2014 Rhum Fest Paris: Concours Awards

     The results for the 2014 Rhum Fest Paris are in and I finally have them translated into English.  There was a true international jury to access these fine rhums and rums, and

their findings will be honored for a year until next year's event.   Below are the Jury of judges.

List of international judges:

 

·         Ian Burrell (England): Global Rum Ambassador

·         Dirk Becker (Germany): Berlin Rum Fest

·         Kristina Wolf  (Germany) Rum XP

·         Robert Burr  (USA) Miami Rum Renaissance Festival

·         Javier Herrera  (Spain) Madrid International Conference Rum

·         Philip Ili Barake  (Chile) Cigar Sommelier

 

·         Peter Holland  (England) The Floating Rumshack

·         René Van Hoven  (Netherlands) Rum XP

·         Benoit Lease (Luxembourg) Consultant

·         Leonardo Pinto  (Italy) Rome Rum Festival

·         Vingtier Alexandre  (France) Rumporter

·         Stephen Martin  (France) Best Mixologist de France 2009

·         Vallanet Jérôme  (France) Mixologist

·         Michael Landart  (France) Owner at Maria Loca

·         Julhes Nicolas (France) Le Petite Salon du Rhum

·         Alexandra Bernet  (France) Consultant

·         John Gibbons

·         Marc fought (France) Baroof

·         Alexandre Jarry

·         Pierre Moreau

·         Sébastien Scarf (France) Genepi

 

These are the final results of the judging  for your perusal.

 

         Agricultural rum and juice white:

 

Gold: Heir Madkaud

Silver: The heart of cane Favorite
Bronze: Depaz - cuvée of the mountain

 

Molasses White Rums

 

Gold: Flor de Cana Extra Dry

Silver: Diplomatico Reserve Blanco
Bronze: Plantation 3 *.

 

Agricultural Rum and Juice aged in wood, straw, amber...

 

Gold: The Favorite heart of rum

Silver: Reimonencq André
Bronze: Neisson Reserve

 

Amber Molasses and Gold Rums

 

Gold: Planting Original Dark

Silver: Rum Fair Belize
Bronze: Mount Gay Black Barrel

 

Agricultural Rum and Juice 3 to 6 years old

 

Gold Tie: JM VSOP & HSE VSOP

Bronze: Depaz VSOP

 

Agricultural Rum and Juice 3 to 6 years old

 

Gold: Chairman's reserve

Silver: Savanna 3 years
Bronze: Planting Guatemala

 

 Agricultural Rum and Juice old over 6 years

 

Gold: Longueteau old XO

Silver: Nation Martinique out of age
Bronze: Karukera 1999

 

More than 6 years old Molasses Rums

 

Gold: El Dorado 15 years

Silver: The spirit of rum Travellers
Bronze: Mount Gay XO

 

 Spiced Rums

 

Gold: Rebellion Spiced

Silver: La Mauny Spicy
Bronze: Old Orleans New Cajun Spice

 

Specialities of Rum (liquor, shrubb...)

 

Gold: Dormoy Shrubb

Silver: Chamarel liquor coconut
Bronze: Chamarel liqueur coffee

 

Rum for Cocktails:

 

Gold: Diplomatico Reserva Exclusive

Silver: Blackwell
Bronze: Arcane Cane Crush

 

 Rums Arranged

 

Gold: Isautier flamed banana

Silver: Isautier Gingenbre lemon
Bronze: TI arranged CED pineapple Victoria

 

Innovation of the Year

 

Gold: Arcane Cane Crush

Silver: Nine Leaves Clear
Bronze: Mount Gay Black Barrel
 

 

 

 

Special Prize of the Jury

Rum HSE Sauternes finish

 

Marks Favorite Users

 

Gold: Plantation

Silver: Ti' arranged by CED
Bronze: Damoiseau

 

    This is an interesting group of Rhums and Rums and the catagories are very different than many events that I have seen before.  Well done to the jury and I hope you enjoy the fine winners of the 2014 Rhum Fest Paris Concours.  ;o)

 

 

 

 

 

Oh for the Taste of a Good Daiquiri

     The Daiquiri is said to have been invented by Jennings Cox, an American mining engineer, living in Cuba at the time of the Spanish-American War. The name “Daiquiri” is from a beach near Santiago de Cuba. The drink was originally served in a tall glass packed with iced cubes, something strong, something weak something sour and something sweet was the recipe.   It was a really easy recipe of fresh lime juice, sugar, rum and ice. This is to this day one of my favorite cocktails when I'm in a bar that really knows how to make them.   El Floridita and Sloppy Joe's in Havana make some of the best I have ever enjoyed.  The drink was available only in Cuba until 1909,  U.S. Navy medical officer, Admiral Lucius W. Johnson, introduced it to the Army and Navy Club in Washington, D.C..  Over the next two decades the cocktail gained popularity here in the states. 

     The Daiquiri has taken many turns over the years, but it was changed by Constante Ribalaigua in the 1930's with the addition of finely shaved ice and stirring with a mixer that resembles on that was found in an American soda shoppe of the time.  This was the advent of the "Frozen Daiquiri" and the beginning of a set of legendary daiquiri's from the El Floridita.  One of the more famous ones was the "Papa Dobles" Constante created for "Papa" Hemingway, where he removed the sugar and doubled the rum to suit Hemingway's taste.

A favorite of President John F. Kennedy and  Earnest Hemingway, the daiquiri became increasingly popular in the 1940′s with wartime rationing of whiskey and vodka made them hard to come by.  Franklin Roosevelt’s “Good Neighbor Policy,” opened up travel, relations and trade with Cuba, Latin America, and the Caribbean, making rum readily available.

     Today there are a lot of "slushie" machine "daiquiri's" out there, but only a few can still create the fine taste and texture of an original daiquiri.   Take the time to mix on at home, it is one of the simplest of cocktails.  Whether you make it frozen, chilled or on the rocks, it is a classic and flavorful rum cocktail that never goes out of favor with people that drink them.  ;o)