restaurant, retail beer/spirits, and beverage media sectors. It will offer networking opportunities with brand representatives, premium rum tastings, and Trade Focus Seminars.

The VIP Rum Experts Session from 1:30pm to 7pm will include early admission, an exclusive tasting cup from The Neat Glass, access to two VIP seminars (RSVP required), participation in consumer seminars, a subscription to The Rum Lab Weekly Industry Newsletter, and The Rum Cocktail Hours.

The VIP Enthusiastic Session from 3pm to 7pm will provide early admission, premium rum tastings, access to one VIP seminars, entry to consumer seminars, and the weekly industry newsletter, with added excitement from The Rum Cocktail Hours.

The Rum Aficionados General Admission Tasting Session from 4pm to 7pm will feature a souvenir tasting cup, premium rum samples, and access to consumer seminars (RSVP is required).

The New York Rum Festival will also host the third instalment of the Spirit of Saint Lucia cocktail competition, which debuted in Miami earlier this year.