Who is The Rum Trader?
My name is Scott French. I am a Rum Reviewer, Brand Builder, Marketing Consultant, Brand Influencer, Judge, Presenter, Collector and Cocktail Enthusiast residing in Columbia, SC.
I have been sharing my rum passion via presentations, this website and through social media channels, as The Rum Trader, since 2008.
With a collection of over 800+ different rum expressions, I am a connoisseur of rum. In addition to traveling to Rum and Tiki events around the country, I spend my time hosting rum tastings, writing about, reviewing and researching rum. I visit rum distilleries, hunt for old stock rums, and share my knowledge about the rum industry with others insistently.
In the new year (2020), I will participate in a number of events on the 2020 Rum, Tiki & Cocktail schedule. I will be back in Miami, New Orleans, and Charleston for various rum events including Miami Rum Congress and Tales of the Cocktail.
To learn even more about me please read an interview I did with TheRumLab.com
Past Travels
2019 Travels:
- Became a member, RumXP: The International Rum Expert Panel
- Covered Tiki Week, Bourbon, Columbia, SC
- Covered Ed Hamilton presentation, Caribbean Spirits, Columbia USBG
- Covered Miami Rum Congress, Miami, FL
- Covered the Chicago Rum Fest, Chicago, IL
- Served as a RumXP Judge, 11th Anniversary Miami Rum Renaissance Festival, Miami, FL
- Covered Tales of the Cocktail, New Orleans, LA
- Participated in an extended, vintage rum tasting with Stephen Remsberg, New Orleans, LA
- Consulted with various rum distilleries on profile and marketing
- Covered California Rum Fest, San Francisco, CA
- Conducted major rum hunts around the Southeast USA
- Conducted heavy research on vintage and historic rums
2018 Travels:
- Toured Outer Banks Distilling, Manteo, NC
- Served as a RumXP Judge at the 10th Anniversary Rum Renaissance Festival, Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Covered The Hukilau, Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Toured Key West Distilling, Key West, FL
- Toured Key West Legal Distillery, Key West, FL
- Toured Hemingway Rum Company (Papa’s Pilar), Key West, FL
- Covered the New York City Rum Festival, New York City, NY
2017 Travels:
- Served as a RumXP Judge at the Miami Rum Renaissance Festival, Miami, FL
- Covered the Midwest Rum Festival, Chicago, IL
- Covered the Chicago Area Tiki Tour (CATT), Chicago, IL
- Covered The Hukilau, Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Toured Hampden Estates Rum Company (Rum Fire), Trelawny, Jamaica
- “What one rum can’t do, three rums can” – The Importance of Tiki in the World of Rum , The Aiken Rum Club, Aiken, SC
- Covered BevCon, Charleston, SC
- Visited Cane Rhum Bar, Charleston, SC
- Covered Charleston Rum Fest, Charleston, SC
2016 Travels:
- Served as a RumXP Judge at the Miami Rum Renaissance Festival, Miami, FL
- Covered the Midwest Rum Festival, Chicago, IL
- Covered The Hukilau, Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Covered Rum Runners (Charleston Rum Fest), Charleston, SC
- Covered BevCon, Charleston, SC
- Rum presentation, From Rum Fan To Rum Judge – Evaluating and Judging Rum, The Aiken Rum Club, Aiken, SC
- Covered presentations by Ed Hamilton (Hamilton Rum) and Tim “Swanky” Glazner (Mai-Kai: History and Mystery of the Iconic Tiki Restaurant), Cane Rhum Bar, Charleston, SC
2015 Travels:
- Served as a judge on the inaugural Rum XP Consumer Rum Jury, Rum Renaissance Festival, Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Covered The Hukilau, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Scott French
The Rum Trader
scott@therumtrader.com