A short while ago we told you about the Rum seminar held at 'N'ombra de vin' in Milan by the Authentic Caribbean Rum association and presented by Daniele Biondi. Today we would like to elaborate on the dynamics of the course and the steps that lead to certification.
The WIRSPA (West Indies Rum & Spirits Producers' Association Inc.), which owns the ACR brand, has launched a rum training campaign in Europe and North America aimed at bartenders and industry professionals, starting in April 2014 and running through November 2015: not bad!
The novelty of the initiative then lies in the fact that, after following the seminars located in the different countries, it will be possible to obtain the final certification that will be issued after participating in a specific training to be held in the Caribbean with distillers and master blenders. In fact, participants will have the opportunity to visit some distilleries and see the rum production process in the field: from sugar cane to the glass, the training will delve into the topics of fermentation, distillation, aging and blending. Direct observation in the field then, another very important element.
If it is indeed true that languages are best learned in the country where they are spoken, it is also true that you cannot say you really know a product if you have not studied it from its birth, from the raw material, from the original processing.
So to obtain the First Official Certification of WIRSPA one must take part in both levels: the first level diploma is obtained through participation in the trainings in one's own country and consists of extremely qualifying didactic sessions conducted by members of the International Panel of WIRSPA, initially in Europe (for Italy we remember being held by Daniele Biondi) and soon also in the United States and Canada; the second step, as we said, takes place in the Caribbean, through a week-long training in which, however, only a limited number of participants can take part. At the end of this course, the 'Authentic Caribbean Rum' brand will be obtained.
For all industry professionals who would like to take part in the program, it is necessary to register for the trainings by choosing from the cities on the calendar through the link http://www.acr-rum.com/en/learn/certification_programme#event/
WIRSPA President Frank Ward said, " The launch of this program is a key moment for the Authentic Caribbean Rum brand, which aims to spread knowledge among industry professionals around the world, about the diversity and quality of rum produced in the countries belonging to CARIFORUM." Let's remember them all: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.
The West Indies Rum and Spirits Producers' Association Inc. (WIRSPA) represents the rum producers' associations of all the countries belonging to CARIFORUM, and their strength lies not only in the fact that they have grouped together as many as 15 producing countries but that they have drafted regulations that are the same for all, imposing common parameters while fully respecting the diversity of production adopted in the different areas.
While it is true that Italy is known as one of the most avant-garde countries in the world in the field of liqueurs, spirits and mixologists, it is also true that precisely within our nation the culture of bartending is still held and reserved for a select few. Perhaps it will also be thanks to initiatives such as those of Authentic Caribbean Rum investing in Italy, that blended drinking will begin to take its rightful place and value, starting with the study of all the products that underlie this beautiful world.
