Few spirits reflect their place of origin quite like rum. Shaped by climate, raw material and distilling tradition, its styles range from the light, crisp profiles of column-distilled expressions to the richer, more textured rums produced using pot stills and long ageing.
That diversity begins with its base ingredient. While many rums are made from molasses, providing depth and sweetness, others like rhum agricole are distilled from fresh sugar cane juice, resulting in a more vibrant, grassy and aromatic style. Together, they offer two distinct but equally compelling interpretations of the spirit.
This variety of styles was on full display at this year’s IWSC, where rum delivered exceptional quality across the board. Six rums were awarded Gold Outstanding, highlighting the category’s strength at the very top end, with a mix of both agricole and molasses-based expressions featured among the highest scorers.
From elegant agricoles to richly layered molasses rums, these are 10 of the standout bottles that impressed IWSC judges this year.
All of the top-scoring rums achieved an impressive 98 points, underlining the exceptional quality seen at the peak of this year’s competition.
From the traditional rum-producing regions, Jamaica and Martinique were well represented. Worthy Park’s 109 Rum stood out for its ‘smooth creaminess, bursting with dried fruits’, while Clement Rhum 15 YO Private Cask Whisky Brokers Associates Exclusive was noted for being ‘brightened by orange zest and baking spices’. Foursquare Distillery also secured a Gold Outstanding medal for its Equidem 14 YO Rum, ‘complemented by warm spices and caramel’.
The list also highlights rum’s growing global footprint. Australia and Taiwan both featured among the top performers, with Mt. Uncle Distillery’s FNQ Palladium Rum and Hong Shing Winery Co.’s Nine To One Red Sugar Cane Rum each awarded Gold Outstanding.
For standout examples across both molasses-based rums and cane juice expressions, read on.
HOW DO WE JUDGE THESE SPIRITS?
We run a tightly structured, rigorous spirits tasting process. That means that each spirit sample is pre-poured into numbered glasses and assessed blindly by the judges. Most importantly, our IWSC spirit judges are experts in their field, who work across all sectors of the drinks industry. For evidence, see our full list of judges.
HOW DO WE SCORE THESE SPIRITS?
Only the best spirits sampled receive a Gold or Silver award. For example, to win Gold, spirits have to score between 95 and 100 points. Meanwhile, Silver wines range from 90 to 94 points. Click here to read more on our scoring system.
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12 award-winning rums to try
