58: Climbing the "Rum Pyramid" with Bristol Classic Rum's John Barrett

In this episode, we sat down with a veteran of the independent rum bottler world, John Barrett, owner of Bristol Classic Rum. The UK outfit has been sourcing, aging, and releasing rums since the '90s, giving John a rare perspective on how the category has evolved over the past few decades and where it's going next. He's been to all your favorite distilleries, he was among the first to purchase remaining Caroni stock, and he's full of stories from the better part of a lifetime in rum. You'll hear about:The path that took John into rum sourcing and bottling nearly 30 years agoThe delicate art and science of aging rumWhy John thinks cask strength rum is overratedHis process for determining the right bottling strengthWhere John thinks the next wave of great rums might come fromHow Bristol got in early on sourcing Caroni—and proceeded to make one of its biggest bets ever on their rumAnd much more!You can learn more about Bristol Classic Rum at their website. P.S. Did you know you can support The Rumcast on Patreon now and get bonus episodes, happy hours, and more? You can! Head to patreon.com/therumcast to check it out.