Top 30 Rums Countdown begins with Cruzan Single Barrel

This year, when I was deliberating over my 2012 Rum Howler Awards, it occurred to me that the line-up of rum which I had tasted over the past year was impressive. When I further considered all the rums I had tasted since I opened this website, I realized this was indeed an impressive amount of rum that I have tasted and scored. Adding it all up, I have tasting and scoring notes for over 300 rums which I have had the privilege of sampling over the past four years. (Note: In addition to the nearly 175 rum reviews I have published on this site, I also have tasting notes and scores compiled for over 125 more rums which I encountered at various festivals and judging events which I have attended.) This gives me a broad perspective on the world of rum. And perhaps, all this rum tasting and scoring gives me at least some of the qualifications to embark on a very particular quest to uncover and list the Best Rums in the World.

If you are interested in such things, a detailed explanation of how I came up with this list is available here, (The Rum Howler 2012 Top 30 Rums). This web page also contains the complete list in reverse order. One catch, is that I will be filling that list out over the next several weeks, one rum at a time, countdown style. As I fill out the list, I will be providing my most up to date review for that particular Rum. Some of these rums have been reviewed previously, and those reviews will be updated if required to reflect my feelings on the most recent bottling. Some of the Rums on the list will be reviewed for the first time. Although the effort put into this project was very significant, I hope that those who read the reviews and follow the countdown have some fun. Disagreement with my Panel of Judges is welcome, and so are questions about the list.

I shall begin the list with the 30th Best Rum in the World as chosen by myself and my esteemed Panel of Judges:

#30 –   Cruzan Single Barrel Rum

I hope everyone enjoys my 2012 Top 30 Rums Countdown!

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The Year In Rum (Part 2 – The Best of Rum)

We have come to my final posting with regards to the 2012 Rum Howler Awards. This is The second half of my Rum awards where I determine the Best of the Best in the world of Rum.

White Rum, Spiced Rum, Flavoured Rums and Mixing Rums have all been examined to determine the best that 2012 has given us for our cocktail enjoyment. As well I have examined the best sipping rums aged from four years in oak all the way to fifty.  When it comes to sipping rums, age matters, but not necessarily as much as you might think. It has been a great year in rum for The Rum Howler, and it is time for me to reveal Part 2 of the 2012 Rum Howler Awards for Excellence in the Production of Rum. These Awards are for the Best and Greatest Rum Spirits which I encountered in the year 2012.

Here is the link:

The 2012 Rum Howler Awards for Rum (Part 2 – The Best of Rum)

The Year in Rum – Part 1

Today, I am continuing my 2012 Rum Howler Awards by selecting the best rum from the various rum producing regions of the world. After all, it is not just the Caribbean Islands which make great rum. Rum is produced in almost every part of the world where sugar cane is grown. And in some cold weather climes (like Canada), where they cannot grow the cane, there is a long tradition of buying rum in bulk from various rum producers and then blending their own unique styles. As with my other awards to date, all of the awards I am presenting today are based upon side by side tasting sessions held over a period of several weeks. I began over two months ago slowly tasting different Rums side by side bringing only the very best forward for the final tastings which took place over the past month.

Here is a link to my 2012 Rum Howler Regional Rum Awards:

The 2012 Rum Howler Awards for Rum (Part 1 – The Regional Awards)

Enjoy my award selections!

The Year in Whisky

This was a great year for the Rum Howler with respect to Whisky. I was able to help in a small way with the success of the 3nd Annual Edmonton Whisky Festival; I was selected to be on the North American Panel of Spirit Writers who judged the Canadian Whisky Awards; and I was able to almost double the number of Whisky reviews on my website this year. The result of all of this activity is that the year 2012 saw me taste and score more whisky than ever before. This means that my 2012 Rum Howler Awards for Whisky are better than ever.

All of my whisky awards are based upon side by side tastings of the various spirits which are in competition for each particular award. Just as it is with my other Rum Howler Awards, all of the samples which I receive for review in a given year are automatically considered for the awards. I do my review, and then I set aside the remainder of the spirit for the end of the year judging. I also receive additional industry samples specifically for these awards.

And so without further ado, it is time for me to reveal the recipients of my 2012 Rum Howler Awards for Excellence in the Production of Whisky. These Awards are for the best Whisky Spirits I encountered in the year 2012, here is the link:

The 2012 Rum Howler Awards – The Year in Whisky

The Year in Vodka

There are subtle aromas and flavours which can be appreciated when Vodka is sipped or when it is consumed as a shot. As well, when served with good food, vodka has the ability to enhance the gastronomic experience by cleansing the palate between bites allowing you to taste each morsel more completely. When I review Vodka on my website, I try very hard to convey my appreciation of these subtle nuances of pleasure which Vodka can provoke. I think I am doing something right, because my Vodka reviews are amongst the most popular on my website.

This Year I have separated the Vodka Awards from the Tequila and Gin Awards to give them more prominence. All spirit samples which I receive to review on my website are automatically considered for my awards. I do my review, and then I set aside the remainder of the spirit for the end of the year judging. This year, for the first time ever, I also received additional industry samples specifically for these awards.

Here are the recipients of my 2012 Rum Howler Awards for Excellence in the Production of Vodka. These Awards are for the best Vodka Spirits I encountered in the year 2012:

The 2012 Rum Howler Awards – The Year in Vodka

Budmo!

The Year in Tequila

All things considered, I had a pretty good year with respect to the spirit called Tequila in 2012. I was able to help in a small way with Edmonton’s first Tequila festival earlier this month, and I was able to double the number of reviews here on my website. Although Tequila has a small following in my local market (relative to rum and whisky), that small group of tequila aficionados is very passionate about their favourite spirit; and, I believe that group of Tequila lovers is steadily growing!

In an effort to recognize the growing importance of this spirit in not only my locale, but also as a global spirit; I have decided this year to give Tequila its own awards page on my website this year (last year I grouped the Gin, Tequila and Vodka Awards together all on the same page).

It is time to reveal my Tequila awards by looking at the Rum Howler’s Year in Tequila.

Here is a Link to the Awards Page:

The 2012 Rum Howler Awards – The Year in Tequila

Congratulations to all the Award Winners!

The 2011 Canadian Whisky Awards

Last year, Davin de Kergommeaux (Canadian Whisky) hit upon an idea which I thought was long overdue, the first ever fully independent Canadian Whisky Awards! These awards highlighted not only the best tasting whiskies made in Canada, but they also awarded special achievements by Canadian Whisky Distillers in areas of innovation, brand extension, and media/advertising. I supported Davin in his efforts to raise the public profile of Canadian Whisky, because like Davin, I believe Canadian whisky deserves to be recognized as a World-Class spirit.

The profile of the Canadian Whisky Awards has grown considerably over the past year. So this past fall when I was asked to participate with Davin and five other North American judges to evaluate the state of Canadian Whisky in 2011, I jumped at the chance to be involved. So it was that with Davin De Kergommeaux acting as Chairman of the Judges (and Lead Organizer), and with six more of us helping out as best we could, we set ourselves to the task of evaluating and judging Canadian Whisky for the year ending in 2011. Blind samples were sent out across Canada and into the United States for judging. We all sipped and sampled and marked down our scores. The scores were checked closely and then tallied, and of course the winners were selected.

The results were unveiled yesterday (January 19, 2012) at the Victoria Whisky Festival in Victoria, British Columbia. Here are those results:

Results for the 2011 Canadian Whisky Awards

The 2011Rum Howler Awards – (The Rum Wrap-up)

The last of my Rum Howler Awards are presented today. These are the my final rum awards presented to the Best of the Best in 2011, the Best Overall White Rum, the Best Overproof  Rum, the Best Flavoured Rum, the Best Spiced Rum, the Best Dark Rum (aged up to 5 Years), the Best Premium Rum (aged up to 12 years) and the Most Outstanding Rum of the Year, all for the year 2011.

All of these awards are based upon side by side tasting sessions held over a period of several weeks. I  began by slowly tasting different rums from my private collection of bottles and bringing only the very best forward for the final side by side tastings which took place over the last four weeks. Only spirits which I had tasted in the past year (between October 1, 2019 and September 30 2011) were considered.

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The Rum Howler Award for the Best Overall White Rum:

Newfoundlander’s White Rum

Honourable mention to Diplomatico Blanco Reserva, and Mount Gay Silver Eclipse who were the other nominees.

For this category I considered the flavour of the rum in a Daiquiri, a Cuba Libre, and a Mojito, (the triumvirate of classic white rum cocktails). I awarded an overall score to each white rum and gave that score 50 % of the weighting, then I also compared the taste of each white rum neat at room temperature which accounted for the other 50 percent of the score. It was very difficult to choose between the Diplomatico Blanco Reserva and the Newfoundlander’s White Rum; but in the end, I felt that the Newfoundlander’s Rum carried more character into the cocktails and was a more interesting spirit when sipped neat.

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The Rum Howler Award for the Best Over-Proof Rum

and the winner is:

Panama Red 108 Overproof Rum

Honourable mention to Lemon Hart Demerara 151 Rum.

This award was very difficult to judge as the two nominees were each very good, and very different in their style. The Lemon Hart 151 Rum is a tiki style rum used primarily as that special ingredient which puts the final touches on an outstanding cocktail. The Panama Red 108 is more of a ‘cask strength’ style of rum meant to be consumed neat or on ice.  In the end, I felt that the Panama Red brought more versatility to the table, as I was able to enjoy this rum in many styles of cocktails as well as occasionally sipping it on its own, whereas the Lemon Hart has been strictly a cocktail rum for me. 

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The Rum Howler Award for the Best Flavoured Rum

This Category includes flavoured rums, rum liqueurs and the so-called black rums. (Basically every style  of rum which I considered to be obviously flavoured or altered (but not spiced).

and the winner is:

Diplomatico Hacienda Saruro

Honourable mention goes to Cruzan Black Strap Rum.

In this category, I must be honest and say that it was really no contest. The Diplomatico Hacienda Saruro has been a favourite of mine ever since I took my very first swallow. This is simply put, an outstanding spirit! If you want to have a real treat, try my signature cocktail for this spirit, the Kentucky Crocodile.

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The Rum Howler Award for the Best Spiced Rum

and the winner is:

George Street Spiced Rum

Honourable mention to Bacardi Oakheart Smooth Spiced Rum, and Cruzan 9 Spiced Rum.

This category was difficult to judge based upon the differences in the styles of the rums involved. I decided to go to the producers websites and see if I could find some recommended cocktails for each spirit which I sampled. I balanced this off with my impressions of drinking each spirit when drank neat. The clear favourite was George Street Spiced. I did notice that all three of the nominees carried much more oak character and spicy ‘oomph’ into the cocktails than I have previously seen in the spiced category. This category has seen significant improvement over the last year.

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The Rum Howler Award for Best Dark Rum:
(aged up to 5 years)

and the winner is:

Plantation Barbados (Grande Reserve) 5 Year Old Rum

Honourable mention to Plantation Barbados (2000) Old Reserve Rum, and Plantation Grenada 1998  (Old Reserve Rum)

It was a clean sweep of the nominations for the Plantation line-up in the 5 year and under category, and tasting these spirits side by side was a real treat. In the end, the Plantation Barbados Grand Reserve demonstrated a greater depth of flavour and smoothness which prompted me to award it the Best Rum in the 5 year Old category this year. I am happy to report that this rum is about to debut on the store shelves here in Alberta.

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The Rum Howler Award for Best Premium Rum:
(aged up to 12 years)

and the winner is:

Dictador 12 year Solera

Honourable mention to Plantation Panama 2000 (Olde Reserve) Rum

When I tasted the Dictador 12 year Solera head to head against the Panama 2000 (a 9-year-old rum in case you are wondering) , the contest was actually very close between the two. In the end I decided that the Dictador rum carried just a little more depth of character in the glass and it was this character that tipped the balance and caused me to declare it the winner.

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Ed 21 Served Neat

The Rum Howler Award for The Most Outstanding Rum of the Year:

El Dorado 21 Year Old Rum

Honourable mention to Dictador 20 Year Solera.

The two finalists for Most Outstanding Rum of 2011 were both from South America. In fact, I tasted some great rums from South America this year. The El Dorado 21 Year Old Rum was chosen as the winner in the head to head tasting because of its superior complexity, and the beguiling way the oak flavours have melded into the rum.  As I have said before, this is almost rum perfection.

In fact, this summer when my wife offered to buy me any rum bottle I wanted as a birthday gift at a local boutique store, she was shocked that I passed on the much more expensive 25 year Old El Dorado Rum and instead chose the 21 Year Old. When my wife pointed out to me that she was willing to buy me the $300.00 bottle instead of the $90.00 bottle, I just simply said, ” Trust me, the $90.00 bottle will please me just a little more. “  (Just so you know, I had an opportunity to taste the El Dorado 25 Year Old Rum earlier that year at a tasting in Calgary organized by my friend Lance. Thanks Lance!)

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And there you have it, my Rum Howler Awards for Rum all wrapped up. Here is a recap of today’s awards:

The Rum Howler Award for the Best Overall White Rum:   Newfoundlander’s White Rum

The Rum Howler Award for the Best Over-Proof Rum:   Panama Red 108 Overproof Rum

The Rum Howler Award for the Best Flavoured Rum:  Diplomatico Hacienda Saruro

The Rum Howler Award for the Best Spiced Rum:    George Street Spiced Rum

The Rum Howler Award for Best Dark Rum (aged up to 5 years):    Plantation Barbados (Grande Reserve) 5 Year Old Rum

The Rum Howler Award for Best Premium Rum (aged 12 years or less):   Dictador 12 year Solera

The Rum Howler Award for The Most Outstanding Rum of the Year:   El Dorado 21 Year Old Rum

The 2011 Rum Howler Awards – (Whisky Wrap-Up)

All of these awards are based upon side by side tasting sessions held over a period of several weeks. I  began at the start of September slowly tasting different whiskies from my private collection of bottles and bringing only the very best forward for the final tastings which took place over the last two weeks. Only spirits which I had tasted in the past year (between October 1, 2019 and September 30 2011) were considered.

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The Rum Howler Award for Best Whisky Value
(under $30.00 in my market of Alberta)

and the Winner is:

Potter’s Special Old Whisky

Honourable mention to Gibson’s Finest Sterling Canadian Whisky and Chinook Canadian Whisky

As I indicated in my Rum Howler Vodka Awards, the taxation and storage fees in my locale can add up to $18.00 a bottle to the price of a 750 ml spirit. It is rare to see anything on the shelves of the local liquor store for less than $22.00. This means that my standard for this category, being only those whiskies which are under $30.00, is a tight standard indeed. But even at that low price quality can be found in my marketplace as evidenced by the three final nominees. In head to head tasting, serving each whisky in a couple cocktails (the Buckeroo and the Horses Neck) as well as sipping each neat, the competition was close.  However, the Potter’s Special Old Canadian Whisky rose to the occasion and captured the award.

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The Rum Howler Award for Best Whisky Value
(under $60.00 in my market of Alberta)

and the winner is

Alberta Premium 30 Year Old Rye Whisky

Honourable mention to Glenmorangie, The Original 10 Year Old, and Basil Hayden’s Straight Kentucky Bourbon

All of the nominees are wonderful spirits. I tasted each of the three finalists neat, at room temperature to determine the winner and reaffirmed my belief that the Alberta Premium 30 is an absolute gem of a whisky. It not only was by far the best tasting whisky in the under $60.00 range. It was by a full $10.00 less expensive than its two rivals , and if you possibly can still find a bottle on a liquor store shelf, do not hesitate…. buy it!

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The Rum Howler Award for Best Blended Whisky

and the winner is:

Jameson 18 Year Old Limited Reserve Irish Whiskey

Honourable mention to Canadian Club 30 Year Old Whisky, and Gibson’s Finest 12 year Old Canadian Whisky

In Canada we pride ourselves on having the best and smoothest blended whisky in the world. However, in my side by side tastings of each of these spirits neat, I found I preferred a little of the Irish this time. The Jameson 18 Year Old Limited Reserve has a suave sort of creamy sweetness that doesn’t cloy at the palate after the whiskey is sipped. Things are smooth and refined in a finish which is long and satisfying.

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The Rum Howler Award for Best Single Grain or Single Malt Whisky

and the winner is:

Alberta Premium 30 Year Old Rye Whisky

Honourable mention to Highland Park 25 Year Old Single Malt, and Dufftown 1984 (Signatory)

I suppose it might be a little disconcerting to some that I have combined the Single Grain and the Single Malt category this year. They are after all two different styles of whisky. However, due to my limited tasting experiences with single grain whiskies this year, I decided to consolidate the two categories. I was after all curious how a $50.00 Canadian Single grain whisky would stack up against the competitors which cost up to 6 times more in my local liquor store. The Alberta Premium 30 Year Old did more than just stack up, it proved to be the best in side by side tastings. It just goes to show that the top price does not always reflect the top quality.

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And finally the Award that I am sure you have all been waiting for:

The Rum Howler Award for Best Overall Whisky
(Age, price and style irrelevant, her I am only concerned with what is the Best!)

and the winner is

Jameson 18 Year Old Limited Reserve Irish Whiskey

Honourable mention to Alberta Premium 30 Year Old Rye Whisky, and Highland park 25 Year Old Single Malt

Even I have to admit my surprise when I chose the Jameson 18 Year Old Limited Reserve over the Alberta Premium 30 year Old Canadian Whisky, and the Highland Park 25 year Old Single Malt Whisky. But when I began my taste comparisons I fell in love with the Jameson all over again. If you have not experienced Irish Pure Pot Still flavour, then you will have to take my word for it that it is quite wonderful. After 18 years of aging they have morphed into something that resembles a creamy soft punky toffee embedded in honeycomb and light marzipan and tainted with flavours of sour mash bourbon. The oak flavours weave in and out, and all of this comes together in a wonderful display of balance. The whiskey has such a beguiling delivery, that I was hooked right from the very first sip, and I suspect you will be too.

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And there you have it, my Rum Howler Awards for Whisky all wrapped up. Here is a recap of Today’s awards:

The Rum Howler Award for Best Whisky Value (under $30.00 in my market of Alberta)   Potter’s Special Old Canadian Whisky

The Rum Howler Award for Best Whisky Value (under $60.00 in my market of Alberta) Alberta Premium 30-year-old Whisky

The Rum Howler Award for Best Blended Whisky   Jameson 18 Year Old Limited Reserve Whiskey

The Rum Howler Award for Best Single Grain or Single Malt Whisky    Alberta Premium 30-year-old Whisky

The Rum Howler Award for Best Overall Whisky  Jameson 18 Year Old Limited Reserve Whiskey

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The 2011 Rum Howler Awards – (Regional Rum Awards)

Today I am continuing with my Rum Howler Awards as I am selecting the best rum from the various rum producing regions of the world. I have an Award for Best Rum from Central America, and Award for Best Rum from South America, and Award for Best Rum from North America, an Award for Best Rum from the Caribbean Islands and an Award for the Best Rum from Outside the Americas and the Caribbean.

All of these awards are based upon side by side tasting sessions held over a period of several weeks. As with the Whisky awards I began at the start of August slowly tasting different Rums from my collection of reviews samples bringing only the very best forward for the final tastings which took place over the past month.

(Note: Many rums brands are distilled in one region but transported in bulk to be blended and even aged for a further time in another region. Other rums brands are actually blends of several rums which have been distilled in more than one region. In all cases, I have decided that the location where the rum is bottled will be considered the place of production for that particular rum brand.)

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The Rum Howler Award for the Best Rum From Central America

and the winner is:

Panama Red 108 Overproof Rum

Honorable Mention to Traveller’s 3 Barrel Rum and Ron Abuelo 7 Year Old Rum

I had to think hard about whether to allow an over-proof rum to win this award. However, I really could not come up with a valid reason not to allow the Panama Red 108 to be considered. It is a tremendous rum which quickly became a favourite of mine and of my entire rum club. In side by side tastings with the Traveller’s 3 Barrel, and the Abuelo 7 year Old (which I have not reviewed yet); it seemed to have just that bit of extra flavour and richness which made me pick it out as the winner.

It is unfortunate that this rum has a rather limited distribution at this time but perhaps this award will help to change things, as I really would like to see this brand in my locale soon.

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And the Rum Howler Award for the Best Rum from South America

and the winner is:

El Dorado 21 Year Old Rum

Honourable mention to Dictador 20 Year Solera Rum and Dictador 12 Year Solera Rum

I tasted some great rums from South America this year. But leading the pack were the two great rums from Columbia (the Dictador Rums) and the great El Dorado Rums from Guyana. (I could easily have given the El Dorado 12 Year Old Rum an honourable mention here too).  The El Dorado 21 Year Old Rum was chosen as the winner in the head to head tasting because of its superior complexity, and the beguiling way the oak flavours have melded into the rum. This is almost rum perfection.

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The Rum Howler Award for the Best Rum from the Caribbean Islands

and the winner is:

Mount Gay Eclipse Black

Honourable mention to Atlantico Private Cask, and Mount Gay Eclipse (Gold)

Last year’s winner in this category was a wonderful solera blend from Oliver and Oliver, and this year their blending expertise is on display again as they are the masters behind the blending of the wonderful Atlantico Private Cask. However, this year Mount Gay muscled its way into consideration as I finally had the chance to sample their full range of rums. I almost went against the grain of convention by awarding the prize to the younger Mount Gay Gold Eclipse, but after several side by side tastings I became convinced that the new Mount Gay Black Eclipse was the superior rum. The two Mount Gay Rums are both very good, and on another day I might have chosen the Gold Eclipse over the Black; but… it wasn’t another day, and on the day I did my comparison’s the Black reigned supreme.

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The Rum Howler Award for the Best Rum From North America

and the winner is:

Famous Newfoundland Screech Rum

Honourable mention to Lemon Hart Demerara 151 Rum

Both of the rums nominated in this category are rums brands from Canada, where almost all of the rum produced is purchased in bulk from the Caribbean and then transported to Canada to be bottled. The rums are usually also aged for a further time in Canada and then blended with other stocks to produce the desired flavour profile. In the case of the Newfoundland Screech, the rum is a 100 % Jamaican blend of 4 marques that are produced in the same distillery as Appleton Estate Rum. All of these marques are aged in Jamaica. This rum has a reputation of being a rather harsh blend recommended for only the brave of heart. Frankly the reputation is undeserved, as Screech is a smooth rum which tastes delicious on ice or mixed in cocktails. 

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The Rum Howler Award for the Best Rum from Outside the Americas and the Caribbean

and the winner is:

Plantation Panama 2000 (Old Reserve)

Honourable mention to Plantation Barbados (Grande Reserve) 5 Year Old Rum and Plantation Grenada 1998 (Old Reserve Rum)

A clean sweep of the nominations for the wonderful  Plantation Rums of Cognac Ferrand (located in the Cognac Region of France). These wonderful rums are purchased from a variety of distilleries throughout the Caribbean and transported to France where they are aged for an additional time in used Cognac casks. The result is a wonderful thread of cognac goodness which is imparted to the already deliciously aged rums. I have tasted just about the entire line-up of Plantation Rums and have not been disappointed by a single sip. Who would have thought that France could be a world leader in the production of Rum?

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And there you have it, my Regional Rum Howler Awards for Outstanding Rum:

The Rum Howler Award for the Best Rum From Central America:  Panama Red 108 Overproof Rum

The Rum Howler Award for the Best Rum from South America:  El Dorado 21 Year Old Rum

The Rum Howler Award for the Best Rum from the Caribbean Islands:  Mount Gay Eclipse Black

The Rum Howler Award for the Best Rum From North America:  Famous Newfoundland Screech Rum

The Rum Howler Award for the Best Rum from Outside the Americas and the Caribbean:  Plantation Panama 2000 (Old Reserve)

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Over the next two weeks I will be wrapping up my Awards with the best of the best in Rum and Whisky

Cheers!