Best Rum Finalists and Winner | 2023 New York World Wine & Spirits Competition

by The Tasting Alliance Team  |  09.14.2023

Every year, just a few of the very best of each category go head-to-head for our judges to determine the Best Of Class for dozens of spirit categories, including Best Rum. The official results of the 2023 New York World Wine and Spirits competition have been unveiled, featuring the announcement of the Best Rum. Let’s take a glimpse at the 2023 Best Rum Finalists and the Overall Winner.

Best Rum Finalist: The Equiano Rum Co. Original

Mauritius- Equiano is the World’s First African-Caribbean Rum. Equiano is a premium, limited-batch aged rum, that is 100% natural, with no additives, no flavorings, no spice, and no added sugar.

Best Rum Finalist: Desert Diamond Distillery Gold Miner Rum Reserve (Barrel 32)

The aroma is sweet and spicy. The taste is smooth and well-developed, with hints of spice and licorice and a background of oak-aged vanillas. It finishes smooth, yet firm with a full-bodied taste that rum drinkers look for.

Best Overall Rum: Pampero Aniversario Rum

The journey of this expression began with the vision of crafting a masterpiece to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the inception of the brand’s iconic rum house. Little did they know that nearly six decades later, this very rum would stand as one of the most highly acclaimed spirits produced, adorned with a remarkable collection of Gold and Double Gold medals from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and now the New York World Spirits Competition.

Innovation has always been at the heart of their craft. To create the signature Pampero™ Aniversario, the brand’s founders disrupted conventional rum-making by introducing Sherry casks to complement the array of Bourbon barrels already in use. The result is a rum born from an “Exclusive Reserve,” housing the rarest and most intricate rums.

Pampero™ Aniversario stands as an intense, mahogany-hued premium rum, inviting enthusiasts to savor it neat and discover with each sip a complex palette of aromas and flavors, including notes of wood, sherry, vanilla, caramel, dried fruits, orange zest, and chocolate.

This is a rum of power and complexity, with a captivating profile highlighting woody, vanilla, sherry, cinnamon, dried fruits, chocolate, tobacco, and leather.