You Need to Go to This Caribbean Rum Festival in St Bart’s

Some call it the “Cannes of Caribbean Rum.”

Each year, the top rums from across the Caribbean Basin face off in a blind-tasting competition that is the most exclusive field in the industry, with heavyweights from countries like Martinique, Jamaica, Cuba, Guadeloupe, Puerto Rico, Antigua, Saint Lucia and more facing off and eventually crowning a World Champion.

But the Caribbean Rum Awards St Barth isn’t just a rum competition: it’s a weeklong festival of the greatest rums on earth.

Whether you’re an ardent enthusiast or a spirits lover looking to take a deep dive into the world of Caribbean rum, the annual event, now in its sixth year, is an unforgettable gourmet experience.

the opening party — The opening party at Le Barthelemy hotel in St Barth.

This year’s Caribbean Rum Awards St Barth takes place from Oct. 31-Nov. 4, kicking off with the Rhum Neisson rooftop party at the Le Barthelemy hotel and continuing with a series of rum parties, master classes, cigar-and-rum events, ti’ punch cocktail hours and pool parties at some of the most glamorous settings on the French Caribbean island.

It all concludes with the St Barth Rum Festival expo on Nov. 4 right on the harbor in downtown Gustavia.

And yes, St Barth is an essential part of the event: the Caribbean capital of luxury is the perfect backdrop for a celebration of world-class, artisanal rums; this isn’t a mass-market rum expo in some big city or a place for spiced and flavored stuff; this is an elevated, rarefied event for the bon vivant, a portal to rums you simply won’t find anywhere else.

Tickets are still available for the festival, giving you the only way to access every single event, a private tasting and other exclusive perks. (You can find more about tickets here).

The festival concludes on the waterfront in Gustavia.

“This year’s Caribbean Rum Awards St Barth simply cannot be missed,” said Alexander Britell, editor and publisher of Caribbean Journal, which organizes the annual event. “It’s the greatest collection of rare and small-batch Caribbean rums you’ll find anywhere and a wonderful opportunity to begin an immersive journey into the wonder of rum.”

This year’s event is presented by platinum sponsors WIMCO St Barth Properties and Tradewind Aviation.

WIMCO Villas is the official accommodation provider of the event, while Tradewind is the official airline of the Caribbean Rum Awards. For more on villa accommodations, contact info@wimco.com.

For more, visit the Caribbean Rum Awards St Barth.