103: Bira Rum and the Emerging Canadian Rum Scene with Karl Mudzamba (and Special Guest Ivar de Laat)

The Rumcast

In this episode, we explore the impressive start of possibly the only independent rum bottler in Canada, Bira Rum. Founder Karl Mudzamba took us inside his journey from Zimbabwe, to playing professional rugby in New Zealand, to starting Bira in his current home of Vancouver, BC. Bira has hit the ground running with unadulterated, cask strength releases from Fiji and South Africa, with much more to come.

Along the way, fellow resident of Canada Ivar de Laat of Rum Revelations hopped on the call with us to chime in on the state of rum in Canada, from the options available to rum enthusiasts to the intriguing rums coming out of Canadian distilleries in recent years.

We discuss:

Karl’s rum origin story

The nuances of the Canadian rum market versus other parts of the world

Up and coming Canadian rum distilleries (yes — they exist!)

The all-night Bira ritual of Zimbabwe’s Shona people

Early lessons in launching a rum brand in Canada

How Karl landed on Fiji and South Africa for his initial bottlings

The quest for geeky unaged Fijian rum

Do sugary rums help introduce rum to more people?

The Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) as one of the world’s chief rum villains

What’s next for Bira

And much more!

To learn more about Bira Rum, check out their website at https://www.birarum.com/

Also, be sure to check out Ivar's website Rum Revelations at https://www.rumrevelations.com/

P.S. Did you know you can support The Rumcast on Patreon now and get bonus episodes, happy hours, and more? You can! Head to patreon.com/therumcast to check it out.