Key West Rum Fest

The Inaugural Key West Rum Fest is coming to Key West this summer and it is unlike any other rum event, with unique a-la-carte activities and proceeds benefiting the local MARC House charity.  Here's a look at the full itinerary:

Wednesday August 14: The event kicks off with a tour of the Key West First Legal Rum Distillery followed by a sunset sail aboard a 65-foot catamaran with live music and rum cocktails. 

Thursday August 15:  To begin the day, attendees have a choice between a cocktail cruise to a sandbar hosted by Pusser's Rum or a Lower Keys bar crawl on a trolley.  In the afternoon, there's a rum and reggae pool party at The Marker featuring Reif Rum followed by a four-course, rum and cocktail-paired dinner at Hemingway Social Club with Papa's Pilar Rum.  The evening concludes with a rum cocktail competition at Tiki House sponsored by Liquid Alchemist.

Friday August 16: It's no coincidence that this is National Rum Day and there is a full line up of activities to celebrate it.  The day kicks off with another pair of options: a sandbar cocktail cruise, this time with Bombarda Rum, or a bicycle and rum tour of Key West.  In the afternoon, there's a Rodriguez cigar and Papa's Pilar Rum pairing at the Key West Cigar Company, a fresh fruit mojito bar featuring Nauti Beach Rum at the Lighthouse Inn, and a reggae concert, pool party, and cocktail contest hosted by Papa's Pilar Rum at The Marker.  As those events are wrapping up, guests can head over to the Key West Collective Art Studio to meet the Key West Rum Fest owners Leon and Neil, taste La Marielita Rum, and enjoy local artwork.  That evening, singer/songwriter Jesse Rice will perform at the Key West Theater in a concert sponsored by Bacardi.  For those still standing after all of that, the after-party will be at Tiki House.

Saturday August 17: Attendees can start the day with a good deed by participating in a beach cleanup at Smathers Beach sponsored by Demon Rum.  Next up is a trio of educational rum seminars, each paired with a small plate and cocktail: a presentation on George Washington's rum by Steve Bashore; a discussion on the complexities of barrel aging with Paul Menta; and a class on rum distillation led by Shawn Martin.  The Grand tasting event will be held in the evening at Hemingway Rum Company Distillery, where guests can meet distillers and brand owners while tasting expressions from over 30 rum companies.  There will also be a rum cake competition featuring both professional and amateur bakers.

Sunday August 18:  To wrap up the week, there will be a rum punch brunch at the Perry Hotel followed by a farewell reggae concert and pool party at the Southernmost Beach Resort hosted by Captain Morgan. 

Participating rum brands for 2024 include:

• Bacardi (Puerto Rico)
• Big Cypress Distillery (Florida)
• Bombarda (various countries)
• Brugal (Dominican Republic)
• Copalli Rum (Belize)
• Demon Rum (various countries)
• Don Q (Puerto Rico)
• Dos Maderas (various countries)
• Down Island Rum (various countries)
• Flor de Caña (Nicaragua)
• George Washington's Mount Vernon Rum (Virginia)
• Goslings (Bermuda)
• Havana Club (Puerto Rico)
• Holmes Cay (various countries)
• Idle Assembly (various countries)
• Key West First Legal Rum (Florida)
• La Marielita (Panama)
• Marsh House Rum (various countries)
• Mount Gay (Barbados)
• Mur Mur Coconut Rum (various countries)
• Nauti Beach (Florida)
• Noxx & Dun (Florida)
• Pa'Lante Rum (Mexico)
• Papa's Pilar (Florida, USA and various countries)
• Planteray (various countries)
• Pusser's (various countries)
• Reif Rum (Florida)
• Severessence Distilling (Florida)
• Temple Pent's Rum (Florida)
• Wild Hare Distillery (Arizona)