Rum diversity at the ISW tasting
The world of rum is more diverse than ever. This is shown by the almost 170 entries for the July tasting at Meininger's International Spirit Award. A tricky affair for the tasters, who in the end were able to award 33 gold and 18 silver medals.
Rum distillation is no longer just the domain of the Caribbean - this year's tasting round of the Meiningers International Spirits Award ISW clearly shows that. An unbelievable variety of products from the most diverse countries of origin - from Vietnam to Germany - came onto the tables of the spirits experts and demanded top sensory performances in the tried and tested blind tasting.
The styles and types of production were also more varied than ever. Whether molasses or sugar cane juice as raw material, pot still or column still, blended, matured and flavoured - plus finishes with various types of barrels. It never gets boring in the world of rum. 33 gold medals and 18 silver medals testify to the enormous quality across the entire spectrum of the rum segment.
The special awards for the white and brown rum of the year go to two high-calibre, high-proof distillates:
"The subject of rum has been with me for 25 years now, when I started with 100 different varieties at 'Christiansens'. This year's tasting impressed me greatly, both the extremely high number of rums on offer and the terrific qualities," says taster Uwe Christiansen, bar icon from Hamburg and a permanent member of the expert jury since the ISW began almost 20 years ago.
Brown Rum of the Year
Pusser's Rum Black Label British Navy Gunpowder Proof
A blend of six hand-selected rums from Guyana, the British Virgin Islands and Trinidad, aged in oak barrels and bottled at a robust 54.5% vol. Full-bodied sweet and spicy, with notes of prunes and dates, as well as toffee and chocolate, which reverberate in a heavy, almost syrupy finish. Pusser's Rum is still partly distilled in 200-year-old wooden stills, which gives it a unique, earthy aroma. It is just as enjoyable neat as in classic Caribbean cocktails like a Pain Killer. Pusser's Rum is imported and distributed in Germany by Bremer Spirituosen Contor.
White Rum of the Year
Rum Artesanal Burke's Single Blended White Rum
Pot still distillates from Jamaica and La Réunion make for a well-balanced rum with a strong character, which, with its voluminous 61%, has no need to shy away from any field of application. Ripe fruit notes of apple, pear and banana come along with the high ester content typical of Jamaica and immediately delight the nose. Just the right amount of sweetness elegantly binds the alcohol content and leads to a dry finish. The excellent rum from the independent German bottler Heinz Eggert is limited to just 2000 bottles.
'We are pleased about the exciting variety of rum categories and the increased interest in our international tasting. Rum is an absolute trend topic and we will certainly see many more first-class distillates from all parts of the world in the coming years that want to compete with the traditional rums.'
