Miami Rum Renaissance 2012

Only 12 days until the festival opens its doors! I can not wait, not only because I finally get back to sunny Miami.
I am glad all the rum enthusiastic people who come to meet from all over the world!

BACARDI @ GERMAN RUM FESTIVAL

Bacardi is now official participant at the GERMAN RUM FESTIVAL! Presented are Reserva Limitada, 8 anos, and the new Spiced Oakheart – Welcome!

Aegis

As of today, it is official: The GERMAN RUM FESTIVAL will be under the aegis of the embassy of the Dominican Republic!

One must celebrate when one has the opportunity

One must celebrate when one has the opportunity. A sentiment familiar to most people, and one I have really taken to heart. Thus, at the end of April Im off to Miami for the Miami Rum Renaissance Festival, where the rum experts are meeting up to taste over 100 different rums. Add to that a few cool parties Miami-style of course, all in the name of the liquid gold! Following that, Ill hop over to Jamaica for a quick stop to inspect destilleries ;)

On October 8 & 9, 2011, I am hosting my very own rum festival, the GERMAN RUM FESTIVAL where there will be a number of things to try as well. The current count is at approx. 200 Rums! Right after that, the BCB - Bar Convent Berlin takes place on October 10 & 11, 2011! With all these things going on, Berlin has certainly reached a new level! Yet another few days later off to London, where the UK Rumfest beckons.

GERMAN RUM FESTIVAL BERLIN

Rum is liquid history, lively, passionate, traditional... to name all the things rum can be could be continued ad finitum. It is much more fun, however, to experience it all yourself, to smell, taste, and feel....
That´s why there´s the GERMAN RUM FESTIVAL BERLIN. Here, you can get to know rum, taste its different varieties, learn interesting things, and experience the rhum/rum feeling.

Saturday 10/08/2011 11.00 a.m. - 08.00 p.m.
Sunday 10/09/2011 11.00 a.m. - 07.00 p.m.

Station Berlin
Luckenwalder Straße 4 – 6
10963 Berlin

The Early Bird Day Pass is available for 17.- €, the 2-Day Pass for 30.- € if purchased by July 30, 2011 online; after that, tickets will cost 20.- € and 40.- €, respectively.

Tickets purchased at the box office are 25.- € and 45.- €, respectively.

Upon admission, you will receive your personal nosing glass and a rum ration card ? just like the sailors on their ships in the good old days ? for which you may enjoy up to 7 samples of 1cl rum of your choice.

GERMAN RUM FESTIVAL

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/