The Rumlab’s Rum Connoisseur

Interview Of The Week

JEAN-FRANCOIS BONNETÉ

BCI -CEO

 

1. Who is Jean-Francois Bonneté?

Today, I am a bicultural French American Brand Builder and Entrepreneur. I grew up and studied in France before completing my business education in the United States and Japan. I have lived in the United States for more than twenty years now. I am a passionate about quality spirits, their history, making, people as well as how to build a brand organically in the US market.

I have been blessed during my journey in this industry to meet and develop great relationships with fascinating and knowledgeable personalities, as well as have a leading role and participate to the creation, launch and / or development of exciting brands in the United States (such as Plantation Rums, Citadelle Gin, Licor 43, Luksusowa Vodka and right now with our BCI collection of brands such as Coquerel Calvados & Normindia Gin, Gabriel Boudier Liqueurs & Gins, Boomsma Genevers & Bitters, Marquis de Montesquiou & Comte de Lauvia Armagnacs, New Grove Rums from Mauritius, Trois Rivieres Rhums Agricoles AOC de la Martinique).

 

2. What does the rum mean for you? What made you fall in love with rum and when did it happen?

Rums and Rhums are fascinating both from an elaboration standpoint as well as a historical one. There is always more to learn. It is a very humbling experience (which I believe to be the case with all Spirits in our industry). There is a wide diversity of styles, profiles and identities which represent their history and terroirs.

My memories of Rhum go back to my childhood as I can remember looking at my family members preparing the Ti’ Punch for the aperitif (already with Trois Rivieres Rhums Agricoles AOC de la Martinique at the time….)

3. Three essential characteristics that define the rum according to your perspective.

– You first have different styles, commonly known as English, Spanish and French.

– You can then identify Rhums Agricoles as a type of Rum within the overall category.

– You then can define each Rum / Rhum unique style based on the distillery, terroir, savoir faire, people and environment specifications.

 

4. What is the most important contribution you have made in the rum industry?

I have been privileged to be able to introduce some really great Rum / Rhums brands in the US market and build them from scratch: such as Plantation Rums (when I was the head of Maison Ferrand in the United States where I spent my first ten professional years) and now at our company BCI with New Grove Rums from Mauritius (which we launched in 2017) and Trois Rivieres Rhums Agricoles AOC de la Martinique (which we launched in 2018).

There is something magical about holding this bottle in your hands knowing it is the first one to be introduced in a country such as the USA (which is so iconic for all Spirit producers and marketers).

You start an evangelization journey of sharing the history and making of your brand, its provenance, its attributes, its terroir, it is simply magical. It must be done step by step, one account at a time, one person at a time, one brand loyalist at a time.

As we always say, our industry is full of 20 years’ overnight successes.

 

5. Benefits that the rum industry has given you.

The Rum industry has allowed me to dive and learn so much about the history associated with the different Rum producing regions in the world and their uniqueness. I have also met some amazing and very talented people associated with those regions and brands, several which are great friends now.

 

6. What’s another thing you are passionate about, in addition to rum? Why?

There is nothing more important in my life than my family: my wife Nathalie, who is also my partner in BCI and our seven children (six daughters and one son). It is a very interesting, sometimes challenging but always rewarding path to share your entrepreneurial journey with your family. It makes it even more meaningful.

 

7. What is your favorite place for drinking rum?

With the one person making it and where it is being produced! It is always magical.

 

8. Favorite drink + Recipe

One of my favorite drink is the classic Daiquiri with Trois Rivieres Rhum Agricole AOC de la Martinique Cuvée de l’Océan.

2 oz Trois Rivieres Rhum Agricole AOC de la Martinique Cuvée de l’Océan

0.75 oz lime juice

0.5 oz sugar cane / simple syrup

1 pinch sea salt

– Muddle all the ingredients in a shaker

– Add ice and shake well

– Strain into a coupe

– Garnish with lime zest twist

9. Why is it important to educate the rum consumer?

First, in life, it is always critical to always keep learning to keep growing. I believe that the more you know and get educated; the better will be your comprehension of a category, a brand and the product you are tasting and discovering. It will give you the needed prospective (where and how the Rum / Rhum was elaborated, the history of the region and sometimes uniqueness of the terroir it is coming from, the story and personality of the Master Blend and/or distiller) so you can truly appreciate what you are sipping. You will also broaden the pallet of Rums / Rhums you will start experiencing and gain a better and deeper appreciation for the savoir faire and probably discover more unique products (you may not have tasted otherwise). It is a journey of discovery.

 

10. Any tips to train the palate and taste good premium rum?

The notes below pertain to the tastings I like to conduct when I want to do a focused in depth tasting of spirits (including premium Rum / Rhum); not a relaxed end of the day one.

I find it interesting to taste 4-5 products at a time (I rarely go above 6 or 7 in one single session). You can first choose what the objective of your tasting is; you can choose:

• Rums / Rhums who are going to have different styles and provenance and therefore identifies the style and specificities of each;
• Rums / Rhums from the same region if the objective is to learn about the style of different Houses;
• Different aged Rums / Rhums from a single Distillery and study the impact of different types of oak aging techniques for instance

They will all be fascinating.

Regarding the tasting itself, first, I would really suggest to blind taste. I believe that if you want to gain your own prospective about any wine or spirit, know if you (really) like it and be objective in your analysis, you have to blind taste.

Second, I usually taste late morning (around 11.30 am) in tulip glasses. I am going to use neutral water to cleanse my palate after each taste. I chose a quiet and peaceful environment.

Third, I am going to take notes of all I am going to observe, smell, taste, feel. What is important is to do this for yourself and very honestly. There is no right or wrong. What matters is what you experience.

You can then always compare, if you would like, with other tasting notes that may guide you towards some aromatic or taste elements you may not have caught.

Finally, it takes time and continuous training to develop your palate. There is no shortcut.

 

11. Is the commitment to sustainable development the key of success for the permanence of the rum industry in the world? Why?

Sustainability is for Rum, as for all the entire wine & spirit industry, an increasingly important factor. It is driven in part by a growing attention and demand from Consumers, as well as a dynamic driven by a select number of distilleries and distillers who thrive for more transparency and reliability about the making of the products overall (from base ingredients, farming techniques, water recycling, bagasse optimization in the case of Rum / Rhum, use of additives, etc.).

 

12. Who would like to meet in the rum industry? What would you say to him/her?

Any person who shares a true passion and appreciation for Rum / Rhum. I would then ask them to tell me about their favorite bottles, why and guide me through a tasting.

 

13. What are your next goals in the rum industry?

At BCI, we always love to find and represent jewels, partnering with passionate, talented and caring professionals (who understand what organically and intelligently building a brand in the US market means).

We want to continue introducing and building unique, exciting Rums / Rhums from different regions of the world in the US market.

We also have a short list of distillers and families (who we have a deep appreciation for) who we want to work with in the US market.

 

14. Plans you have when you leave the rum industry.

To keep learning, traveling, discovering, sharing and sipping!

15. Why is the role of the bartender important in the rum industry?

Bartenders are critical as they are a bridge for education and discovery between the brand and the end consumer. There has been a remarkable evolution in the past thirty years in the US on the growing importance and role of Bartenders in our industry. They are more and more knowledgeable about categories and brands, caring about quality and artisan spirits and about the people behind the brand. They are passionate and have become essential ambassadors and gatekeepers in the brand building journey of any premium and super premium brand in the United States.

 

16. What is your advice for new generations in the rum industry?

From a professional standpoint, the same advice I would share with any young professionals: nothing can replace hard work, passion and resilience. Nothing of substance comes easily in life.

Specifically to new generations in the Rum industry, I would say that we need to keep working to establish more structured guidelines for the category. If your Rum / Rhum comes from a specific country or region, work on defining what makes it unique and establish those guidelines formally (like it exists in Martinique with the AOC Rhum Agricole). I believe this to be very important for the future of the category, especially at the premium and super premium end.

 

17. How can people learn more about you? Website? Social media page?

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jean-francois-bonnet%C3%A9-19163610

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jfbonnete/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bcibonnete/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BonneteCI/