Awards of The Rum Jury

Rum Jury Awards recognize the best products presented in the Rum Jury competition.

The Rum Jury is comprised of 20 well qualified rum professionals and enthusiast consumers, collectors and experienced rum travelers, offering the perspective of the active and engaged rum buyer in their evaluations.

Jurors gather at the Rum Renaissance Festival for blind tasting sessions under the supervision of the International Rum Expert Panel team. The juror’s scores are compiled, calculated and averaged by an experienced team of statisticians. The results are announced at the Miami Rum Renaissance Festival.

2019 Rum Jury Gold Awards

The 2019 Rum Jury announced their award winners at the recent Miami Rum Renaissance Festival held in Coral Gables, Florida. Judges were sequestered for two days for blind tasting evaluation with 96 rum products submitted for judging. The results were analyzed and sorted by a seasoned team of statisticians. The top-ranked rums were identified for awards.

The Rum Jury was established in 2014 to offer the perspective and opinions of enthusiast rum consumers, especially those with large collections of rum. These super-consumers are important influencers among their own friends and associates and can accurately represent what the public might find most interesting. Over time, their recommendations have offered rum consumers insightful guidance based on their real-world experience with many rums.

Rum jurors evaluate rums within a specific set of guidelines established by the International Rum Experts team. Rather than judging rums by favoritism, the products are judged by attempting to discern the intent of the producer and evaluating the results of their efforts.

The following products were judged superior in the 2019 blind tasting competition and earned the Rum Jury Gold Medal.

Auténtico Nativo 15 – Panamá
Auténtico Nativo Overproof – Panamá
Copalli White Rum – Belize
Diplomático Reserva Exclusiva – Venezuela
Diplomático Planas – Venezuela
Just Rum, Simple White – Oregon
Just Rum, Maple Rested – Oregon
Lemon Hart 1804 – Guyana
Lemon Hart Blackpool Spiced – Guyana
Maggie’s Farm Queen Share 55 – Pennsylvania
Maggie’s Farm Spiced – Pennsylvania
Maison La Mauny – Acacia 50° – Martinique
Maison La Mauny – Spiced 40° – Martinique
Maison La Mauny – XO 40° – Martinique
Naked in Jamaica – Florida
Paratiana Ouro Cachaça – Brazil
Paratiana Prata Cachaça – Brazil
Plantation O.F.T.D. Overproof – various
Plantation Original Dark – various
Puerto Angel Añejo Uruapan – Mexico
Puerto Angel Blanco Uruapan – Mexico
Ron Caribú Spiced Black Strap – Venezuela
Ron Caribú Gold Superior – Venezuela
RumJava Cacao’Mon – Florida
RumJava Espresso Rum Cream – Florida
RumJava Mahtini’Mon – Florida
RumJava Signature – Florida
Saint James Rhum Blanc Agricole – Martinique
Tanduay Double – The Philippines
Tanduay Gold – The Philippines
Tanduay Silver – The Philippines
Three Roll Estate Brazilian Style – Louisiana
Three Roll Estate Premium Agricole – Louisiana
TierraMonte Essential Eight – various
Trois Rivières – Rhum Blanc Agricole 50° – Martinique
Trois Rivières – Cuvée de l’Océan 42° – Martinique
Trois Rivières – VO – Cuvée du Moulin – Martinique
Trois Rivières – VSOP Réserve Spéciale – Martinique

The winners received gold medals and certificates at the Miami Rum Renaissance Festival at a ceremony before a gathering of the public, the spirits trade and rum producers.