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Traditionally, rum is divided by color – light types are predominantly used in cocktails, while gold and dark ones are more versatile. In recent years, judges of industry competitions have moved away from the shade classification and ranked rum according to the production technology. At the top of the ranking of international competitions are varieties with a long aging period.
World Rum Awards Results
The competition has been held in London since 2007. At the first stage, experts select the best rum in five categories and award awards. The second round of the competition takes place between the winners and the judges will declare the champions in their class.
The undisputed leader in 2019 among drinks in the Rhum Agricole category was the A1710 Le Perla brand. Rum from sugarcane juice is produced by a young distillery in Martinique. The drink is distinguished by a strong citrus aroma and natural sweetness with hints of honey and exotic fruits. In 2018, the Australian Black Snow was named the best “agricultural” rum, which was noted for its surprisingly mild taste.
In 2019, Caroni Distillery with an ABV of 53,7% became the champion among aged drinks. The rum was made in 1998 in an already closed factory in Trinidad and Tobago and matured in oak barrels for over 20 years. The bouquet is dominated by sweet tobacco, molasses, nuts and smoke. In 2018, Plantation 2008 from Jamaica won this category, highly appreciated by the judges for its rich taste with hints of mango, papaya and sweet orange.
British Rumbullion is recognized as the best spiced rum in 2019! XO 15 years old. During production, Madagascar vanilla, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom are added to the drink, and after ripening in barrels, chocolate, plum and woody shades are added to the bouquet. The brand becomes the champion in its category for the second year in a row.
Results of the International Wine & Spirit Competition
The International Wine and Spirits Competition is held annually in London. In 2019, the event was attended by about three thousand different types of alcohol, among which rum was not the last. Experts have awarded a whopping five gold medals for Excellence in this category, three more than in 2018.
The judges highly praised Plantation Peru 2004 with a delicate taste, which highlights the hints of pineapple, orange, cocoa and spices. Rum is made from molasses and aged for 12 years in a combination of three types of barrels. A year earlier, the 21-year-old El Dorado, produced in Guyana by the Demerara Distillers plant using a rare technology using three types of stills of a unique design, was noted in the category of mature drinks.
In the Rhum Agricole category, the Gold Outstanding award went to the French brand Depaz VSOP Reserve Speciale. Experts noted the rich woody-vanilla aroma and balanced almond-fruity taste of the drink. In 2018, Trois Rivières VSOP Reserve Speciale won this class – a five-year-old rum from Martinique with hints of dried fruit, cinnamon, ginger and oak.
The results of the IWSC partly coincided with the results of the World Rum Awards – one of the highest awards of the competition was won by Caroni Distillery, and the Rumbullion! was awarded two whole gold medals.
Roma rating in Russia
The consumption of rum in the country has increased significantly over the past decades. The growth in demand is associated with the development of a cocktail culture – a strong drink made from sugar cane is the basis of Mojito, Daiquiri and Cuba Libra. Russian companies enter into contracts with foreign producers for bottling rum at their enterprises, but domestic products cannot yet compete in popularity with leading foreign brands.
Bacardi
The best rum according to the majority of Russian consumers. There are about two dozen types of products in the line, including both white Superior for mixing in cocktails, and aged Anejo for drinking with ice. Throughout its history, Bacardi rum has won about six hundred medals at international competitions and is in the top 10 most popular alcoholic beverages in the world.
Captain Morgan
The brand takes second place in the quality rating of rum and is named after the former pirate and governor of Jamaica, Sir Henry Morgan. Under the Captain Morgan brand, the Diageo alcohol holding produces about thirty types of products, the most popular brands in Russia are Silver Spiced and Original Spiced Gold. Drinks are distinguished by vanilla-caramel aroma and rich taste with natural sweetness and sharp notes of spices on the finish.
Planting
Rum is produced by the French company Cognac Ferrand, the brand is regularly among the winners of international competitions. Suitable for those who like to drink pure drink with ice. Plantation Guatemala Gran Anejo, aged in French oak barrels, where cognac was previously stored, is in great demand.
Legendary
The legendary rum is produced by several Cuban factories at once, most of the products are exported. The Legendario line includes six types of rum, the maximum aging period for drinks is 15 years. One of the most popular varieties, Elixir de Cuba, is made from seven-year-old distillates, and raisins are infused to add flavor to the rum.
Zacapa
Guatemalan craft rum. The manufacturing company specializes in the production of mixed varieties, blends include drinks aged from 6 to 25 years. The distillates are aged in cognac, bourbon or Pedro Ximénez sherry casks.