2015 RumXP Awards Announced At Miami Rum Fest

Last week I had the pleasure of traveling to the Miami Rum Renaissance Festival to be part of their inaugural Consumer Rum Jury. It was a wonderful weekend of meeting new people, learning more about rum and the rum industry, and sampling 100s of terrific rums. I’ll be writing about my personal experiences in the coming days.

At this year’s event an international panel of rum judges participated in three days of blind tasting competition.

Held at the Doubletree by Hilton in Miami April 14-16 as part of the Miami Rum Renaissance Festival the seventeen-member panel (12 International Rum Expert Panelists & 5 guest judges) evaluated 127 of the world’s finest rums in six separate tasting sessions broken into 14 individual categories.

2015 RumXP judges included:
Dirk Becker (Germany)
Javier Herrera (Spain)
Leonardo Pinto (Italy)
Bernhard Schäfer (Germany)
Forrest Cokely (California, USA)
Tatu Kaarlas (Australia)
“Bahama Bob” Leonard (Florida, USA)
Paul Senft (Georgia, USA)
Juan del Busto (Florida, USA)
John Gibbons (Sweden)
Rene van Hoven (Holland)
Ingvar Thomsen (Denmark)
Guest Judges:
Marie King (California, USA)
Johnny Drejer (Denmark)
Suzanne Long (California, USA)
Mark Theron (St. Kitts and Nevis)
Alexander Brittel (Florida, USA)
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BEST IN CLASS Medals

White Rum
Skotlander White

Premium White Rum
Fwaygo White

Gold Rum
Bacardi Gold

Aged Rum
Plantation Original Dark

Premium Aged Rum
Cartavio XO

Aged Rum 5-8 Years
Cartavio 5

Aged Rum 12-15 years
Pusser’s 15

Aged Rum 18-25 years
Opthimus 25

Aged Rum – Special Cask
Plantation Jamaica 200

Spiced Rum
Siesta Key Spiced Limited Edition

Flavored Rum
Plantation Pineapple

Overproof Rum
Plantation Overproof Original Dark

Agricole Blanc
Trois Rivieres Rhum Blanc Agricole 55%

Agricole Vieux
Trois Rivieres Rhum Vieux VSOP

GOLD Medals

White Rum
Blue Chair Bay White
Carta Vieja Silve
Brugal White Extra Dry

Premium White Rum
Plantation 3 Star
Nine Leaves Clear
Skotlander Rum III

Gold Rum
Brugal Anejo
Ron Carta Vieja Gold
Don Barrilito 2 star

Aged Rum
Ron del Barrilito 3 star
Pusser’s British Navy
Bundaberg Small Batch 4

Premium Aged Rum
Plantation 20th Anniversary
Mezan XO
Brugal 1888

Aged Rum 5-8 Years
Plantation Barbados 5
Bacardi 8
Real McCoy 5

Aged Rum 12-15 years
Yolo 10
Don Q Gran Anejo
Real McCoy 12

Aged Rum 18-25 years
Opthimus 21
Opthimus 18
Carta Vieja 18

Aged Rum – Special Cask
Plantation Guyana 2005
Opthimus Malt Tomatin Whiskey Barrels 25 yr
Opthimus Oporto Barrels 25

Spiced Rum
Siesta Key Distillers Reserve
Siesta Key Spiced
Blue Chair Bay Coconut Spiced
Bayou Spiced
Blue Water Caribbean Gold Premium Spiced

Flavored Rum
Bayou Satsuma
Blue Chair Bay Banana
Caray Cafe

Overproof Rum
Don Q 151
Lost Spirits Colonial American Inspired Rum
Wicked Dolphin Strawberry RumShine 100 Proof
Stroh 80

Agricole Blanc
Trois Rivieres Cuvee Speciale 40%
Trois Rivieres Rhum Blanc Agricole 40%
Trois Rivieres Rhum Blanc Agricole 50%

Agricole Vieux
Trois Rivieres Rhum Ambre 40%
La Mauny Rhum Vieux X.O. 40%
Trois Rivieres Rhum Vieux Martinique 12yr

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The 2015 Consumer Rum Jury Awards

The Consumer Rum Jury was comprised of 20 enthusiastic rum collectors and experienced consumers, offering the perspective of the active and engaged rum buyer in their evaluations.

Best In Class
Ron Cartavio XO

Gold Awards
Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva
Opthimus Ron Artesanal Solera 25 Anos
Siesta Key Distillers Reserve Solera Spiced Rum

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