Mutiny: Arctic Wolf goes to the dark side

[Capn Jimbo]

The ground had been rumbling...

I grew up in a rural community, not far from a small airport and about half a mile from the railroad tracks. All of us visited those tracks, usually to place a penny or nickel on them and wait for the train to creat a smashed thin coin for our collections. How'd we know when to place our coins? Easy. We listened for the rumble.

And so it goes with the Artic Wolf and his "Rum Howler Blog".

I still remember the first time I ran across the Artic Wolf - a gentleman from Canada. He'd apparently made an fawning appearance over at the Shillery of Rum, soon to be followed by an alliance with a commercial website wherein - with garnered advice - created his own "method" of rum tasting:

"The Dykstra Method".

Because he'd made it clear that he was new to rum I did find this a bit presumptuous, particularly noting that no other web taster had ever done so. Not to mention that he hadn't really tasted many rums in the first place, and that the few reviews he'd posted were actually a bit silly. Of course I posted a piece on the "method" (link) , to which Chip respectfully replied. We exchanged a couple emails and I found the Wolf to be a complete but careful gentleman, whose primary experience had been in whiskey.

Rumble.

At this point I noted that his website had undertaken a makeover, and a surprising number of new rums quickly reviewed. Since we'd left things in a gentlemanly fashion, I posted a couple comments on his reviews and emailed him about the #1 issue in rum: the common and unadmitted alteration of pure rums with all manner of flavorings, spices, additives and adulterants. The Artic one gave me a cool shoulder and simply demurred to comment (citing his lack of rum tasting experience).

Rumble.

This sure seemed like a awful lot of product and "reviews", when I then noted that he had "arrangements" with some local retailers or distributors to supply him with free rum. Nice arrangement, but I can tell you from experience that even something as apparently simple as a free bottle makes it harder to post honest commentary. "Thanks for the rum - it's crap!" is less likely. This actually happened to us with the "Flare Glass" - a freebie that we had to give a very negative review (not easy, sorry guys). Free gifts and negative reviews don't mix well.

Rumble, rumble.

Skip ahead: to the fabled, gabled Rum Renaissance in Miami where, to my surprise, the Artic Wolf appeared as one of Brother Burr's "XP (uh, expert) judges" and fellow bon vivant in what has to be one of the most commercial rum "competitions" I know of. I remember too how the Burr Brothers had earlier made a habit of attending the Queen's festivals - mostly to spend their time cementing relationships with the distillers and the commercial rum inner circle. Believe me, the last thing you want is for another rum promoter(s) to attend your fest and pick off your sponsors. But so it goes. What was the Artic Wolf really doing in the tropics?

Rumble, rumble, RUMBLE!!

And then I saw it! At the Shillery - where else - the Artic Wolf announced his affiliation with a pirate-themed rum fest. He'd crossed over to the dark side - commercial promotion of rum requiring intimate butt-kissing relations with the suppliers and distillers. Trust me, we know. Sue Sea was once approached by the Queen of Rum and the first thing she told Sue Sea was:

"Don't you dare criticize any rums or distillers if you want to stay in business. "

This all based on the fact that after tasting Zacapa 23 (and giving it a half decent review) that Sue Sea had opined that it wasn't to her taste, and that she'd not be inclined to buy another bottle of it (and we still haven't). It was not long before the Queen's proposed "co-promotion" fell apart (yet another fascinating story). We were simply too honest for her majesty.

Ka-BOOM!

This is the dark side, and the Artic Wolf just thundered through, crushing my non-commerical penny into smithereens. This despite his earlier protestations that his website and "method" were just a labor of love.

Maybe love of money?

Still, I truly like the Artic Wolf, a true gentleman and an engaging businessman. Chip, I wish you well in your new endeavor. Now mind you I do think it's - barely - possible to promote a commercial venture AND retain one's integrity: by associating only with those rums you personally and honestly find favorable.

Fat chance, I know. But at least I have new pretty pressed penny for my collection...