Taste of Rum fest back for 12th edition May 28
The Puerto Rico National Rum Festival, “Taste of Rum,” returns for its 12th edition May 28 at Bahía Urbana, Old San Juan, organizers announced.
The event “continues to be the largest and most important in the Caribbean, internationally acclaimed as it offers ‘rummeliers’ and aficionados the opportunity to learn about the rums produced in Puerto Rico,” they added.
Puerto Rico’s rum industry generates some $450 million annually for the local economy, with a labor force that exceeds 16,000 direct and indirect jobs in the manufacturing, distribution, sale, and marketing sectors.
“The Rums of Puerto Rico Program is very committed to developing the rum industry on the island, as rum is part of our culture and tradition. For that reason, we’re pleased to support an event that serves as a tribute to our rum’s quality, variety, and versatility while continuing to position us as the ‘World Capital of Rum’,” said Maité Jordán, director of the Department of Economic Development and Commerce’s Rums of Puerto Rico Program.
“The festival also provides an ideal platform to promote new brands and expressions to both locals and tourists, showing the great capacity for innovation that this legendary industry has. We invite you to join us in such an amazing experience, so we together can support this great celebration,” she said.
Taste of Rum will feature the exhibition and tasting of a variety of local rums: Bacardí, Don Q, Club Caribe, Ron Trigo, Ron Coquí, PitoRico, Tres Clavos, Ron Rincón, Crab Island Rum, Ron Boricua, Ron Pepón, Ron del Barrilito, among others.
Furthermore, attendees will be able to attend seminars on the rum production processes, visit stands with handicrafts, and taste traditional food prepared by local restaurants, resulting from a collaboration with the Puerto Rico Restaurants Association (ASORE, in Spanish).
As part of the activities, there will be live music shows featuring a number of musical genres from salsa to rock in English. The musical repertoire will include a tribute to Marc Anthony and Guns N’ Roses, as well as the participation of a Caribbean Steel Band, the group Cuentas Regresivas, Batucada, and DJ Jorge Salgado.
Since its first edition, the Rum Festival’s impact on the economy, culture, and tourism of Puerto Rico can be summed up in more than 3,000 visits of tourists from different parts of the world, with the sole purpose of attending the event and knowing more about the World Capital of Rum, organizers said.
Federico Hernández, of Empresas FH, and head of the event’s organizing committee, said the capacity of the event will remain at 50% of the total allowed in Bahía Urbana.
