Rum Connoisseur Interview of the Week BENOIT BAIL – Depaz Brand Ambassador
Rum Connoisseur
Interview of The Week:
BENOIT BAIL
Depaz Brand Ambassador
1. Who is Benoit Bail?
I’m Benoit Bail, a 34 years old French-Luxembourgian born rum enthusiast. I currently live in Berlin and am specialized in Agricole Rums from Martinique. I have worked as Brand Ambassador for the Brand Depaz since 2017, which is an iconic Agricole rum brand from Martinique with a stunning history and an incredible terroir strengthened by people with real values of quality, transparency and sustainability.
2. What does the rum mean for you? What made you fall in love with rum and when did it happen?
The first time I encountered the rum world was in Cape Verde in 2008. I was completely overwhelmed and became more curious about it ever since. In 2012, I decided to make a living out of it and it completely changed my life on multiple aspects ever since, from a passion to a job while working as brand ambassador for Depaz, one of the major Agricole rum brands from Martinique, but also the place where I live, the places I travel to and even made me meet my wife.
3. Three essential characteristics that define the rum according to your perspective.
Quality – real values – transparency
4. What is the most important contribution you have made in the rum industry?
I think I helped (on my small level) the rum world to get online through the creation of a now well-known rum focused Facebook group called “La Confrérie du Rhum” in 2013. Besides this I may be helped a little bit to promote Agricole rums in the World over the last decades, through the Agricole Tour I used to organize with Jerry Gitany until Covid-19. Since 2017 though, I helped put Depaz on the map outside of France and Martinique with the help of the whole team and we made it possible to make the brand famous in half of Europe, where the brand wasn’t that well known. Nowadays, rum connoisseurs from all around Europe know about Depaz and the quality of the rums we produce.
5. Benefits that the rum industry has given you.
The rum industry gave me the opportunity to travel, to change my lifestyle and meet wonderful people from all around the world. It’s definitely because of that industry that I spent a lot of good times in my life which will be good memories for me forever.
6. What’s another thing you are passionate about, in addition to rum? Why?
Besides rum I recently found myself a passion for bourbon. I noticed that since rum is mostly aged in bourbon barrels, I wanted to know more about the origin of the barrels and the liquid they contained. This automatically landed me to get into the world of the first true American spirit.
7. What is your favorite place for drinking rum?
I don’t really care about the place as long as I’m surrounded by good and fun people to drink with.
8. Favorite drink + Recipe
I guess there’s only one answer to give: Ti-Punch. Just pour some white Agricole rum over some brown sugar and lime and enjoy!
9. Why is it important to educate the rum consumer?
Because the rum industry and the rum world is so complex and only a few of us have the chance to go to a place where rum is produced to see it every day, that it needs education to be well understood.
10. Any tips to train the palate and taste good premium rum?
The tip I’d give is to train your olfactory memory by smelling everything you consume, might it be a beverage or food. This helps you be conscious about what you consume and memorize smells and tastes.
11. Is the commitment to sustainable development the key of success for the permanence of the rum industry in the world? Why?
Definitely as you know, we only have one planet and without it there’ll be no more life, which overall means no more rum… hahaha.
More seriously, Depaz is already trying to be as green as possible and we decided to put a lot of efforts to be as sustainable as possible over the latest years from adding solar panels on the roof of our buildings, to modernizing new planting techniques to make them more sustainable. If everyone in this industry would make a small effort on his own level, we’d achieve a lot together.
12. What are your next goals in the rum industry?
My goal would be to contribute to make Depaz a 100% green distillery and then try to influence other distilleries in Martinique to make Agricole rum a green production coming from a green culture.
13. What is your advice for new generations in the rum industry?
Don’t get trapped by the game of speculation. Try as much as you can and open the bottles and drink them in good company because sharing is caring.
