Inaugural Mauritian rum festival heralds global export push

Aiming to make its mark on the global rum scene, the island of Mauritius held its first rum festival at the end of August.

The two-day event was backed by Enterprise Mauritius and hosted by global rum ambassador Ian Burrell, overseeing blind tastings, cocktail masterclasses and lectures at the Sugar Beach hotel.

A second day of the event at the annual Maitex (Mauritius International Trade Exhibition) show opened its doors to the public.

While Mauritius has been producing molasses rum for many years, it was only in 2006 that the government sanctioned the distilling of sugar cane juice and several producers are now looking to export these agricole products.

In order to maintain momentum in the sector, Mauritius also plans to take part in RumFest Berlin (October 5-6) and next year’s London and Paris events.

There are also plans to make next year’s event on the island a week-long affair.