Paul Artrip is a well-known rummier and rum aficionado along with his passion for all premium spirits and mixology. His extensive spirits collection includes over 200 rums, rons, rhums, and cachacas. Paul’s love of spirits ‘spilled’ over into his business, where he created an additional division directed at marketing premium spirits, new products, and mixology.

Paul has conducted numerous tastings throughout the U.S. and the UK. As ‘The Rum Daddy’, Paul performs an entertaining seminar tasting for clientele. He also writes spirits columns for private publications. A judge in the Rum Competition for the 2008 Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans, Paul was also one of the American judges in the 2007 UK RumFest as well as performing seminars on American artisinal spirits; he is returning to the 2008 event to do the same. Paul represented Cockspur Rums (Hood River Distillery) in Miami at the 2008 Gifted Rums Magazine release event. Paul judged in the 2006 and 2007 International Cane Spirits Festivals in Ybor City, Florida, and ran tastings at the 2006 NYC RumFest 2006. Paul actually started with success in tequila, earning the Grand Prize Winner status in the charity-focused Margaritaville Tequila ‘Conky-Tonkin’ Concoction Contest’ in Key West 2005. Paul created the ‘Tastings as Marketing’ Program, aimed towards assisting distillers, distributors, and bars/restaurants with increasing sales of both premium spirits and cocktails.

Paul combines his love of teaching with his desire to support the spirits industry. “I continue to be an enthusiastic student of spirits, constantly striving to learn. I thoroughly enjoy this journey, this exploration of the alchemy of fermentation, and love to share this journey with others.”

This lovely group of people attended a N. VA/Washington DC Rum Tasting I performed late January 2008. We hoped for 20, and had to cut it off at 60 because we ran out of product !!