Early November is one of the best times to visit the remarkable French Caribbean island of St Barth. 

You won’t find the crowds of December and January, but the villas, hotels, restaurants and hotspots are open. (Here’s all you need to know about where to stay on the island and here’s how to get there). 

The weather is just about perfect, that unparalleled hybrid between summer heat and winter cool. 

But there’s one particularly great reason to visit St Barth in November: the Caribbean Rum Awards, set for Nov. 2-7, 2021 in St Barth. 

Now in its fourth year, it’s an epic, week-long celebration of the greatest rums (and cigars) on earth, a gourmand’s delight that indulges in all of the things that make fine rum such a magical Caribbean product. 

While it’s anchored by a panel of international judges testing the world’s leading bottles of rum, this is an event that’s really designed for travelers — a way to journey the Caribbean by sampling its finest gastronomic export. 

Every day is filled with indulgent experiences — chances to try the rarest rum and rhum agricole; to explore the nexus between rum and cigars; and to embark on culinary odysseys in one of the world’s true culinary capitals. 

Just imagine yourself in your WIMCO villa, sipping on rare aged rhum from Martinique, peering out at the bustle of Gustavia or the placid waves of Grand Cul de Sac, followed by an evening at the Caribbean’s most legendary rum bar for rum and Davidoffs. 

Or imagine enjoying a multi-course pairing of molecular gastronomy and rum cocktails at the island’s buzzy eatery, the Quarter Kitchen and Cocktail Lab. 

Whether you’re attending master classes from world-renowned rum companies like Rhum Neisson and Velier; sampling expressions and conversing with distillers at the Accutron Rum Expo; or watching top bartenders compete at the island-wide cocktail competition, it’s a week of seemingly never-ending gourmet experiences. 

And it’s accessible — whether you’re a rum collector or simply want to get introduced to the world of fine Caribbean rum, you’re welcome here.

But most importantly, it’s not just a great week of rum — it’s a great week in St Barth, which, for the uninitiated, is as great a week as you can spend anywhere on earth. 

For more on tickets, visit the Caribbean Rum Awards. 

— CJI