The World’s Best Rums, According To The 2023 San Francisco World Spirits Competition (2024)

The San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC) has just released its list of the top rums from its 2023 judging. The Best in Show category winners will be announced at the Top Shelf Awards Gala and Grand Tasting on June 16 and 17 at Resorts World in Las Vegas. Tickets for the event are available at the Top Shelf website or through ReserveBar.

A total of 15 rums won the coveted Double Gold medal. They ranged in origin from Switzerland to Barbados. A total of 14 countries were represented in the Gold and Double Gold medal rounds. A further 19 rums won a Gold medal.

Four Dark/Gold rums received Double Gold medals, and two received Gold medals. Seven Extra-Aged rums received Double Gold, while nine received Gold medals. There was one Double Gold medal in the Flavored rum category and three Gold medals. Over Proof rum garnered two Gold medals, and White rum had three Double Gold and three Gold medals.

Founded in 2000, the SFWSC is the oldest competition in North America and the largest spirits judging in the world. Sixty-five judges from around the globe evaluated approximately 5,500 spirits over three days in April 2023.

The competition is organized by the Tasting Alliance, founded by Anthony Dias Blue. In addition to the SFWSC, the Tasting Alliance also organizes spirit competitions in New York and Singapore, wine competitions in San Francisco and New York, and competitions for beer and RTDs.

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Two Dark/Gold rums made the final round: Black Tot (United Kingdom), Master Blender’s Reserve 2022, 54.4% ABV, and Pampero (Venezuela), Aniversario Rum, 40% ABV.

Black Tot is a UK-based blender that specializes in a range of traditional British Navy Rums. Historically, these rums were drawn primarily from Barbados, Jamaica, Guyana, and later Trinidad. Rums from other countries were used, however, as needed.

Navy rum did not have a set recipe; it was instead a style of rum that was sweet on the palate, featuring dried fruit, sweet molasses, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove spice notes. It was bottled at “navy strength,” typically 54.5% ABV, although the proof varied.

Black Tot’s Master Blender Reserve 2022 is, in the company’s words,” an ever-evolving, perpetual blend crafted by our Master Blender, Oliver Chilton. The rum is drawn from a rum inventory called the Master Blender Reserve, which has been aging in Sherry casks. In keeping with historical practice, the blending stocks were drawn from Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, and Trinidad.

The SFWSC Judging Panel described the rum as showing:

Caramel and vanilla on the nose with a hint of spiciness. Sweet and creamy on the palate, exhibiting pronounced caramel notes and some vanilla. It’s slightly drying with a noticeable pepperiness on the tongue, more chili than black pepper leading into a long, sweet caramel finish.

Pampero is crafted from sugar cane juice and distilled using three different techniques. The resulting spirit is matured in three different types of casks, including various ex-bourbon casks and Sherry butts, before being blended.

Pampero is a perennial medalist in international spirit competitions and has the distinction of having won more Gold and Double Gold medals at the SFWSC than any other rum.

The SFWSC Judging Panel described it as featuring:

Pronounced caramel and vanilla notes on the nose with a hint of coconut and a creamy, custard-like aroma. Smooth, creamy, and sweet on the palate, slightly drying with distinctive caramel vanilla notes and hints of coconut and tropical fruits. Very long finish featuring a dried fruit sweetness and lingering sweet coconut notes.

Three other rums won Double Gold medals: Rumundo (Switzerland), Depth Edition Rum, 46% ABV; Echo Spirits (USA, Ohio), Queen’s Share Rum, 54% ABV; Caribu (Venezuela), Ron Caribu Selection Solera, 40% ABV.

Rumundo employs the “Stockhausen Method” to achieve rapid aging of its spirits. According to the company:

In the process now known as the Stockhausen method, the distillate is in contact with more surface area, and the wood is specially treated, which rapidly shortens the aging process and produces a round, full-bodied flavor profile.

The official SFWSC judging note described the rum as exhibiting:

An intense aroma on the nose features candied orange zest, dried fruit, nuts, and ginger. On the palate, the rum is sweet, featuring dried fruit, hints of stone fruits, caramel, vanilla, candied orange zest, and notes of well-seasoned oak.

The finish is sweet, long, and fruity, with lingering notes of candied orange zest and ginger snaps. A delightful and layered rum offering up a broad array of flavors.

Echo Spirits Distilling Co, Queen’s Share rum is an Ohio-based craft distiller. It also won a Double Gold at the 2022 SFWSC. Nikhil Sharoff and Joe Bidinger in Columbus, Ohio, founded the company.

The distiller describes its Queen Share rum as “the most flavorful parts of our normal rum, barrel-aged no less than 18 months in used bourbon barrels.” It’s released each November and is available for purchase only as long as the initial release quantity lasts.

The SFWSC judging panel described the rum as being:

Extremely fruity with aromas ranging from stone to tropical fruits. On the palate, the rum is sweet and features notes of golden raisin, tropical fruits, hints of peach and dried apricot, and butterscotch and caramel.

Caribu, Ron Caribu Selection Solera, 40% ABV is a Venezuelan rum that uses a solera method to age its rum. The spirit is matured in a combination of ex-bourbon barrels of American oak and French barrels of Limousine oak.

The two finalists for Best Extra-Aged Rum are Ron Carupano (Venezuela), 21 Reserva Privada Rum, 40% ABV, and Regalo de Vida (USA, Arizona), Gran Reserva Rum, 53% ABV.

The SFWSC Judging Panel described Ron Carupano as showing:

Pronounced caramel notes on the nose accompanied by vanilla and spice notes of cinnamon. Creamy and smooth with tropical fruit, distinctive milk chocolate, and butterscotch notes on the palate. Long sweet, and fruity finish.

The Judging Panel described the Regalo de Vida as featuring:

Caramel and vanilla on the nose with a hint of mild black pepper. Slightly drying on the palate featuring spicy cinnamon notes, clove, and a touch of nutmeg. There is a pronounced persistent pepperiness. The finish is long and sweet with lingering caramel notes.

Five other rums won Double Gold medals: Ron Abuelo (Panama), Ron Abuelo Two Oaks, 40% ABV; Ten To One (Trinidad & Tobago), Black History Month Artist Edition, 43% ABV; Ron Carupano (Venezuela), 18 Reserve Limitada Rum, 40% ABV; Equiano (Barbados), Original Rum, 43% ABV; and Maggie’s Farm (USA, Pennsylvania), Single Barrel, 55% ABV.

Glen Pharmer Distillery (USA, Massachusetts), Reserve Spiced Rum, 40% ABV, was the sole Double Gold medal winner in the Flavored Rum category. Three rums took Gold medals: R Morbleu (Canada, Quebec), Rhum Epice, 40.3% ABV; R Morbleu (Canada, Quebec), Epice Chocolat, 40.3% ABV; and Cutwater Spirits (USA, California), Bali Hai Tiki Gold Rum, 40% ABV.

There are two finalists for Best White Rum: Ten To One (Jamaica), White Rum, 45% ABV. and Cotton & Reed (USA, Washington DC), White Rum, 40% ABV.

The SFWSC Judging Panel described the Ten To One rum as showing:

Pungent, “funky”/earthy, and herbaceous notes with a hint of ripe banana/plantain on the nose. Sweet and earthy on the palate with mildly vegetative, tropical fruit and cooked plantain notes. Long sweet finish with lingering fruity notes.

Also winning a Double Gold medal was: Plantation Rum (Jamaica), Three Stars, 41.2% ABV

The single finalist in Rhum Agricole Rum was Renegade (Grenada), Rum Single Farm Origin: Hope, 50% ABV.

The SFWSC Judging Panel described the rum as exhibiting:

Herbaceous and vegetative on the nose, with minerally notes and hints of tropical fruit. Sweet and very mildly drying on the palate with herbaceous notes of cut grass, brushy/forest floor, and vegetative flavors of green beans. Long sweet vegetative finish with lingering peppery notes.

The 2023 SFWSC judging showcased an impressive array of world-class rums. The rum category is flourishing and showing impressive growth, especially for premium and ultra-premium aged rums. The category is increasingly dominated by craft producers in the US and globally. Particularly attractive is that many top-rated rums are very competitively priced for less than $30/750 ml bottle.

A complete listing of all the medal winners at the 2023 San Francisco World Spirits Competition is available on the Tasting Alliance website.

Cheers

The World’s Best Rums, According  To The 2023 San Francisco World Spirits Competition (2024)
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