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Parting the Fogg: Mister Fogg Navy Rum — Your Questions Answered
Your Mister Fogg Questions Answered: Sail N° 1 vs N° 2, availability, the blend, and much more.
Jan 5 • Matt Pietrek
Rum Wonk 2025 Wrapped - Top Five Stories, and Five You May Have Missed
From fermentation chemistry to forgotten tiki styles, pricing realities, and industry shakeups—my most-read (and most overlooked) Rum Wonk stories of…
Dec 30, 2025 • Matt Pietrek
How a Rum Obsession Turned into a Publishing Business
Big changes at Wonk Press in 2025. New books, new approaches, and new countries—how we rebuilt the business behind the scenes.
Dec 16, 2025 • Matt Pietrek
This Man Saved the Royal Navy’s Rum Recipe
A forgotten notebook. A chance encounter. The Royal Navy’s rum recipe stayed secret—until now.
Nov 24, 2025 • Matt Pietrek
Where Does Mount Gay’s New Silver Rum Fit In?
Mount Gay drops a new silver rum that's different than almost anything else on your shelf. What’s the scoop?
Nov 17, 2025 • Matt Pietrek
Most Popular
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The Fallacy of "White Rum"
May 23, 2023 • Matt Pietrek
Is Bumbu Rum? It Depends...
Jun 25, 2024 • Matt Pietrek
The Many Myths of Smith & Cross
Sep 25, 2023 • Matt Pietrek
Plantation Rum Becomes Planteray Rum
Jan 9, 2024 • Matt Pietrek

News

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Equiano Rum - Dueling Ownership Bids
Dueling bids for the brand's assets and a founder’s exit —Equiano Rum battle spills into the spotlight.
Sep 5, 2025 • Matt Pietrek
Equiano Rum - What Happened?
Ian Burrell announced he’s no longer representing Equiano Rum. UK government filings tell more of the story, including a possible Uncle Nearest…
Sep 3, 2025 • Matt Pietrek
Is Luca Gargano (& Friends?) Buying The Renegade Rum Distillery?
When I first published about the upcoming sale of the Renegade Rum Distillery, the buyer —or buyers— weren’t known. However, in the past 36 hours, new…
Sep 15, 2024 • Matt Pietrek
Renegade Rum's Sale - What We Know
The obvious question is “What happens to the Renegade distillery?” It’s not publicly known who purchased Renegade or their plans, but we can provide…
Sep 4, 2024 • Matt Pietrek
E&A Scheer's Sale - What Might it Mean?
No company holds larger stocks of rum from around the world than E&A Scheer, which blends rum for many well-known brands, including Smith & Cross. What…
Jan 14, 2024 • Matt Pietrek
Plantation Rum Becomes Planteray Rum
At a press conference today at the West Indies Rum Distillery in Barbados, Plantation Rum owner Alexandre Gabriel revealed the brand’s long-awaited new…
Jan 9, 2024 • Matt Pietrek
A Revamped Rockley Still and Other WIRD News
The public unveiling of the recently reconditioned Rockley pot still from 1780, a new limited-edition rum, and public tours of West Indies Rum…
Nov 7, 2023 • Matt Pietrek
New Mount Gay Series Returns to Rum’s Roots
After a short but intense marketing campaign teasing a surprise years in the making, Mount Gay has announced the first annual release of the Single…
Oct 24, 2023 • Matt Pietrek

Geographical Indications

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Jamaica Rum's 2024 GI Revisions Paused Per Court Order
A Jamaican court has put enforcement of Jamaica's 2024 rum GI revisions on hold, pending further hearings.
Sep 30, 2025 • Matt Pietrek
Why Is Rum Held to a Higher Global Standard Than Whiskey?
There is no truly global standard for distilled spirit, nor is rum the wild west of distilled spirits. It’s catchy, but wrong.
Dec 20, 2024 • Matt Pietrek
Rum Aging Regulations - A Tale of 14 Rum GIs
Despite having previously summarized over a dozen rum GIs, there's still plenty to learn by focusing on the post-distillation requirements for a wide…
Oct 23, 2024 • Matt Pietrek
Jamaica's Rum GI Changes - Overview and Analysis
There’s news today from Jamaica regarding small but important revisions to the country’s rum geographical indication, aka GI. In what follows, I will…
Oct 10, 2024 • Matt Pietrek

Jamaican Rum

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Jamaica Rum's 2024 GI Revisions Paused Per Court Order
A Jamaican court has put enforcement of Jamaica's 2024 rum GI revisions on hold, pending further hearings.
Sep 30, 2025 • Matt Pietrek
Mai Tai Rum(s): Myths and Mistakes
The Great Mai Tai Rum Debate - Are we overthinking it? Some historical context provides guidance.
Aug 30, 2025 • Matt Pietrek
Jamaica Rum Styles Primer
“Jamaica rum” once said it all. Today, with every producer making styles from unaged to long-aged, it’s time to break down the substyles.
Aug 18, 2025 • Matt Pietrek
Dunder, Muck, and Acid - Demystifying Jamaica Rum's Secret Sauce
Jamaica rum's bold flavors stem from misunderstood fermentation components. Here, we'll examine dunder, muck and acid and learn how they create unique…
Jan 20, 2025 • Matt Pietrek
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