What is my connection to Panama Pacific Rum?

My preference for rum developed slowly. Especially when I'm at the beach on vacation, I enjoy drinking cocktails. Of course, there are different preferences, and like others, I had cocktails I preferred over others. I never really thought about my preferences.

That changed in 2007 when a small bar opened right across from my apartment. At that time, I was commuting between Hamburg and Frankfurt for work and only in Hamburg on weekends. Usually, right after arriving on Friday evening, I'd stop by the bar for a quick (or sometimes a bit longer) visit, having one or two cocktails to unwind for the weekend.

David, the bartender, made excellent cocktails and was quite creative. I'd order a cocktail and often just let him surprise me with his creation. Gradually, I realized that the cocktails I enjoyed the most were all rum-based. That's how I discovered my preference for rum.

When I started my online business for hammocks in 2014, I also began selling various types of rum, mainly those suitable for crafting high-quality cocktails. From my perspective, hammocks and cocktails are a perfect combination that brings about great vibes.

My colleagues are well aware that I sell rum and hammocks. One colleague shares my rum preference, and since we both enjoy traveling extensively, we often bring back a bottle of rum as a souvenir from our journeys and try them out together once or twice a year.

This same colleague once suggested that we attend a spirits fair together. That's how we ended up going to the Hanse Spirit event in 2019. There, we got to meet the organizers of the German Rum Festival and learned so many interesting things about rum at their booth that we decided to attend the German Rum Festival as well.

Finally, in 2021, we got the chance. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the 10th German Rum Festival, postponed by a year, became the first major event we attended after a long hiatus. And it was truly worth it.

Of course, at such an event, you can only sample a limited number of rums. But my personal favorite that evening was the Panama Pacific Rum, a very straightforward, unpretentious, high-quality rum with a fantastic flavor profile. The day after, I ordered that rum and added it to my selection.