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

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!

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