Matt Pietrek

Appleton Estate Rum: How the Brand Began The little-known story behind Appleton Estate Special and how it marked the true beginning of Appleton Estate as a rum brand in the 1940s.

While the distillery dates to 1749, we don't see "Appleton Estate" appearing on labels until the 1940s, and it was an usual "rollout" for J. Wray & Nephew.

www.rumwonk.com/p/appleton-e...

Great Books About Whiskey And Rum To Read During Dry January Just because you're not drinking for Dry January doesn't mean you can't read about whiskey and rum — and get your palate ready for February 1st while you're at it.

".... Pietrek paints as complete a picture of the Rum Quay as we’ll likely ever have, and it proves that rum had come a long way from its early kill-devil/rumbullion days... "

Oh hey, I made it into Forbes courtesy of @retromannyc.bsky.social.

www.forbes.com/sites/tonysa...

Good Places for Visitors to Buy Rum in the Caribbean - Part 1 When rum geeks ask, "Where's the best place to buy rum in the Caribbean?" the answer is complicated. Part 1 of this two-part series is a deep dive on the topic.

As much as I love Jamaica, rum-heads going there expecting a bonanza of high-end rums come home very disappointed.

Outside of the very occasional distillery exclusive, the good rums go to the export market and often aren't on-island. Here's the brutal truth:

www.rumwonk.com/p/good-place...

You should, but thankfully, they’re all also available in the US market! Now, if you want something you should pick up and it’s only sold there, look for Charley’s JB white overproof. Also, the Jamaican Captain Morgan, made by Wray & Nephew, not Diageo.

Parting the Fogg: Mister Fogg Navy Rum — Your Questions Answered Your Mister Fogg Questions Answered: Sail N° 1 vs N° 2, availability, the blend, and much more.

There’s been a lot of curiosity—and a bit of confusion—around Planteray’s Mister Fogg Navy Rum, especially the differences between Sail N° 1 and Sail N° 2. I put together an explainer covering what changed, what didn’t, and how the two releases differ.

www.rumwonk.com/p/parting-th...

I first came across “do” in rum export records from several centuries ago. Thank heavens I finally figured it out on my own. A little historian merit badge, if you will.

Révérend de Louisiane - the classic La Louisiane with the rye replaced by Planteray Stiggins’ Fancy.

• 2 ounces Stiggins’ Fancy
• 1/4 ounce Bénédictine
• 3/4 ounce sweet vermouth
• 3 dashes absinthe
3 dashes Peychaud’s bitters

Yes, it slaps.

Your Next Holiday Drink Sensation: The Coquito - Cocktail Wonk A quick and easy recipe for the Coquito, a Puerto Rican Holiday drink made with rum, evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and coconut cream.

Coquito is a fine, rum-tastic holiday tradition. And sharing my Coquito recipe is one of my holiday traditions.

It's super easy! Blend three cans of store-bought ingredients. Add rum. Taste. Add more rum. Repeat as necessary. 😊

cocktailwonk.com/2019/11/coqu...

I had no recollection of writing most of them. So, I asked it to check each link, and it reported that 6 of the 8 links didn't exist but may have at some point.

Here's my response and ChatGPT's reply.

"I’ve been producing confident-sounding citations for articles that were never written, never posted, and never lived on your sites in any form."

Perhaps the most accurate thing ChatGPT ever said.

After asking it about Navy rum, it spit out a list of my articles. Except....
#chatgpt

Want to support a small two-person business while saving 10% on all Wonk Press titles — including already discounted bundles? Just use our Holiday 2025 discount code: WONK2025.

Want to help us out? Like and reshare this to help us reach more folks like you!

Happy Holidays from Team Wonk Press!

What to make first with it? The rum base screams “Mai Tai,” so that’s what I did. To keep it all in the family, I used three parts Xaymaca and one part Mr. Fogg Sail No. 2.

No idea when or where this will be available just yet. Your local Planteray/Ferrand rep should be able to tell you.

How is it? To my palate, the original DC is rich and vanilla-forward, while this one is brighter and pops a tad more. It even brings to mind an orange creamsicle. The difference is quite noticeable to someone experienced in tasting liqueurs. (2 of 3)

Today's pickup: Dry Curaçao “Tropical,” which joins the original and Yuzu Late Harvest in Ferrand’s lineup. What makes it tropical? Rather than the grape distillate of the original, it's built on rum from the West Indies Rum Distillery in Barbados. No great surprise there. (1 of 3)

If you’re interested in rum, I highly recommend Matt’s and Alexandre’s new book “The Rum Never Sets”. It’s detailed, but not too detailed, richly illustrated, and fascinating.

This Man Saved the Royal Navy’s Rum Recipe A forgotten notebook. A chance encounter. The Royal Navy’s rum recipe stayed secret—until now.

For years, the Royal Navy’s true rum recipe felt like a ghost—stories, guesses, half-truths. Then a former Royal Navy storehouse man stepped forward with his handwritten notes to reveal a level of detail never publicly known. The latest on my Rum Wonk Substack.

www.rumwonk.com/p/this-man-s...

Where Does Mount Gay’s New Silver Rum Fit In? Mount Gay drops a new silver rum that's different than almost anything else on your shelf. What’s the scoop?

Mount Gay drops a new silver rum that's different than almost anything else on your shelf. What’s the scoop? The latest from the (always free) Rum Wonk newsletter.

www.rumwonk.com/p/where-does...

Charles Tobias, Pusser's Rum Founder, Passes Remembering Charles Tobias: naval aviator, adventurer, and the man who brought Pusser's rum and the Painkiller to the world.

Fair winds and following seas, Mr. Tobias!

His surprising background and his connection to Michael Fogg of Mr. Fogg fame.

www.rumwonk.com/p/charles-to...

Hurricane Melissa’s Impact on Jamaica’s Rum Makers After Hurricane Melissa tore across Jamaica, the island’s rum makers face an uncertain road ahead. Here’s what we know so far—and what could come next.

Jamaica's rum makers face an uncertain road ahead. Here's what we know so far, along with the additional challenges each distillery may face in resuming operations. My latest on my (always free) Rum Wonk Substack

www.rumwonk.com/p/hurricane-...

What’s the Story with Ron del Barrilito? Unmasking Puerto Rico’s most debated rum. Is Ron del Barrilito flavored, legit, or even the island’s oldest? The truth might surprise you.

Within the rum world, Puerto Rico’s Ron del Barrilito is among today’s most misunderstood rums. While the brand has many fans, including me, questions inevitably pop up when it’s discussed in enthusiast circles. My latest Rum Wonk story tackles them head on.

www.rumwonk.com/p/ron-del-ba...

The joy of this is that some seemingly simple questions are rewarded by 50x the amount of expected learning.

Pull a thread, land a whale.

I really wish that (for a reasonable, non-corporate pricing subscription fee) you could upload your docs to a spot on Google (or similar) and then access them like Google Books.

I hear that. For now I have my own private repository, but thinking about some way to “open source” it at some point. I’d imagine that some entity like Archive.org has could do something like this.

Concur. And not just scan, but OCR and place into a full-text indexed repository.

Jamaica Rum's 2024 GI Revisions Paused Per Court Order A Jamaican court has put enforcement of Jamaica's 2024 rum GI revisions on hold, pending further hearings.

The latest news from Jamaica's long and winding GI process.

www.rumwonk.com/p/jamaica-ru...

Thanks!!!

Tasting Sail No. 2, the second limited-edition of Planteray’s Navy-style rum.

To my palate, No. 2 dials back the fruitcake spices of No. 1, replacing them with more Demerara and heavy Trinidad notes. All in all, I find the No. 2 closer to the flavors I associate with the RN flavor profile.

Tasting Video #49 | my tiny bottles Tammy is joined by Matt Pietrek, AKA Rum Wonk, to taste a tiny bottle of Captain Morgan Gold Label from the 1970s.

Super fun tasting episode with @rumwonk.bsky.social. We puzzle over my Grandma's tiny bottle of 1970s Captain Morgan, talk Jamaican rum history, and compare my bottle to a modern Jamaican bottling. Watch the video or read the transcript at the link, or listen in on your favorite podcast app! 🍸

Equiano Rum - Dueling Ownership Bids Dueling bids for the brand's assets and a founder’s exit —Equiano Rum battle spills into the spotlight.

A follow-up to my earlier story. An Equiano co-founder and large shareholder appears to have purchased the brand's assets, beating out a rival bid from another co-founder.

www.rumwonk.com/p/equiano-ru...

Equiano Rum - What Happened? Ian Burrell announced he’s no longer representing Equiano Rum. UK government filings tell more of the story, including a possible Uncle Nearest connection.

There's more to the recent Equiano news than you may have heard, including an Uncle Nearest connection. The latest from my Rum Wonk newsletter.

www.rumwonk.com/p/equiano-ru...