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 1100+ 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 (2024), I will be at in a number of events on the Rum, Tiki & Cocktail schedule. If you see me at an event please say hello. I love meeting fellow Rum and Tiki Lovers!
To learn even more about me please read an interview I did with TheRumLab.com
Past Travels
2021 Travels:
- Covered The Hukilau, Fort Lauderdale, FL
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