Whether you’re a seasoned rum connoisseur or a social sipper, Festival RumBahamas is the perfect place to sample delicious rum beverages and learn about rum’s rich history in the Caribbean! It’s taking place February 27-March 1, so if you’re in Nassau Paradise Island that weekend, be sure to check out the festival. Choose your own favorite from more than 30 varieties of rum being sampled and feast on fresh, delicious local food.

Over the course of the three-day festival, you can sit in on presentations by beverage experts, learn how to pair rum and food, see historic reenactments, hear Bahamian music, watch street performers and Junkanoo rush, and more! You’ll also be able to see the judging panel taste and score rums and crown the weekend’s winners.

Get ready for Festival RumBahamas by brushing up on some rum trivia! Did you know…

• Rum is made from sugarcane byproducts, such as molasses, or using sugarcane juice. The liquid is fermented and distilled, then aged in oak barrels.
• The majority of the world’s rum is produced in the Caribbean and Latin America.Light rums are typically used in cocktails, while dark rums have traditionally been consumed individually or used for cooking. In more recent years, it’s become more common for dark rum to be used in mixed drinks.
• Rum has long been associated with pirates, who swilled “bumbo”, a drink made from rum, water, sugar, and nutmeg. Pirates loved bumbo because it tasted better than the Royal Navy’s drink of choice: “grog”, which consisted of rum mixed with water and lemon or lime juice.
• One of the most well-known and profitable periods for the Bahamian “rum running” trade started during Prohibition in the United States. In 1920, it became illegal to manufacture and sell alcohol in the US, and Bahamians saw the illegal export of alcohol to the US as a great moneymaking opportunity.
• Many rumrunners went on to be very successful. In fact, Sir Roland Symonette, who became the first Premier of The Bahamas in 1964, was a former rumrunner.
• The importation of alcohol in Nassau grew from 50,000 quarts in 1917 to 10,000,000 quarts by 1922.

Feeling thirsty? Check out the RumBahamas Festival February 27-March 1, or book a visit to John Watling’s Distillery in Nassau any time, where you can immerse yourself in 175 years of rum-making history!