Santa Teresa Rum’s Josh Campbell On National Rum Day & The Life Of A Spirit Brand Ambassador

One of the Caribbean’s first rum producers, Ron Santa Teresa is a family company with over 200 years of heritage. The brand is present in more than 30 countries. As known for its quality, the company’s Santa Teresa 1796 rum results from a careful blend of finely-aged spirits that are further aged in a style borrowed from the Spanish sherry producers. Simply put, it is the first premium añejo rum in the world to be aged in the Solera method, which is unique to the entire rum world.

In honor of National Rum Day 2018, I had the pleasure of doing Q&A with Santa Teresa brand ambassador Josh Campbell. More on Santa Teresa can be found online at www.ronsantateresa.com.

How did you find your way into the world of spirits and wind up working with Santa Teresa?

Josh Campbell: My first interaction with the world of spirits was working as a bar back in upstate New York. Over time, I worked my way up the ranks to head bartender at Buffalo Proper, and eventually into an amazing opportunity to open my own bar in Buffalo New York. The bar, Pasion, is a Latin American and rum-focused bar, which was important to me given my Guyanese background. Because the program was so heavily focused on rum from the start, I gained some attention from the Santa Teresa brand ambassador at the time, and was offered a few opportunities with the brand here and there. The rest of the story is history — I moved into the city and took my current job!

Were you always into rum?

Josh Campbell: Always. My entire family is Guyanese so I grew up surrounded by rum. It’s been my go-to spirit for all cocktails as it’s extremely versatile and holds a deep flavor profile that most other spirits lack.

What is a day in the life as a brand ambassador like? How much travel is involved with your work?

Josh Campbell: A normal day for me, usually I visit between 6 to 8 bars each day in both New York City and upstate in Rochester and Buffalo. It’s an incredible opportunity to connect with the bars and bartenders through the city, learn what they’re up to, follow the cocktail trends, and build relationships. One of my favorite things about Santa Teresa is that it’s a well-known and respected spirit across the bartender community, so being able to share the brand with top accounts is an incredible experience. In terms of travel, I spend a lot of time on the train between the city and upstate.

To you, what separates Santa Teresa from other rums? Is it the ingredients? The legacy?

Josh Campbell: There’s very little “fluff” — for lack of a better word — in the brand overall. As an independent and family owned company for over 200 years, Santa Teresa has built a long standing legacy in Venezuela both for its production of rum and its contribution to the surrounding community. The rum itself is aged and produced with the Solera Method, a system originally used for the production of brandy and sherry but adapted by the Vollmer family to be used for rum. This makes an exceptionally unique product with a dry yet well-aged profile.

Additionally, the Vollmer family continues to be active in their home community in Aragua to this day. Alberto Vollmer, the current CEO of the brand, founded the brand’s most notable initiative, Project Alcatraz, in 2003. The project recruits criminal gangs, rehabilitates them and reinserts them into society, using the sport of rugby to teach values of respect, discipline, teamwork, and humility as the keys to success in life. It’s incredible to be a part of a brand so dedicated to both producing premium product as well as investing in its origin.

Of all the Santa Teresa varieties available, do you have a favorite?

Josh Campbell: Yes! Santa Teresa 1796 is my favorite from the brand. The process that goes into making this one bottle of rum — the Solera system, the combination of the three different distillates, and the aging between 4 and 35 years — is perfectly-detailed and patiently created to produce a rum unlike any other. The result is a smooth, dry, balanced rum with notes of wood, nuts, leather, cinnamon, and dark chocolate. It bodes well to spirit forward, stirred cocktails such as the Old Fashioned, Negroni, or Manhattan.

Do you have a drink of choice when it comes to Santa Teresa?

Josh Campbell: I love the way that Santa Teresa lends itself into a variety of cocktails, but if I’m searching for something refreshing I go for a Santa Teresa Mojito or a Queen’s Park Swizzle. Otherwise I love having Santa Teresa on the rocks.

What is coming up for Santa Teresa?

Josh Campbell: Autumn! Santa Teresa rum falls in line with the Scotch lover’s bar cart, which is the perfect sipping spirit for the cooler weather. We’re excited to have the season shortly upon us as this is when my favorite spirit forward cocktails reappear on bar menus across the country.

When not busy with Santa Teresa, how do you like to spend your free time?

Josh Campbell: I love heading back upstate when I have the time, especially now, in the summer. My significant other and I enjoy taking advantage of the lakes and warm weather.

As a music-themed publication I must ask: What was the last concert you attended for fun?

Josh Campbell: The last concert I saw was Erykah Badu out on Coney Island.

Finally, Josh, any last words for the kids?

Josh Campbell: Raise your rum and drink responsibly!

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Tags: Alberto Vollmer, Erykah Badu, Guyana, National Rum Day, New York, Project Alcatraz, Santa Teresa Rum, Spirits

About the Author

Darren Paltrowitz Darren Paltrowitz is a New York resident with over 20 years of entertainment industry experience. He began working around the music business as a teenager, interning for the manager of his then-favorite band Superdrag. Since then, he has worked with a wide array of artists including OK Go, They Might Be Giants, Mike Viola, Tracy Bonham, Loudness, Rachael Yamagata, and Amanda Palmer. Darren's writing has appeared in dozens of outlets including the New York Daily News, Inquisitr, The Daily Meal, The Hype Magazine, All Music Guide, Guitar World, TheStreet.com, Businessweek, Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, and the Jewish Journal. Beyond being "Editor At Large" for The Hype Magazine, Darren is also the host of weekly "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" series, which airs on dozens on television and digital networks. He has also co-authored 2 published books, 2018's "Pocket Change: Your Happy Money" (Book Web Publishing) and 2019's "Good Advice From Professional Wrestling" (6623 Press), and co-hosts the world's only known podcast about David Lee Roth, "The DLR Cast."