The First-Ever Caribbean Rum Awards

By the Caribbean Journal staff

The first-ever Caribbean Rum Awards was held in Saint Lucia this weekend, and the winners have been selected.

The awards, curated by Caribbean Journal and a team of nine judges, covered six categories, including white rum, white rhum agricole, best rum, best rhum agricole, spiced rum and gold rum, all judged in a blind tasting held at The Landings resort.

So who won?

Guyana’s El Dorado 12 took home the crown as the Best Rum, while Martinique’s Rhum JM VO took home the top honors for Best Rhum Agricole.

Barbados’ Doorly’s Macaw won best white rum, while Florida’s Siesta Key won for best spiced rum and St. Lucia’s own Bounty Premium Gold won the award for best gold rum.

“It was an incredibly competitive field of 32 rums for this first annual Caribbean Rum Awards,” said Alexander Britell, editor and publisher of Caribbean Journal. “The rums were a remarkably diverse portfolio, and just about every category was neck and neck. We can’t wait for next year’s field.”

The Caribbean Rum Awards were produced in partnership with the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority as part of the Saint Lucia Food and Rum Festival headlined by world-renowned chef Marcus Samuelsson.

Special thanks to the international judges, who included St Barth’s Christopher Davis, the Bahamas’ Toby Tyler, the United States’ Steven Shaw and Martinique’s Guy Ferdinand.

See the full lists of winners and medalists below:

White Rum

Best White Rum: Doorly’s Macaw (Barbados)

Double Gold: Bounty Premium White Rum (Saint Lucia)

Gold: Brugal Special Extra Dry (Dominican Republic)

Best Rum

Best Rum: El Dorado 12 (Guyana)

Double Gold: 1931 by St Lucia Distillers (Saint Lucia)

Gold: Chairman’s Reserve The Forgotten Casks (Saint Lucia)

Best White Rhum Agricole

Best: Rhum Neisson Bio 52.5 (Martinique)

Double Gold: Rhum Dillon Ti’ Fle’ Ble’ (Martinique)