Food & Rum – two of our favourite things! Every November, Barbados celebrates the Food & Rum Festival. Barbados is known as the culinary capital of the Caribbean along with having some of the finest rums in the world. In honor of the upcoming festival (and our favourite drink) we interviewed Richard Seale of R L Seale, the Master Distiller & Blender at the world renowned Foursquare Rum Distillery.
Richard Seale was born to make rum. RL Seale was founded in 1926 by his great grandfather, making Richard Seale the fourth generation to work in the family rum business.
Over the years, RL Seale / Foursquare has won many awards for their fine rums, but last year was the highlight of Richards career when they won “the Rum Trophy at both major London Competitions in 2016 with two different rums.” They were awarded 5 out of the 9 Gold Medals ‘presented in the Rum Category, which involves hundreds of entries from all over the world, including the Rum Trophy for ‘Foursquare 2006’. In what turned out to be a benchmark year, R L Seale / Foursquare was also named Rum Producer of the Year at the prestigious International Spirits Challenge.’ We had to learn more about this award winning rum.
Q: What makes RL Seale Rum so prestigious?
A: We adhere to traditional methods like the pot still for example, a method with its roots in the 17th century but also, we have a very good and very experienced team at every step of the way.
Q: Which is your favourite RL Seale rum?
A: I do not really have a favourite in terms of preference but Doorlys XO is a very special one for us because it is the rum that put us on the map in the International market. This is the rum that gained us international attention and acclaim.
Q: What makes rum so special?
A: Rum is made from the most aromatic raw material – the sugar cane, it has the most complex of all batch distillation methods – the Caribbean double retort pot still and we have the best climate to mature spirits. No other spirit comes close. When we place the best rums blind in whisky tastings, we come out on top.
Q: What does the future of RL Seale look like?
A: Very good, we have just started in the Far East and we expect to continue to produce some of the world’s most acclaimed rums.
Q: Do you have a suggested rum and food pairing?
A: Have your rum with dessert not after.
Take a Tour!
Doorly’s, Rum 66, Old Brigand, R.L. Seale, Real McCoy and St. Nicholas Abbey are among the many brands Richard Seale has developed and produced. We encourage you to taste the award-winning flavor of R L Seale rums on your next visit to Barbados. We also recommend visiting the Foursquare Distillery where you can learn about the stages of rum making and explore the factory for free. Just follow the self-guided tour – a must for rum lovers!
