Master Blender Joy Spence and Rum Fire and Hampden Estate Marketing Director Christelle Harris will speak at the third annual New York Rum Festival on Saturday, June 15 at Metropolitan West, 639W 46th Street, New York, NY 10036. The team also produces the Puerto Rico Rum Festival “Taste of Rum” California, Chicago Rum Festival and Miami Rum Congress. All events attract hundreds of patrons from trade, rum aficionados, tourists and locals.

The Spirit Industry Session consists of a 1.5-hour programme (2:00 pm – 3:30 pm) offering industry professionals the opportunity to (a) network with the brand representative (b) taste premium rums (c) attend brand seminars and (d) mingle with industry colleagues.

Harris will on the same day make history as the sole female panellist at the Guardians of Rum seminar. She will be joined by mentor Richard Seale, owner and master blender at FourSquare Distellery in Barbados; Bailey Prior, owner of the Real McCoy rum brand and Emmy award-winning film-maker; and Raphael Grisoni, managing director at Mount Gay Distelleries.

The Guardians of Rum is a movement conceived in 2016 to preserve a place in today’s rum world for pure rum and traditional methods.

Harris will after the Guardians of Rum panel speak on the Jamaica rum panel: We Likkle but we Tallawah.