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In this episode, we sat down with Oliver Chilton, the head blender at Black Tot Rum, to nerd out on all things blending—from their recently reformulated flagship blend, to their new solera blend, to their annual master blender's reserve releases, and beyond.

We also got into a lot of in-the-works rum projects that we didn't know were coming down the pike. All of which are interesting.

Oliver was a great hang and we learned a lot. We think you will too. You'll hear about:

The rum Oliver was desperate to add to their Finest Caribbean blend (and why)

How Oliver went from working at The Whisky Exchange to becoming a rum and whisky blender

Their distillery project (and whether we might see rum coming from it)

The coolest rare rums Oliver has had the chance to work with

Misconceptions about sherry cask and solera maturation

How solera casks different from typical ex-sherry casks used in aging rum

Possible future releases

And much more!

You can get all the details on Black Tot’s blends at their website.

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.

You can watch the video version of this episode on YouTube.

In this episode, we attempted a new mid-year exercise — picking 10 bottles each we think are the most talked about / anticipated releases of the year among rum enthusiasts, including bottles that have already hit shelves and some that are still on their way.

The goal was not only to create a snapshot of what's popular with rum enthusiasts in 2025, but also to give you a handy list of bottles you may want to add to your list to try if you haven't already.

After you've had a listen, send us an email or drop a comment on social to let us know — which releases are you most excited about this year? Which ones did we miss? We'd love to know!

We've included the full lists below, so stop scrolling here if you want to be surprised!

**Spoilers Below**

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John's Top 10 List:

10. Holmes Cay Réunion Island Rum Traditionnel - Single Origin Edition #4

9. Black Tot Finest Caribbean (New Blend)

8. Dead Reckoning Vanuatu 83 Islands

7. Raising Glasses Full Circle Blend

6. Bedford Park Westerhall Grenada 27-Year

5. Alambique Serrano - Alambique de Cobre

4. Habitation Velier Hampden PM Spirits / Prestige-Ledroit Blend

3. Roaming Road Belize 18-Year

2. Renaissance Clouded Leopard

1. Alambique Serrano Vida Nativa Series #1: Pico Canoa

Will's Top 10 List:

10. Black Tot Historic Solera Blend

9. Hampden 1753

8. Foursquare Exceptional Cask Selection: Mandamus

7. Papalin Jamaica High Ester

6. Renaissance Clouded Leopard

5. Mhoba Rum: The Shaldon

4. Bristol Classic Rum Jamaica DOK 2009

3. Hampden The Maverick

2. Alambique Serrano Vida Nativa Series #1: Pico Canoa

1. El Dorado High Ester Blend #2: PM/DHE

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.

You can watch the video version of this episode on YouTube.

In this episode, we sat down with the founder and distiller behind one of the most interesting rum projects in the U.S. right now, Robyn Smith of rum et al., a chemical engineering PhD turned rum distiller.

The premise behind Rum Et Al is simple but fascinating. Robyn started with a foundational, always-available rum she named Baseline. She's since released batches in which she introduces a "variable" to the Baseline recipe, such as dunder. This allows you to taste the exact differences that the variable brings to the flavor profile when tasted side by side. If you're a rum geek, it's a really cool tasting experience.

During the episode, we discussed:

How she went from chemical engineering PhD to rum distiller

Her experience in R&D for Lost Spirits Distillery

How rum et al. came to be

All the nerdy rum production details

The joys and challenges of being a one-woman operation

Congeners vs. esters

How ester measurements translate to flavor profile

What we might see from her next

And much more!

Be sure to check out her YouTube channel, This Blog's Neat! These videos about her rum et al. releases are a great place to start:

How Baseline Was Made

How Variable (Dunderclap) Was Made

How Variable (Tailspin) Was Made

Have you had a chance to try Robyn's rum? What stood out to you in the conversation? Let us know via email (host@rumcast.com) or social!