Sunday, March 21, 2010

5th Annual Polished Palate International Rum Competition Results



TAMPA, Fla. (March 22, 2010) – The results are in. The competition, held on March 18-19 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Ybor City, was hosted by Jack Robertiello/Drinks Ink, along with judges Arturo Sighinolfi/SWS, Luis Ayala/Rum Shop, Stephen Beaumont/World of Beer, Harriet Lembeck/Wine & Spirits Educator, Ben Montgomery/St. Petersburg Times and Anthony Nasso/Republic National Distributing Company. Judges evaluated 42 rums based-upon five criteria: appearance, aroma, taste, mouthfeel & finish.

Judges sampled the spirits before selecting possible Best of Show, Best of Category, Gold, Silver and Bronze level award winners. A Best of Show is not always awarded. For a brand to receive this acknowledgement, each judge has to rate the spirit with a score of 90+. 21 years in the making, Master Distiller Francisco ‘Pancho’ Fernandez has done it again; he’s created a masterpiece. Zafra Master Reserve 21 Rum from Panama, which received the 2010 Best of Show award.

This year’s competition featured 7 categories including White Rum, Gold Rum, Dark Rum, Rum Aged up to 8 Years, Rum Aged 9-15 Years, Rum Aged 15+ Years and Flavored Rum. Of special note, one particular rum has entered the competition all five years, Khukri Rum from Nepal, and earned their 5th consecutive Gold Medal as well as their 2nd Best of Category Award.

The winners are (bold denotes Best of Category. Not all categories received a Best of Category award in 2010):

White Rum
Gold:
  • Don Q Cristal/Puerto Rico
  • Diplomatico Blanco/Dominican Republic

Silver:

  • Siesta Key Rum/Florida
  • Ron Barcelo Gran Platinum/Dominican Republic

Bronze:

  • Carta Viejo Claro/Panama
  • Koloa White Hawaiian Rum/Hawaii

Gold Rum
Silver:

  • Bacardi Gold/Puerto Rico
  • Koloa Gold Hawaiian Rum/Hawaii

Bronze:

  • Don Q Gold/Puerto Rico
  • Old Lahaina Premium Gold Hawaiian Rum/Hawaii

Dark Rum
Gold:

  • Khukri Rum (Nepal)
  • One Barrel Rum/Belize

Silver:

  • Koloa Dark Hawaiian Rum/Hawaii
  • Carta Vieja Anejo/Panama

Bronze:

  • Old Lahaina Premium Dark Rum/Hawaii

Rum Aged Up To 8 Years
Gold:

  • Ron Abuelo 7 Anos/Panama
  • Bacardi 8/Puerto Rico
  • Ron Abuelo Anejo/Panama
  • Ron Medellin 8 Year Old/Colombia

Silver:

  • Ron Barcelo Imperial/Dominican Republic
  • Plantation Barbados 5 Year Grande Reserve/Barbados
  • Ron Medellin 3 Year Old/Colombia
  • Ron Viejo de Caldas 3 Year Old/Colombia
  • Ron Viejo de Caldas Grand Reserve/Colombia

Bronze:

  • Don Q Anejo/Puerto Rico
  • Ron Carupano Oro Reserva Especial/Venezuela

Rum Aged 9-15 Years
Gold:

  • Ron Abuelo 12 Anos/Panama
  • Don Q Grand Anejo/Puerto Rico
  • Ron Carupano Solera Centenaria Reserva Limitada/Venezuela

Silver:

  • Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva/Venezuela
  • Plantation 20th Anniversary/Barbados
  • Vizcaya VXOP Cask 21 Cuban Style Rum/Dominican Republic

Rum Aged 15+ Years
Gold:

  • Zafra Master Reserve 21 Rum/Panama BEST IN SHOW
  • Ron Anejo Carupano Legendario/Venezuela

Silver:

  • Bacardi Reserva Limitada/Puerto Rico
  • Ron Millonario Solera 15 Reserva Especial/Peru

Flavored Rum
Silver:

  • Don Q Coco/Puerto Rico
  • Don Q Limon/Puerto Rico

Bronze:

  • Aguardiente Antioqueno Sin Azucar/Colombia

To learn more about The Polished Palate, please visit their website.

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