Jamaica presents a magnificent palette of experiences, a kaleidoscope of colours and sounds that make the island the most precious jewel in the Caribbean. It is a land of unique culture, engaging activities, breath-taking landscapes, and a warm, welcoming people. The beat of reggae. The searing smell of jerk over the fire. The swizzle of rum in your glass. — Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), 2021.

It is no doubt that the Jamaican Rum brands shone brightly at the recently held Miami Rum Congress — a two-day affair held on March 11 and 12 at the Hilton Cabana, Miami Beach Florida.

The first day of the congress was packed with seminars facilitated by the Rum Lab. The seminars comprised discussions around (1) a timeline on rum’s rise; (2) building and maintaining a global rum brand; (3) the rum supply chain; (4) thoughts and predictions on rum’s evolution; (5) sustainability trends; and (6) cane juice the future of rum. The 45 minute-seminars certainly provided food for thought in terms of continued premiumisation of the category and generally bringing awareness to the spirit in all its forms. What was striking though, was the constant echoing of the need for sustainability — giving back to the Earth, the terroir of the lands where sugarcane is planted, and the people in the process. These points, the panellists believe, are even more significant than the marketing of individual rums and expressed that the global rum community should all rally around being socially responsible investors. Another major point was the future of rum through cane juice. Rum is the fermented spirit of the by-products of sugarcane. Jamaica uses molasses in its fermentation. Given the limitation of quality molasses available, and in an effort to build a business which has longevity, expect to see and hear about more experimentation on the use of cane juice in producing rum or derivatives of rum.

On Day 2, it was all about exhibitions and opportunities to taste. For the first part of the afternoon’s activities, the brands were displayed under a tent by the third-floor pool. It would appear that there was a tussle above by the angels to get sips of some of the finest spirits in the world, as a wind storm engulfed the venue for a good 20 minutes. The displays were then relocated to the first floor ballroom where the activities continued — the rum lovers were in heaven!

— Dr Debbian Spence-Minott