73: Tales from an Epic Rum Journey Around the World w/ Richard Nicholson

28 Distillery Visits. 11 Countries. 13 Months.In this episode, we sit down with Richard Nicholson, founder of the New Zealand Rum Society and your fellow Rumcast listener, to unpack what can only be described as a rum journey of epic proportions. Richard spent 13 months on the road taking 28 distillery visits, attending numerous rum festivals, and visiting three of his own personal rum "Holy Grail" destinations, from Barbados to Martinique to Guadeloupe to Madeira to Scotland and beyond. In addition to pulling as many rum travel tips out of Richard as we could, we also went deep into his on-the-ground exploration of rhum agricole and all of the delightful surprises it has to offer right now, his trip into the cellars of the Main Rum Company, and much more, including:How he went about planning this rum odyssey in the first placeHis #1 "run, don't walk" destination for other rum enthusiasts based on his journeyThe magic of Marie-Galante rumsCane juice rums more people should be talking aboutAdventures at rum festivals across EuropeThe ins and outs of Madeira rumAnd moreYou can follow Richard and his adventures with the New Zealand Rum Society here on Instagram. You can also check out the New Zealand Rum Society on Facebook. Also, if you're curious to see the complete list of distilleries Richard visited, here it is:Barbados x3: Foursquare, Mount Gay, St. Nicholas AbbeyMartinique x8: Depaz, La Favourite, La Mauny/Trois-Rivières, Neisson, Rhum JM, Saint James/J Bally, A1710, HSE (aging/bottling didn’t get to Usine du Simone)Guadeloupe x6: Bologne, Damoiseau, Kurakera/Longueteau, Montebello, Reimonenq, Papa RouyoMarie Galante x3: Bielle, Poisson (Père Labat)/Rhum Rhum, Domaine de BellevueMadeira x5: O’Reizinho, Engenhos do Norte, Engenhos da Calheta, Engeno Novo (William Hinton), Florentino Izildo de Gouveia FerreiraAmsterdam: Rummie ClubScotland: NinefoldScotland (Scotch distilleries): Arran, Lagg, Springbank, Glengyle, Glen ScotiaP.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.