NEW ORLEANS– A couple from Florida aims to travel the world in search of rum and to find incredible adventures along the way! Husband and wife team Joe Horstkamp and Myssi Davis created “Rum Traveler,” where they share their experiences through their website and on social media.
Rum Traveler is a collaboration which aims to educate and excite people about all types of rum and the unique places where the variety of rums are made.
Joe and Myssi currently have collected about 400 different rums from 37 countries in their collection. They started collecting the rums in 2005, but have acquired the majority of their rums within the last five years.
When asked why do you love rum? Mysssi replied, “My love for rum began with a love for the tropics, and specifically the islands of the Caribbean. The first island I visited was St. Vincent, where they make a 169 proof rum that is used in everything from fresh coconut drinks to French Toast. It was exciting to bring a bottle of “Strong Rum” (as the locals call it) back home to share with our friends.”
When asked why do you love rum? Joe replied, “I was first introduced to rum at a party with my friends, and it quickly became my spirit of choice. After a few years of drinking spiced rum and coke, my first visit to the Caribbean opened my eyes to different types of rum. Traveling to the Caribbean became an annual trip, and what began as vacations and excursions for SCUBA diving turned into collecting rums from each destination. Visiting different distilleries on various islands, I found it intriguing that the same scientific process of making rum could result in a different final product depending on the equipment, production techniques, ingredients, and geographical location.”
They’ve collected hundreds of rums, but which ones are their favorites?
Myssi said, “I really enjoy rums that exemplify and celebrate the terroir of where they are made. Certain rums such as those from Jamaica, Barbados, and Martinique have unique characteristics that reflect the raw materials, fermentation process, and distillation methods used in those countries. Sipping rums like these brings back fond memories of the places I’ve visited and makes me yearn to visit others.”
Joe said, “Historically, Jamaica and Barbados are the islands people generally associate wtih rum, so it isn’t surprising that rums from those islands make up a large number of our bottles. Truthfully though, if I try a rum and I like it I want it in my collection. When having a drink at home to relax, I prefer aged rums and unique barrel finished rums. Limited-edition small batch rums are also great to have from a collector’s standpoint. The rums that are the most fun to collect are the ones that have a unique story, whether it’s a story behind the rum itself, or our experience while obtaining it.”
For more information about Rum Traveler, click HERE.
