No need to introduce Andy Seymour, one of America’s top educators of all great liquid libations with a place of origin and as well as recognized educator of cocktails.

Miami was his most recent stop on his Agricole Session tour, and why not? This town loves its rum. Andy invited 35 Miami area bartenders for an intimate “Rhum Agricole” seminar-lunch-tasting, November 12, at Dolce Restaurant at The Gale Hotel on South Beach.

Each guest was welcomed with a traditional French Caribbean Ti Punch. As everyone settled down in front of flights totaling more than 15 rhums, Seymour explained with pedagogy, jokes and conviviality, why the Rhum Agricole category is unique, how terroir is the backbone of Agricole character and individuality, and how the great makers of this spirit respect tradition and capture the raw features and benefits of the sugarcane and its micro-climate. Seymour lead our adventure into Rhum Agricole, tasting flights of rhum blanc (unaged), rhum Paille (gold in color aged up to 2 years approximately), and rhums aged around 4 years. Cocktails featuring rhums of each segment of the session and light food were paired and served between flights. To finish, we were left with exquisite sipping rhums of about ten years of age from Clément and J.M.; however Andy explained to us this was an extra treat, and this seminar was more focused on the raw spirit of Rhum Agricole, and how cocktails can benefit from the terroir-driven profile.

The rhums in each flight were not labeled allowing the bartenders to draw their own conclusions of each spirit in the glasses in front of them, which opened into a wild forum of expressions and opinions under Seymour’s guidance. At the end of each flight, Seymour announced rhums in each glass. Represented in the tasting were iconic Rhum Agricole brands from Martinique: Clément, Depaz, St. James, La Favorite and Rhum J.M, as well as a representative from Guadeloupe, Damoiseau, rounded out with Barbancourt from Haiti, and St. George from California.

The Agricole Session will continue in 2014 with seminars being planned in a handful of major cities. Next stop is New York City.