With less than a week to go, the UKRumFest 2011 promises to be bigger and better than ever. Back for its 5th year and with over 400 rums to see and sample, RumFest is the biggest rum festival on the UK drinks scene, if not the world. In the words of the Global Rum Ambassador and founder of the UK RumFest, Ian Burrell, it’s “Probably the greatest rum festival and selection of rum, rhums & rons under one roof..”

Organised by The Rum Experience, ‘UK RumFest is an international celebration of rum & cane spirit’. Headed by Ian Burrell, The Rum Experience aims to promote rum & cane spirits in both the UK and around the world. And if the continued penetration of premium rum and Cachaça in the UK is anything to go by, I’d personally say that they’re succeeding in that aim.

Still misunderstood by many, rum and cachaça continue to enjoy a rise in popularity both in the trade and retail sectors and show’s like RumFest continue to promote the positive range and versatility of cane spirits.

So over the weekend of the 15th to 16th October 2011, between the hours of 12pm and 6pm, Kensington’s Olympia 2 will be transformed into a tropical island paradise. Along with the rum tastings; rum masterclasses; live cocktails demonstrations; live Caribbean music; competitions and the opportunity to be among the first to try new rums to the UK market, several new additions this year include a new Tropical Food Market, the Tiki Bar Tender of the Year competition, as well as the trade-only Boutique Rumfest.

This year’s exhibitors include: Angostura, Appleton Estate, Atlantico, Bacardi, Banks, Ron Barceló, Ron Botran, Bristol Classic Rum, Ron Brugal, Bundaberg, Captain Morgan, Chairman’s Reserve, Rhum Clement, Cruzan, Doorly’s, Ron Diplomático, Don Q, El Dorado, Flor de Caña, Germana Cachaça, Green Island Rum, Havana Club, La Mauny, Lamb’s, Leblon Cachaça, Koko Kanu, Mahiki, Mount Gay, Mount Gilboa, Myers’s, Pink Pigeon, Plantation, Pusser’s, Pyrat, Rhum J.M, Ron de Jeremy, Ron Santa Fe, St Barth, Rum Fire, Sailor Jerry, Santa Teresa, St Aubin, St Nicholas Abbey, Toz, Trois Rivieres, Wray & Nephew, XM Royal, Ypioca Cachaça and Ron Zacapa. This isn’t an exhaustive list and I’d certainly expect to see many other brands on show between the Boutique RumFest and RumFest itself.

With RumFest being such an important event on the rum calendar, you can expect to find many of the top people in the rum industry attending, including many of the rum brand ambassador’s, distributors, a number of master distillers and of course several of my fellow rum bloggers. With many of the brands showcasing their latest bottling’s at RumFest along with the many rum tastings and seminars, the Tiki Bar Tender of the Year competition live on stage and the results of the Golden Rum Barrel awards, it really is the place for any rum-lover to be.

Of course, tropical culture isn’t just about drinking rum and in true Caribbean style, the weekend will also feature live bands, playing a mixture of reggae, salsa, samba and zouk. For those who find the tropical beats and rhythms too much, relax with Bacardi at the Dominoes and Daiquiri Zone and try your hand at one of the tropics most relaxing pastimes. To complete the party why not head to the new Tropical Food Market, featuring some of the finest delicacies and cuisine from the tropics. Here you’ll find chef’s competing in the Rum Experience Chef of the Year competition, hoping to win an all expenses trip to Barbados, as well as demonstrations and seminars from the highly acclaimed rum chef Paul Yellin. Having travelled the Caribbean discovering many tropical dishes, let Paul show you how to use rum in your cooking.

Tickets are available in advance online at £22 per day or for a weekend pass at £32 per person. Tickets purchased on the day will cost £25 on the door. For your money you will recieve “Access to the world’s biggest Rum Festival, with over 400 rums to sample, 5 Rum sampling vouchers, Live musical entertainment, cocktail master-classes and demonstrations, Free rum master-classes &  rum seminars*, salsa lessons and your exclusive goody bag with branded tasting glass and show guide. *subject to availability.”

For those new to RumFest, the sampling voucher is the show’s currency and will need to be handed over for each sample. 1 voucher = 1 sample. Additional vouchers can be bought from the front desk for £1 each.

There’s also a limited number of VIP tickets for both days, priced at £40 per day, giving: fast track entry into the show; entry into the V.I.P Aged Rum Experience room; an exclusive Rum tasting masterclass; an exclusive rum & chocolate master class; a V.I.P goody bag, including a world exclusive new ‘Burrell Rum Glass’; Caribbean Canapes from Cottons Camden Restaurant and Cocktails from Appleton Jamaica Rum.

Those in the drinks trade can also attend The Boutique Rumfest, where you will have the chance to explore a range of new and boutique distillery rum, as well as attend seminars and tastings such as: Santa Teresa Tasting; Let’s Talk Rum; Diplomatico Tasting; Don’t Fear the Blender; The Art of Distillation; The Grand Tasting; El Dorado Tasting and the Bacardi Legacy Seminar. So make sure you register for the show and head down to the Hilton Olympia between 12pm and 9pm, on Friday 14th October.

So for more rum than any one man or woman could handle, live Caribbean music, great food and a totally tropical weekend, make sure you finish the London Cocktail Week by heading to the UK RumFest 2011.

Yet another short notice sneak peak for the next London Rum Club and if the last tasting I attended for Ron Diplomático is anything to go, by this should be another great rum club not to be missed. Starting at 7pm on Monday 3rd October 2011, Trailer Happiness will, as always, be playing host to the Notting Hill Rum Club.

Having already written a sneak peak for Ron Diplomático fairly recently, I won’t go into as much detail, but suffice to say the four current rums in their range are:

Ron Diplomático Blanco – A Super Premium White rum; Ron Diplomático Añejo – Aged up to 4 years old, blended column and pot still golden rum; Ron Diplomático Reserva – Aged up to 8 years old, blend of column and pot still rum and lastly Ron Diplomático Reserva Exclusiva – A premium sipping rum aged up to 12 years old and made entirely from sugar cane honey.

Further details on tomorrow’s tasting can be found on the Diplomatico Rum Club Facebook page. For those interested in learning more about the London Rum Club, please either visit the Rum Club website or pop into Trailer Happiness and speak to the bar staff.

It is with great pleasure that I can confirm that next week’s Kanaloa Rum Club is set to take up it’s alloted Tuesday night slot and on the 23rd August 2011, Kanaloa Tropical Island Bar & Grill will play host to Declan McGurk of Speciality Brands and the full range of Ron Diplomático.

Also known as Ron Botucal in some parts of the world, Ron Diplomático is produced in Venezuela by Destilerias Unidas. Produced from both sugar cane honey and the more traditional molasses, the sipping rums from Ron Diplomático have a sweeter taste, when compared to most other rum in this category. They also differ from many other rum brands as due to Venezuelan law, the rums used in their blends have to have been aged for at least 2 years.

Ron Diplomático currently consists of the following four rums:

Ron Diplomático Blanco – A blend of rums aged between 2 and 6 years this super premium Blanco is richer and more intense than would normally be expected for a white rum.

Ron Diplomático Añejo – A blend of pot and column still rum, this golden rum is aged for a maximum of 4 years.

Ron Diplomático Reserva – Again a blend of pot and column still rum, Reserva contains a blend of rums aged between 2 and 8 years and also contains rum distilled from sugar cane honey.

Ron Diplomático Reserva Exclusiva – Made almost entirely from sugar cane honey, this sipping rum is a blend of heavy and light rums that are aged up to 12 years.

Having tried the range of Ron Diplomático at this year’s Imbibe Live show, I can happily say that I am looking forward to spending more time savouring these excellent rums and the cocktails that the Kanaloa bartenders will no doubt be throwing together. The evening starts at 6pm for a 7pm presentation.

For further details about the Kanaloa Rum club, please email info@kanaloaclub.com or if you’re passing by, simply pop in to Kanaloa Tropical Island Bar & Grill and ask the bar staff.