In Conversation With: Peter Holland, Foursquare & Boutique-y

"I'm happiest when I'm helping people to understand the complex world of Rum." Peter Holland is passionate about rum. We speak to him about his journey, from blogging to working with That Boutiquey-y Rum Company and being the UK Brand Ambassador for Foursquare.

How did your journey towards loving rum start?

In the early 1990s, I started dating a young lass (now my wife) whose family originated in the Caribbean and that provided something of a soft launch into Rum. Sunday afternoons at the in-law's frequently involved family friends visiting, and this normally involved the social lubricant we call Rum. I have a Barbadian Mother-in-Law and a Vincentian Father-in-Law, and it was normal to have folks from Jamaica, Trinidad and other Carribean countries around. Small steps at that time - Mount Gay Eclipse generally.

My wife and I travelled widely, visiting several places in the Caribbean for holidays, and we decided at that time we quite fancied starting a website to talk about our encounters with Rum. That didn't get anywhere as such, but TheFloatingRumShack was registered (if not actually launched). A fluky chance of events then saw us in London at the same weekend as the second annual RumFest in 2008, and we thought it would be fun to pop along on the Saturday. We went back on the Sunday, and the rest (as they say) is history. We dove headlong into a world of Rum Clubs, events, travel and more. Absolutely made the most of what was an up and coming scene.

You have many titles in the world of rum – what does your work in rum look like in an average month?

These days, I'm mainly engaged with brand representation for Foursquare Rum Distillery. But I host a monthly category/theme (rather than brand-led) Rum Club that keeps me more broadly involved with Rum, and I'm involved with consulting-type activities. We're just coming off the back of the spirits festival season, and generally, brand training activities fade away in the run-up to Christmas, so I support the importers and retailers in shops around the UK with in-store sampling. It's nice actually to engage with folks in a retail setting, as it's a good reset and reminder of how the Rum category is perceived by regular folks rather than the self-selected enthusiasts we get at Rum shows.

I'm happiest when I'm helping people to understand the complex world of Rum. We really do have so many styles and occasionally conflicting perceptions that must be mind-boggling to those coming to the category for the first time. I have to keep myself sharp of course, and judging for spirits competitions helps me in this regard.

...And I'm kicking myself for not getting the website back up and running - a promise I make myself annually right about this time, haha.
 

That Boutiquey Rum Company came as a development from That Boutiquey Whisky Company and continues the humorous, fun approach to labelling coupled with plenty of information included. How important do you think that has been for the brand’s success?

I hate the stuffiness of some. I have always loved the Boutique-y vibe. There was a definite style and dry sense of humour, and it was perfect me: details as needed, but delicious liquid first and foremost. I was honoured when Ben Ellefsen reached out to see if I wanted to be involved. I'm not sure I was actually ready, and I know that if I could do it again, I'd take a different approach with the project team. For the same reason that Boutique-y Whisky is a brand that's not for everyone, Boutique-y Rum followed the same vibe, but if you're being generic enough to appeal to all then you're offering something that won't be that exciting. The best part was not being afraid to release things that frankly were ahead of their time in a wider market.

What sort of things did you look for when selecting a rum for TBRC?

I felt it was important to strike a balance between more approachable, recognisable Rums and point of origin with whatever 'out there' or relatively unknown options that I was allowed to buy. My goal is to try and bring something new to people's tasting glasses. And we really needed to be more present in the market to make this work, but I'm generally very, very happy with what we bottled. 

Is there a particular release that you are particularly proud of?

It's more a sub-category, namely Agricole Rums from Madeira, that makes me happy. I believe one other Scandinavian bottler managed to get a release out before us, but TBRC managed to bottle multiple Rums from three of the four (at the time) producers from the beautiful island of Madeira. And that makes me really happy (although I'd loved to have bottled all four). When the Rum Cast podcast drops your name as being something of a Madiera Rum expert, you know you've done something right.

I know that because of me, there is a lot more Rum produced from sugarcane juice rather than molasses in the range. This makes it difficult for some in the sales team and  importers or distributors around the world, because it requires a higher  level of understanding for the Rum category than most actually have. Specialists and geeks are in short supply. No regrets though. It was good to put some truly delicious Rums in peoples glasses.

 
Is there a memory or experience from your time at Boutiquey that particularly shaped your rum journey/career?

If I'm being honest, there isn't a single event. Bringing a bottling to market involved working with a number of folks in a team, and that process was an education and a frustration at times. I value all of it and am a better person for it.

That said, I guess making a purchase from a small-scale producer had implications that I never realised were even on the table. In my mind, I was just laying hands on some fab Rum. To them, the cash sale allowed investment and brought exposure and notoriety that I'd never thought of. We are still firm friends, and I continue to be a fan of his work. The ability to make an impact on real people rather than corporations is amazing.

 
You are also the UK Brand Ambassador for Foursquare. They are widely regarded as one of the most respected rum producers in the world, with numerous award-winning releases. What excites you most about representing such a respected brand?

I'm so damn lucky to have this gig in some respects, and yet I know that my mindset to the Rum category is just what Richard Seale was looking for at the time. I know that lots of people would like my job, and that keeps me on my toes, but I feel that my personality and work ethic is actually the best fit for the brand. Not overly showy or boastful. Education driven and enthusiastic for Authentic Rum.

The core range of Doorly's Rums are all excellent, and each offers different qualities. The more time I spend with them, the more I respect them. The Exceptional Cask Selections just keep raising the bar on how good Rum can be. Rewind to the 2005 release for example - ground breaking in the way that it changed people's perceptions, yet with each ECS release, we seem to have something even better to sip. Folks might say they prefer X over Y in terms of releases, but we are all quibbling over the very top end of Rum, rather than pointing out some real failures. A chap's least favourite ECS is still very likely to score very highly in some of the worlds most trusted spirits competitions. It's a matter of personal preference of course.

The exciting thing is, that as good as things are right now, I know that the way forward is only going to ever going to go up. We have a bond of trust with Richard Seale. We know that he is under zero pressure to release anything he's not happy with, and so we can trust him to release only the best liquid. It's very exciting to consider the next five, ten, twenty years...  just hope I'm still around to be involved.

 
If you could share a glass of rum with anyone in history, who would it be and why?

I can honestly say I've never considered this question before! But the first and most obvious person I'd hit up would be Donn Beach (Don the Beachcomber), or Ernest Raymond Gantt as he was named on his birth certificate. His understanding of Rum profiles from around the Caribbean feels instinctual, and whilst he perhaps rode on the coattails of some excellent bartenders, I would  still love to explore his thoughts on the whys and wherefores. A snapshot of the category back then would be fascinating.

Also, and at the risk of sounding like a brand-lacky, I reckon chatting with Reginal Leon Seale (the founder of the company in 1926) would be pretty cool. His thoughts on Rum would surely be really interesting. How did he see and understand Rum. We view the world through a modern lens, and it would be instructive to take a step back in time and understand the world of Rum then. Equally Fred Myers would be an excellent opportunity.

 
What advice would you give to someone just starting to explore rum?

Please please please don't let someone else's opinion prevent you from trying a Rum for yourself!

 I'd like to think I've formed an instinctive understanding of Rum that allows me to form opinions based on technical process details, blending and bottling. But that all comes from trying lots and lots of different Rums. I now know what I prefer, but that comes from a wealth of sipping experience. If you don't taste something trashy from a constructed brand based out of the Philippines then what points of reference can you draw on when evaluating something unknown. I'm not saying buy every bottle - definitely don't do that - but do go to as many Rum Festivals as you can, and try as much as you can, and not just the perceived 'top end' - although I understand the pleasure associated with such endeavours.

 
What do you see for the future of rum?

The top end of Rum will continue to develop for sure. The bottom end will continue to drop away with more and more trash masquerading under the banner of 'ultra premium'. But generally, I'm excited to be on the journey!

Our auctions contain a great range of rum every month, with Foursquare one of the most popular rums we see. In our December 2024 Auction, we are also delighted to feature many of the early bottles of That Boutique-y Rum Company's releases.