Article by The Spirit Business
By Miona Madsen
Event organiser and educational platform The Rum Lab is returning to Dallas on 1 March for the second edition of the Texas Rum Festival.
The event will take place at 2616 Commerce ST Event Center in the city’s Deep Ellum neighbourhood from 12.30pm to 7pm on 1 March, focusing on tastings, seminars, and networking.
Texas is one of the top four markets for the rum industry in the US, selling approximately one million cases a year.
The festival is said to celebrate the rich rum culture and underscore the importance of Texas in the global rum market.
In 2024, the first edition of the Texas Rum Fest was attended by more than 250 visitors and showcased 80 rum expressions.
The Rum Lab team aims to offer visitors an educational and sensorial experience and a new programme, Daiquiri Mania, which celebrates creativity using the Daiquiri classic cocktail reimagined and accompanied by music.
The festival will offer visitors the opportunity to experience rum brands, such as Jamaican rums Monymusk and Worthy Park Estate, Dominican rum E León Jimenes, Rhum Clement from Martinique, Ron Carúpano from Venezuela, Belizean Rum Copalli, and other premium brands.
Rum education
The Rum Around The World seminar by Kate Perry from La Maison & Velier will offer a guided tasting journey through non-Caribbean rums, travelling from the South Pacific to the Indian Ocean, stopping over in southeast Asia with some surprises along the way.
At 3pm, a panel of experts will provide a brief overview of the history of a specific period of the rum category in the Rum Through the Ages seminar.
Finally, at 4pm, the Barbados Rum Canvas: A Palette of Flavours seminar offers attendees a deep dive into the island’s rums and an opportunity to delve into the artistry of rum blending by crafting their own blend.
More educational seminars will be announced in due course.
Last year, the Puerto Rico government’s Rums of Puerto Rico division partnered with The Rum Lab to host a tour in four major Texas cities.
In December 2024, The Rum Lab announced its 2025 festival schedule.