Eric Kaye spent decades of his life as a professional musician and amateur rum aficionado. But, as a composer for film and television, technological advances brought the barrier-to-entry intro so low that the competition for those film contracts started to dry up by 2017, as producers looked for cheaper options, even emplying AI services to do the work previously done by a musician. So Eric Kaye decided it was time to turn his passion for rum into a full-time career.

Eric decided the path he would take would be as an independent bottler of fine rums. As a musician accustomed to travel, it was a logical step that would allow him to visit distilleries, rum caches, and blending houses such as E&A Scheer and the Main Rum Company. He launmched Holmes Cay in 2018 and made big waves immediately with the first release, a Barbadian rum distilled at Foursquare.

In the years following, Holmes Cay has garnered a loyal following by rum and spirits geeks from far and wide. He now offers a wide variety of labels under two primary categories – the Single Cask rums that are hunted and collected by the hardcore rum nerds, and the Single Origin blends that offer a taste and terroir of a particular place like Fiji and Reunion Island.

And just a few days after this episode drops, on June 1 2024, there will be three more releases. So what better time than now to grab a bottle and eavesdrop on this conversation between Eric and myself? Cheers!