TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — People flocked to the 2022 Rum Festival Taiwan on Sunday (Sept. 18) at the Taipei Bottle Cap Factory in Nangang to get a taste of Caribbean and Central American-produced rums.
The event, which was organized by the Taiwan Rum Club, featured rums from multiple countries including Saint Lucia, Barbados, Panama, Martinique, Dominican Republic, and Nicaragua. Import/export company representatives, potential business partners, and regular Taiwanese were able to sample a wide variety of the molasses-based liquor and purchase bottles on the spot.
Cleisha-Bernise Springer, second secretary at the Saint Lucian Embassy in Taiwan, told Taiwan News she believes rum is gaining more popularity among Taiwanese, especially in recent years. “There is more of an awareness that it exists.”
Though she felt optimistic about rum’s potential as a Taiwanese drink of choice, she acknowledged that it would be a challenge, “because whisky, cognac, and vodka, are very well established here.”
Roberto Luzcando, marketing manager at 509 Drinks, echoed a similar sentiment, saying he is doing his best to promote rum to be as popular as whiskey and gin, which he considers to be more embraced by Taiwanese.
The festival also had several guest lecturers to educate visitors on different aspects of rum and rum production.
Last year, the Saint Lucia Embassy hosted a rum tasting event that spotlighted its domestically-made Chairman's Reserve line of rums.
For those who are curious about Caribbean culture, the ABV Caribbean Bar and Kitchen will hold a Carnival event on Oct. 1 that will feature cuisine from three of Taiwan’s Caribbean allies: Haiti, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Saint Lucia. Each ticket costs NT$1200 and includes entertainment and an all-you-can-eat buffet of Caribbean dishes and drinks, excluding beer.
(Taiwan News, Kelvin Chen photo)
Chairman's Reserve rums from Saint Lucia. (Taiwan News, Kelvin Chen photo)
Mount Gay rum from Barbados. (Taiwan News, Kelvin Chen photo)
Saint James rums from Martinique. (Taiwan News, Kelvin Chen photo)
