West Coast Is About to Get Three Epic Educational Rum Events

The Rum Lab is ready for the West Coast Tour 2022, in which we will present three Rum Festivals—Seattle Rum Fest, San Francisco Rum Festival, and Los Angeles Rum & Tiki Festival—with incredible seminars, rum tastings, and many other educational activities related to the industry.

More than 120 rum brands will be showcased, educating the audience about their best expressions. We expect hundreds of people from the industry, rum enthusiasts, tourists, and locals.

Each event will take place the following day and time: 

• The inaugural Seattle Rum Festival will be held on September 2 at Washington Hall. 
• The Hibernia Bank will host the San Francisco Rum Festival on September 4.
• The first edition of Los Angeles Rum Festival will take place at the Majestic Ballroom on September 9.

All the events have a similar schedule layout and will be divided into three sessions for the attendees to enjoy different experiences:

• Spirit Industry Session. A 1.5-hour program offering industry professionals the opportunity to network with brand representatives, participate in training seminars, taste a wide variety of rums, and mingle with industry colleagues.
• General Admission Grand Tasting Session. This 3-hour program will provide the attendees with premium rum tasting and brand seminars. They will access the Grand Tasting Room and Seminar Rooms that are open to the public, as well as receive a 3oz tasting cup as a souvenir.
• VIP Grand Tasting Session. It consists of a 5.5-hour program that will offer the attendees 2.5 Hour early admission, an exclusive tasting cup, premium rum tasting, and seminars. 

To spice things up, The RumLab together with The Ultimate Awards will host the Ultimate “People Choice Sipping Rum” competition in all cities. This will give the opportunity to the audience to vote for their favorite expression.

About the Seminars

• Hawaiian Rum | History, Harvest & Production: Hawaiian rum producers talk about the origin of sugarcane and production processes.
  • Speaker: Steve Jefferson
  • Location: Seattle (September 2) | San Francisco (September 4) | Los Angeles (September 9)
• Assessing Rum Following WSET Technique: You will learn specific methods for tasting, sipping, and smelling rum following the Wine & Spirit Education Trust technique.
  • Speakers: Rob McCaughey & Deniece Bourne
  • Location: Seattle (September 2) | San Francisco (September 4)
• Building a Rum Brand
  • Speakers: Eric Seed & Zan Kong
  • Location: Seattle (September 2)
• Creating a Level Playing Field for Rum: You will learn how dozens of Caribbean rum makers collaborate behind the scenes to ensure the future growth of premium rum.
  • Speaker: Matt Pietrek, Ed Tiege, & Otto Flores
  • Location: Seattle (September 2) | San Francisco (September 4)
• Basics to Sipping Premium Rum: An interactive experience for you to taste premium rums and learn about what makes a rum “premium,” as well as tasting notes, sipping techniques, and some fun trivia.
  • Speakers: John W Atkins, III, Greg D. Hill, Daniel Mora, & Roberto Serrallés.
  • Location: Seattle (September 2) | San Francisco (September 4) | Los Angeles (September 9)
• Leeteg, Babes, Bars, Beaches, and Black Velvet Art: You will learn about South Pacific art, Bora Bora and WWII, Mutiny on the Bounty written by Leeteg’s drinking pals Nordhoff and Hall, and the history of the famous rum drink, the Mai Tai.
  • Speaker: C.J. Cook
  • Location: San Francisco (September 4) | Los Angeles (September 9)
• Cane Juice is the Future of Rum (VIP Invitation): You will learn how distilleries are moving toward more control over their source material, up to and including using cane juice rather than molasses.
  • Speakers: Ed Tiege, Otto Flores, & Kiowa Bryan
  • Location: Los Angeles (September 9)
• Exploring the Dynamic Solera Process
  • Speakers: Lorena Vásquez & Lynnette Marrero
  • Location: Los Angeles (September 9)
• Rums from Mexico: An introduction to Mexico’s sugar cane industry and its world importance, together with a look into the Rones de Mexico Distillery.
  • Speakers: Eduardo Pineda, Jorge Pérez Rafael, & Ph.D. Kim Brandi
  • Location: Los Angeles (September 9)

The RumLab once again is fortunate to work with Afiliacion Fraternal Americanos Nativos (AFAN), a non for profit organization that helps Native Latin Americans with scholarships. For more information about AFAN or the events please visit www.therumlab.com.