Rum Nominees

1) Best White Rum

Molasses, Cane syrup or combination of both based White rum aged or unaged.

- Elements 8 Platinum
- El Dorado 3 year old
- Diplomatico Reserve Blanco
- Flor De Cana 4 Year Old
- Banks 5 island rum

2) Best Super Premium White Rum

Globally retailed at over £25 or $30 US

- Diplomatico Reserve Blanco
- Banks 5 island rum
- Oronoco
- Elements 8 Platinum
- Bacardi 1909 Heritage Limited Edition

3) Best Flavoured or Spiced Rum

Rum with flavours added by way of infusion, blending, brewing or maceration.

- Chairman's Reserve Spice
- Elements 8 Spiced
- Four square
- The Lash
- St Aubin Vanilla Rhum

4) Best Gold Rum up to 6 years old

Oldest rum is 6 years old

- El Dorado 5
- Doorly's 5
- English harbour 5
- D'aguiar XM5
- Chairman's Reserve

5) Best Premium Gold Rum up to 12

Rums declared to a blend, an average or less than 12 years old.

- Mount Gay XO
- Cruzan single Barrel
- Dos Maderos 5 + 5
- St Nicholas Abbey 10
- Appleton Estate 8 Reserve

6) Best Premium Gold Rum (over 12)

Rums declared to a blend older than 12 years old.

- Appleton Estate Extra 12
- El Dorado 12
- Botran 12
- Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva
- Appleton Estate Master Blenders Legacy

7) Best Super Premium Gold Rum minimum aged 15yrs

Youngest rum in the blend is declared to be 15 years old

- Appleton Estate 21
- El Dorado 15
- Mount Gay 1703
- Barbancourt 15
- Ron Centenario XX

8) Best Solera Rum

Rums using the solera system of aging.

- Santa Teresa 1796
- Ron Zacapa 23
- Ron Zacapa XO
- Atlantico
- Botran 1893

9) Best Dark Rum, Black rum or Navy Styled Rum

Colour predominantly comes from the addition of Caramel

- Smith & Cross
- Gosling Black seal
- Coruba Dark
- Pussers 15 years
- Maui Dark

10) Best Agricole unaged

Rums made from fresh cane juice

- Neisson Blanc
- Rhum JM Blanc
- La Bourdonnais
- La Favourite
- Batiste Rhum Blanc

11) Best Agricole Aged up to 4 years

Rums made from fresh cane juice

- Clement VSOP
- La Favourtie Vieux
- Neisson reserve
- Depaz VSOP
- Rhum JM VSOP

12) Best Agricole over 4 years

Rums made from fresh cane juice

- Clemente Cuvee Homere
- Neisson XO
- Plantation Guadeloupe
- Clemente XO
- Rhum JM 97

13) Best Cachaça

Aged or Unaged from Brazil

- Leblon
- Beija flor Reserva Especial
- Ypioca 150
- Novo Gold
- Magnifica

14) Best North American Rum (inc Mexico)

Must be finished & bottled in the respective continent

- Los Valientes 15
- Ragged Mountain
- Sgt Classick
- Pritchards Private Reserve
- Montanya Rum

15) Best South American Rum

Must be finished & bottled in the respective continent

- Pampero Anniversario
- Santa Teresa 1796
- Cartavio XO
- El Dorado 15
- Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva

16) Best European Rum

Must be finished & bottled in the respective continent

- Dos Maderas PX
- Dos Maderas 5 + 3
- Plantation XO 20th Anniversary
- Plantation Panama
- Black Tot Black Tot Last Consignment

17) Best Australasian Rum

Must be finished & bottled in the respective continents

- Old Monk
- Inner circle green
- Inner circle red
- Holey Dollar cask strength
- Holey Dollar Silver Coin

18) Best Caribbean Rum

Must be finished & bottled in the respective area

- Mount Gay 1703
- Appleton 30 Year Old
- Mount Gay XO
- Admiral Rodney
- Rhum JM 1997

19) Best Central American Rum

Must be finished & bottled in the respective continent

- Zafra Master Reserve 21
- Ron Centenario XX
- Ron Zacapa XO
- Botran 1873
- Ron Abuelo 12

20) Best New Rum Brand

First tasted between September 2009 to August 2010

- Banks Five Island rum
- Dos Maderas PX
- Zafra Master Reserve 21
- Appleton 30 Year Old
- Holey Dollar

21) Best Rum Package

Package design for a new bottle seen between Sept 2009 & August 2010

- Kraken
- Mount Gay 1703
- Black Tot Last Consignment
- St Nicholas Abbey
- Atlantico

The Golden Rum Barrel Awards 2010

The Golden Rum Barrel Awards will be a new and revolutionary way to determine not only a worthy rum, but a modern classic. Even more ground breaking, is that the competition will be the most definitive of its kind in the world, as well as being one of the only tasting events that does not charge brands to enter. In fact, if a brand makes and sells rum worldwide, then you are in the competition.

Until now, there has been no internationally recognised award for the efforts of the many rum brands that have been first fermented, distilled, aged and blended to a level where even the angels themselves declared that their share of sugar-cane spirit must be more than they take from a fine Cognac or single malt scotch.

This award will be given to rums from various rum categories as nominated by an academy of rum experts and journalists from all over the world. Each rum aficionado will nominate their favourite or the most exciting rum within a chosen category. Once the voting period is over all of the judges results will be compiled and put together. The top FIVE rums from each category will then be announced to the world media as nominees for a Golden Rum Barrel Award. They will then be judged by an international panel of Rum Experts in London. The winners from each category will be announced at The Golden Rum Barrel Awards and Dinner this October.

There will also be recognition for those who work tirelessly within the rum industry spreading the gospel of according to rum such as The UK Rum Ambassador of the year and Global Rum Ambassador of the year awards.

And for the very first time there will be the Champions of Champions Rum Cocktail competition which will pit all of the UK’s rum cocktails winners against each other in a consumer tasting competition.
http://www.goldenrumbarrel.co.uk/

German Rumfest Berlin

Enough talking, now it's serious!
Next year, on 8th and 9th October 2011 starts the German Rumfest in Berlin.
The venue is the 'station' http://station-berlin.com/.
Takes place directly after the BCB http://www.barconvent.de/!
Berlin as the center of the bar culture is strengthened so much!

The SCARLET IBIS Rum

This rum, which is not available in Germany, was originally bottled for Death & Co in NY, with 29 cases ordered. It’s named after a bird, more specifically, the national bird of Trinidad – a great story, by the way. It’s a blend of 3 and 5 year old rums that has been distilled by Caroni. Caroni, however, doesn’t produce anymore, and so the remainders (surely to include some treasures) are being sold. The label was designed by Tim Tomkinson, a friend of Dave Kaplan, the owner of Death & Co.
http://news.timtomkinson.com/2008/05/scarlet-ibis-rum-label.html
Lastly, the bottles were reduced to 49% in Austria, bottled, and brought back to the US!
This rum is a vibrant yellow with a beautiful hint of copper. The nose is surprisingly reserved, with pleasant notes of sugar and dried fruit, and, at 49%, fairly mild. The taste is pleasantly sweet, a little nutty, a bit of caramel, strikingly smooth with a mellow spice and a medium-long finish. For a Trinidad rum, and a Caroni in particular, this is a very round, pleasing rum!
Death & Co’s menu features two drinks made with Scarlet:

Kerala Cocktail
Scarlet Ibis Rum, Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Muddled Cardamom Pods, Fresh Pineapple and Lemon Juice, Sugar Cane Syrup, Angostura and Pyechaud’s Bitters

DRUNKEN DODO
Scarlet Ibis Rum, Carpano Antica Vermouth, Allspice Dram, Angostura Bitters, Orange Twist

This sounds interesting, too: Rum & Port – stir equal measures of rum and port on ice http://trinklaune.de/2010/05/07/rum-port/

I plan to offer both of these drinks – as well as two of my own creations – during the next few days at the Rumclub (while supplies last).

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