The Ministry of Rum was the largest destination for discussion about rum on the internet. Industry experts, including representatives from some of the most widely-known and well-respected rum companies shared often shared insights exclusively in that group.
Opinions were also shared by award-winning authors, and other authority figures in the rum industry. Many of whom have been acknowledged by Imbibe, Tales of the Cocktail, and Drinks International as some of the most powerful and influential people in the rum industry.
Discussions in the Ministry of Rum often moved beyond that Facebook group, and have influenced conversations in other groups, in Zoom discussions, and in real life.
As testimony to how important the Ministry of Rum is/was; When veretan spirits journalist Tony Sachs wanted to write about The 21 Best Rums of the 21st Century, he turned to the Ministry of Rum for the opinions of members. Additionally, award-winning rum writer Matt Pietrek has credited both the rise in popularity of Foursquare Rum and the word Solera gaining a bad reputation to discussions within the Ministry of Rum.
Due to their ability to ban users, suppress posts or or otherwise dismiss opinions that they disagree with, moderators of the Ministry of Rum are able to erase entire perspectives from having any impact on the rum industry. Similarly powerful, are influential members, who have access to brands due to their positions as brand ambassadors and bar managers.
Collectively, moderators of the Ministry of Rum, and influential members have protected the interests of companies that they have relationships with. They have protected those companies by policing the speech of anyone who raises concerns about these companies.
A look at the events of 2020 and early 2021 within the Ministry of Rum show how moderators and influential members protected Luca Gargano, the founder and CEO of a distributor called Velier.
January 2020 – Strong Barbados GI Campaign
On January 16th 2020, the moderators of the Ministry of Rum issued an open letter to Maison Ferrand asking them to change their position on the Geographical Indication for Barbados rum. They argued that due to concerns about Maison Ferrand’s colonialist and unethical behavior, they could no longer remain neutral. Several weeks afterward were spent urging members to boycott Maison Ferrand, co-sign their open letter, and speak out publicly against the company.
April 2020 – Wear a Mask to Flatten the Curve
By the middle of April, mask wearing had become a well-accepted, and government promoted method of mitigating the Covid 19 pandemic in many parts of the world.
Many in the rum industry urged compliance so that the closure of bars and restaurants could be minimized. People who questioned or mocked the wearing of masks were widely considered to be insensitive to hospitality workers whose livelihood suffered during the closure of bars and restaurants.
Due to the importance of hospitality workers to the rum industry, mocking the wearing of masks also resulted in instant bans within the Ministry of Rum.
May 2020 – George Floyd Protests
By the end of May, the George Floyd protests were rapidly growing, and would eventually grow into the largest protest movement in American history. Major concerns of the movement included police brutality and systemic racism. The rum industry entered a short period where podcasts and presentations on race relations featuring American bartenders became popular, and there was widespread agreement that overt racism in the rum industry was unacceptable. Critics pointed out the performative activism and outright hypocrisy from an industry that was making no substantial change. They were labelled difficult, problematic, and banned from the Ministry of Rum.
June 2020 – Plantation Name Change Announced
On the 29th of June, Maison Ferrand announced a name change for Plantation Rum. This was supported by critics of the brand who had long called for a change to a name they considered offensive, and by supporters of the brand who saw this as a positive move.
People born and living in the Caribbean pointed out that they weren’t as offended by the name as some American bartenders because Plantation is a common place name in the region. They were publicly accused of being racist and banned from the Ministry of Rum.
In the example below, a moderator of the Ministry of Rum takes a screenshot of two members both born and living in the Caribbean explaining why they were not offended by the word “Plantation” and shares it in another group called Sugarcane and Sugarcane Accessories that is also run by Ministry of Rum moderators, but focused on activism. In that group, Ministry of Rum moderators, representatives from Caribbean rum companies, and prominent rum industry figures openly refer to them as racists and repeatedly compare them to feces.
July 2020 – The CEO of Goya expresses support for Trump
On the 9th of July 2020, at the launch of a food security initiative; Robert Unanue the CEO of Goya Foods stood next to the President of the United States and said that he considered the United States to be “truly blessed” to have Trump as the President of the country, calling him an “incredible builder”. Later that day, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez retweeted a post encouraging those who disliked Trump to make their shopping decisions accordingly and stop buying Goya products which ultimately lead to an increase in sales.
Moderators and influential members of the Ministry of Rum supported boycotts of Goya products within the Ministry of Rum, and in Sugarcane and Sugarcane Accessories due to their opinion that Trump is fascist and racist. They acknowledged that strong support for Trump exists among Latin Americans and the Caribbean diaspora, but concluded that such people are beyond help, and will continue to be banned from the Ministry of Rum.
The anti-Trump stance continued until (and beyond) the US Presidential Election later that year, alongside anti-Maison Ferrand activism, the mass-banning of participants that they disagree with, and coordination of their activities in Zoom calls and in Sugarcane and Sugarcane Accessories.
February 2021 – Luca Gargano of Velier expresses support for Trump, mocks the wearing of masks, claims Covid was planned, fantasizes about underdevelopment and exploitation in Haiti
On the final day of February in 2021, screenshots of posts made by Luca Gargano began to circulate on social media. Gargano is the owner of an Italian rum company called Velier that imports and distributes rum from several Caribbean countries. He was also an organizer of the event referred to as the “Rum Tasting of the Century” where another organizer claimed that rum distilled in 1780 had no connection to slavery.
The screenshots from Gargano’s public social media account included one that seemed to fetishize underdevelopment and exploitation in Haiti, another post where he seemed to equate being asked to wear a mask with being forced into chattel slavery, and his promotion of a Sinophobic conspiracy theory alleging that the Covid 19 pandemic was planned. He praised Trump and referred to him as “our only hope against digital slavery”.
By early March, members of the Ministry of Rum started discussing the fact that Luca Gargano was a fanatical supporter of Trump, actively mocked covid mitigation methods at a time when bartenders were concerned about the impact of covid on their careers, and seemed to see the Caribbean as a place for Europeans to exploit with the assistance of local elites.
Moderators of the Ministry of Rum initially accused anyone who raised concerns about possible exploitation in Haiti of having ulterior motives, before locking the forum for over a month to suppress anti-Gargano sentiment.
After reopening the Ministry of Rum, they asked members to treat others with respect, after a year of allowing, and encouraging members to refer to people as fascists and feces. A new rule was also introduced, and for a short time enforced that disallowed criticism of companies.
Moderators and influential members who protected Luca Gargano from criticism continue to promote themselves as progressive figures in the rum industry and continue to profit from talking about progressive issues at rum and cocktail events.