In this smooth-sailing conversation with Malcolm Gosling Jr., 8th generation steward of the Goslings Rum company, some of the topics we discuss include:

• How a lapsed ship charter to Virginia kicked off the Gosling family’s spirited enterprise on the humble 21 square mile rock in the middle of the Atlantic known as Bermuda.

• The ways in which Goslings rum both conforms to and expands what most rum nerds think of when they hear the term “British-style Caribbean rum,” and why the family’s roots in sourcing, blending, and retail are key to the entire flavor profile and identity.

• We also dig into two key brand stories: the origins of the “Black Seal Rum” name and logo, which involves upcycling Champagne Bottles used by the British navy, and of course the legend of how one poor bartender’s failure to politely cut off a drunk guy is responsible for the Dark ‘N Stormy cocktail.

• And we wrap up by covering some of Goslings Rum’s longer-aged and special edition products that will pique the interest of any rum enthusiast, including their “Spirited Seas” project that’s aged aboard the Oleander cargo ship.

• Along the way, we discover why pigs gave Bermuda a scary reputation back in the day, explore some of the creative activations Malcolm and his team are pursuing as “The Official Rum of Leisure,” take a spin in crazy aunt Shiela’s industrial rum swizzle machine, and much, much more.

SPECIAL RESOURCE:

Webinar Link: Signature Serves: Building Simple, Viral, Brand-Driven Cocktails

View the video of this seminar: here!

What’s shakin’ drinks fans?

Thanks for joining me for this special industry shop talk episode, where I give you a free, behind-the-scenes look at some of the content I produce specifically for people who work in the spirits and cocktail industry.

This time around, you’ll get to sit in on a seminar I presented a few weeks ago at the 2025 American Distilling Institute Conference & Trade show in San Antonio, TX. The title of the seminar is: “You’ve Been Served: On Premise Strategies for a Saturated Market," and it presents a bunch of different looks at things distillers and spirits brands can be doing to create successful partnerships with bars and restaurants.

In this true, blue interview with Lucas Bols Co. Master Distiller Monique ten Kortenaar (@distillermo), some of the topics we discuss include:

• The history of the Curaçao liqueur category, how it differs in production and flavor to similar products like Triple Sec, and how the color blue first entered the picture about 100 years ago.

• How Bols Blue 1575 separates itself from non-premium Blue Curaçaos by incorporating signature botanicals and fruity Jamaican rum into its production and blending process.

• The role that bartenders, sensory panels, and distillery guests played in the development of this and other products that Bols brings to market.

• We also take the time to have a very open conversation about the nature of “additives” in the spirits world. Given the striking hue and excellent stability of the Blue 1575, it should be no surprise that Bols uses a food grade dye. But there’s a lot that goes into the R&D and testing process for such an important component of the product, especially in the EU, where food standards are notoriously stringent.

• Along the way, we plan out an epic day-long food and culture tour to experience the best and most interesting cuisine and drink that Amsterdam has to offer, learn why Monique’s perfumer Grandfather was known as “The White Giant,” reveal which Bols product is criminally underappreciated by bartenders and consumers, and much, much more.

In part two of my conversation with rum trailblazer Maggie Campbell, CEO of American Cane, some of the topics we discuss include:

• The project of American Cane, and why Maggie is excited to kick off the brand with an affordable rum offering that’s focused on conviviality, celebration, and togetherness.

• How the American rum category differs in its identity from the many Caribbean traditions we are familiar with, and what factors like fermentation substrate, diurnal temperature shift, and cooperage sourcing have to do with it.

• Why America isn’t as primed or well suited for a strict geographic indication as other places in the world

• And what it’s been like for Maggie to move gradually away from the production side of rum and more into the strategy and business development side of the work in her role as CEO.

• Along the way, we provide a functional definition of the Trinidadian verb “liming,” explore what spirits brands can learn from Formula One motorsports strategy, learn why it’s important to never distill while you’re angry,

• And much, much more

In this spirited conversation with Maggie Campbell, CEO of American Cane, some of the topics we discuss include:

• Maggie’s road to rum, which winds through philosophy, spice shops, wineries, and legendary brandy houses before arriving at her break-out role as distiller (and later President) at Privateer Rum

• Why sales and distribution are the hardest part of the spirits industry and how her experience working in the sales trenches and partnering with distributors paved the way for a great adventure working as a project leader for Mt. Gay Rum in Barbados

• We touch on the functional aesthetics of both vineyards and cane fields - the ways in which soil health, drainage, and cane-specific indicators like, lodging, arrowing, and low MOC factors can contribute to a healthy and beautiful cane growing operation

• And we also discuss how to think about terroir in spirits - specifically how it’s derived not only from landscapes and climate conditions, but also from the perspectives taken and decisions made in these diverse locales over long periods of time.

• Along the way, we muse on why you can’t hide anything in a rum distillation, the multinomial nature of cane dogs, why only foreigners like the monkeys in Barbados, and much, much more.

Eric tastes through several rare and vintage Benedictine Liqueur expressions, alongside friends and colleagues from the spirits industry at the 2025 American Distilling Institute International Spirits Competition.

In this recording, he's joined by:

• Mr. David T. Smith (who generously provided the Benedictine samples from his personal collection) and who is the head steward at the ADI competition

• Joe Barber from Stargazy Spirits (who, for the first time, had a functional microphone for one of these recordings)

• Author and Spirits expert Eric Zandona, who runs the International Spirits Competition

• Reece Sims, founder of Flavor Camp, representing Canada

• Aaron Knoll, creator of The Gin is In, my favorite gin review website

• Sara Sargent of Alpine Distilling, one of the award-winning-est distillers I know

• And Vanessa Piromallo, the 2024 World Drinks Awards Icons of Gin Communicator of the Year

The Benedictine expressions we taste through in this sitting are:

• Your standard, straight-up, run-of-the-mill, but still ICONIC Benedictine

• Vintage Benedictine (likely from the 60s or 70s)

• Benedictine and Brandy (AKA B&B)

• Benedictine 1888 (a special, premium Blend)

• Benedictine Single Cask

In Part 2 of my high-flying conversation with Charles Joly, some of the topics we discuss include:

• The 2014 Diageo World Class win that elevated Charles to global bartending celebrity, and the story of the innovative cocktail that put him in the winner’s circle.

• The importance of timing in cocktail builds and presentation and how effective manipulation of timing can play on a guest’s anticipation, which Charles refers to as a “6th sense.”

• The genesis of Crafthouse Cocktails, a ready-to-drink cocktail brand that has its roots way back in 2013, at time when most people viewed the RTD category as either a non-sequiter or a complete heresy.

• We cover what the very early RTD landscape looked like, how Charles and his team went about designing canned beverage that actually taste like a real cocktail, the decision to partner with leading spirits brands, and even Crafthouse’s recent placement on United Airlines.

• We wrap the conversation by discussing some of Charles' other favorite projects, like Cayman Cookout with chef Eric Ripert, his own line of custom barware, and even his online vintage store side hustle.

• Along the way, we cover Charles’ most important tips for succeeding in a cocktail competition, why Crafthouse opted for a Paloma over a Margarita in their RTD portfolio, a maximalist itinerary for a full day of eating and drinking your way through Chicago’s culinary gems, and much, much more.

In part 1 of my conversation with acclaimed bartender Charles Joly, some of the topics we discuss include:

• The two predominant “schools” of cocktail programs you might encounter in the early 2000s, and how Charles found his home and his voice in the seasonal and ingredient-focused program at a place called The Drawing Room.
• The conditions and events that led Charles to take on his break-out role on a national stage as the beverage director of the incredibly high-profile bar at The Aviary--a venue renowned for its avant-garde, highly technical molecular mixology drink preparations.
• How Charles handled the culture shock of transitioning into that role - the feeling of being parachute-dropped into a foreign land - and why a round of cheeky Tequila shots with guests helped to humanize the service style just a little.
• We also discuss what it means for a cocktail or ingredient to make “sense,” which involves using context cues and narrative structure to help communicate the “why” behind the “what” and “how” of a drink.
• Along the way, we explore the tattoos you’d see on Charles’ arms if he were to prepare a drink in front of you, why every bartender should know somebody peddling rare tea and Iberico ham, the beauty of “vibe-based” bartender’s choice cocktails, and much, much more.