It began with a rooftop, oceanfront tasting of ultra-rare Martinique rum at St Barth’s magnificent Le Barthelemy Hotel and Spa. 

It concluded with a rum festival right at the water’s edge in Gustavia, bookended by superyachts. 

And in between, the Caribbean Rum Awards St Barth crowned the best rums in the world for 2022. 

For the second year in a row, Martinique’s Rhum Neisson took home the crown as the world champion of rum, with its Neisson 21 90th Anniversary edition besting Flor de Cana’s Generaciones to take home the title. 

A team of eight global rum experts gathered in Christopher Davis’ renowned Rhum Room in St Barth to judge a final field of 60 rums across eight categories in a blind tasting. 

The final two categories are the most elite in any rum competition worldwide: Uber-Premium Molasses and Uber-Premium Rhum Agricole, with every rum in each category selling for more than $400 at retail, a true collection of heavyweight rums. 

Neisson’s 21-year won Double Gold in the Uber Agricole category. Then Flor de Cana’s stunning V Generaciones, a 30-year edition, won Double Gold in the Uber Molasses. 

It was a rematch of 2021, when the same two rum houses faced off for the title, and again Neisson came out on top, another win for Neisson, arguably the most sought-after boutique rum distillery on earth.

It was the culmination of a remarkable field of rums, including six categories of Rhum Agricole, the magnificent sugarcane-juice rums of the French Caribbean, with brands like Montebello, La Favorite and HSE performing strongly. 

“This is the best field of rums we’ve had yet in competition in St Barth, part of a truly spectacular week of rum events in the Caribbean’s most glamorous island,” said Alexander Britell, editor and publisher of Caribbean Journal and co-founder of the Caribbean Rum Awards St Barth. “The Caribbean Rum Awards St Barth has truly become the region’s premier rum festival.”

But the week was far more than just a competition, with nearly two dozen events across five days, from master classes with distillers and blenders to rum-pairing dinners to VIP cigar-and-rum pairings. 

That ranged from Damoiseau’s popular Ti’ Punch party at Les Ilets de la Plage hotel to a “Caribbean Rum Festival” evening that featured Parce Rum, Don Q and Ron Pepon at Le Barthelemy. 

It all led up to a rum festival on the Captainerie in the heart of Gustavia, gathering 14 of the Caribbean’s to rum producers for a full-fledged celebration of fine rums, set to soundtrack of the French West Indies.

“After 2 years of various Covid travel interruptions our festival has taken a triumphant step forward,” said Davis, global rum expert and co-founder of the event. 

Davis said this year’s support from the St Barthelemy Collectivite had proven invaluable, helping to place the event as a prominent part of the annual St Barth calendar. 

“This is a rum experience that is not available anywhere else in the Caribbean,” Davis said. 

This year’s event featured a broad slate of high-level partners, from luxury airline Tradewind Aviation to the Caribbean’s top villa provider, WIMCO St Barth Properties to charter yacht company The Moorings and luxury brand Davidoff.

Next year’s event has already confirmed dates of Oct. 31-Nov. 5. 

“We can’t wait for what should be an even bigger festival next year,” Britell said. 

The biggest addition to this year’s event was the Rum Festival on the Harbor, an initiative spearheaded by Erjon Lulaj.

“This year’s festival was such a great event, it was an event dedicated to people who wanted to learn about rum, taste rum and cultivate themselves in the world of rum,” Lulaj said. “It was also a moment to have fun and spend a nice evening in the company of a local band with local music a nice Ti Punch in hand.” 

This year’s Caribbean Rum Awards St Barth jury included judges Alexander Britell, editor and publisher of Caribbean Journal; Guy Britton, managing editor and EVP of Caribbean Journal; Christopher Davis, global rum expert and proprietor of the Rhum Room St Barth; rum expert and international cigar sommelier Jose Antonio Hernandez-Solaun; Peter Berntsen, COO of Empire Social Lounge in Miami and founder of Miami Rum Month; Guy Ferdinand, renowned Caribbean chef and owner of Martinique’s Le Petibonum; Myssi Davis, founder of Rum Traveler; Cuban rum expert Ivan Jivkov; and editor-in-chief of Cuba Journal, Simons Chase. 

You can find the full list of winners below. 

50 degrees and below – Rhum Blanc Agricole 

Rhum La Favorite 50 Double Gold
Rhum HSE 50 Gold 
Rhum Karukera 50 Silver 
Rhum Bologne Black Cane Bronze 

Over 50 degrees Rhum Blanc Agricole 

Montebello “Cuvee the Bolokos” Double Gold 
Rhum JM 55 Gold
Karukera L’Intense Silver 
Rhum Longueteau 62 Bronze 

VSOP

Rhum HSE VSOP Double Gold

Rhum Neisson VSOP Gold
Rhum La Favorite Coeur de Canne Silver 
Rhum Trois Rivieres VSOP Bronze 

XO

Rhum HSE XO Double Gold
Rhum Severin XO Gold
Rhum JM XO Silver 
Rhum Clement Cuvee de l’habitation Bronze 

Hors d’age

Reimonenq 9 Ans Double Gold
Trois Riviers Triple Millesime Gold 
Rhum Bielle 2011 Silver
Rhum Neisson Nonaginta Bronze 

Uber Agricola

Neisson 21 Double Gold
JM Signatur Gold
Reimonenq Quintessence Silver 
JM Dame Jeanne Bronze 

Premium Molasses

Holmes Cay Belize 2005 Double Gold
Ron Diplomatico 2005 Single Vintage Gold
Flor de Cana 130th Anniversary Silver 
Mount Gay XO – Bronze 
 
Uber Molasses
Flor de Cana V Generaciones Double Gold
Havana Club Union Gold
Ron Diplomatico Ambassador Silver 
Mount Gay The Madeira Cask Expression Bronze 

World Champion: Neisson 21 90th Anniversary Edition 

For more, visit the Caribbean Rum Awards St Barth.

The post St Barth Festival Crowns Best Rums in the Caribbean  appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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St Kitts is primed for a major cruise season in 2022-2023, one that will include an array of ships making their inaugural calls to Port Zante in Basseterre. 

Already this season, four ships have made their inaugural calls. 

That includes Seabourn Venture, Carnival Spirit, Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas and Ocean Explorer. 

A major inaugural visit comes next week when the current world’s largest cruise ship, Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas, will call on St Kitts. 

“It shows that we are working,” said St Kitts Tourism Minister Marsha Henderson. “We can’t sit in our small corner of this world and expect business to come to us.”

St Kitts has in recent years seen massive growth in the cruise sector, rising to become one of the most popular cruise destinations in the wider Caribbean. 

In a statement, St Kitts’ Tourism Minister said the wave of inaugural calls were a “clear signal of recovery in the tourism sector and cruise officials’ growing confidence in the destination’s tourism product.”

The growth in cruise tourism comes as St Kitts has seen tremendous buzz for its reimagined tourism identity centered around deeper, more experiential travel across the destination. 

For more, visit St Kitts. 

The post St Kitts’ Cruise Season Is Heating Up  appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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The serene, mountainous charm of tiny Saba. The spectacular hiking and endless hospitality of Statia. The boating fantasies of Tortola.

They’re some of the most sought after little destinations in the Caribbean, but they’re not exactly the easiest to get to.

But JetBlue just made it a whole lot easier to reach them.

In what is a major boost for a number of smaller destinations around the Caribbean, New York-based JetBlue has signed an interline agreement with regional airline Winair. 

The interline agreement means travelers can book one itinerary that covers flights to major destinations and the connecting service to smaller airports in the region, and check their bag directly through to their final destination. 

“Customers utilizing this interline agreement will benefit from the ability to check their luggage to their final destination before boarding their JetBlue flight, and they can then proceed directly to  their departure gate for their connecting flight with WINAIR,” JetBlue said in a statement. 

Winair connections to JetBlue flight can now be booked through travel agents, the company said. JetBlue has not yet announced when the service will be available on JetBlue.com. 

As part of the agreement, travelers can now connect on a JetBlue flight to seven different Winair destinations, including Antigua and Barbuda, Curacao, Tortola, Statia, Saba, St Kitts and St Barth (of course, the best way to get to St Barth is still flying through San Juan and connecting on Tradewind Aviation).

The agreement covers flights through St Maarten to all seven destinations, along with flights through Aruba to Curacao and through Antigua and Barbuda to St Kitts. 

That means, for example, that a traveler can book a flight from New York directly to tiny Saba through St Maarten, all on one itinerary. 

“The interline agreement between WINAIR and JetBlue demonstrates the confidence and vision both airlines share in St. Maarten and the surrounding region, and will provide growth for PJIAE and the region,” said Michael Cleaver, President and CEO of WINAIR.

It’s a particular boost for Winair’s core island-hopping stops near St Maarten: destinations like Statia, Saba, both of which have some of the smallest commercial runways on earth and can’t receive nonstop international traffic. 

And it removes much of the hassle of changing airlines within the Caribbean, never an easy feat. 

For more, visit JetBlue and Winair. 

The post JetBlue Just Made Caribbean Island Hopping Much Easier  appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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“Love and Wanderlust” are perfectly paired for a romantic getaway, honeymoon, or destination wedding in Antigua and Barbuda. This twin-island nation abounds in activities where couples can bond, from sunset sails and yacht charters to hands-on Caribbean cooking classes at Nicole’s Table and horseback riding on Sunset Beach (and in the surf!) with Sunfire Horseback Riding Academy.

A sunset dinner at Sheer Rocks sets the table for an evening of romance, while the VIP day-trip experience at Nobu Barbuda includes private cabanas, beach massages, and a six-course Omakase sushi and paired drinks experience on Princess Diana Beach. In Antigua and Barbuda, couples don’t even have to leave their hotel to get that kind of serious pampering: Sheer Rocks, for example, is located at the Cocobay Resort, and this destination has a menu of romantic resorts rivaling any other island in the Caribbean. Here are some of our favorites.

Hammock Cove Antigua – One of Antigua’s newest resorts has 42 villas with indoor-outdoor floor plans that include private plunge pools. Set on the island’s quiet north shore, this all-inclusive and adults-only resort has a spa and other five-star amenities, Michelin-level dining, food and drink service on the beach, and wine and cooking classes led by resort sommeliers and chefs.

The post 11 Antigua Resorts That Are Perfect for a Romantic Vacation appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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They are the world’s foremost experts on Caribbean travel: Caribbean Journal readers. They travel to the Caribbean multiple times each year, scouring the region for the newest and the greatest, searching out hotels, beaches, restaurants and experiences. 

And each year, they choose the best of the best: the winners of the Caribbean Journal Travelers’ Choice Awards. 

“There’s no larger community in the world of frequent travelers to the Caribbean than our readers,” said Alexander Britell, editor and publisher of Caribbean Journal. “Congratulations to all of this year’s winners! You have earned the ultimate seal of approval from those who know Caribbean travel better than anyone, the platinum standard of Caribbean tourism excellence.” 

This year’s Travelers’ Choice Awards honor champions in 24 different categories of travel, from hotels and resorts to honeymoons and weddings to rum bars, with more than 125,000 votes cast. 

“Participation for this year’s Awards was higher than ever before,” said Guy Britton, managing editor and EVP of Caribbean Journal. “It’s a good omen for what should be a banner 2023 for the whole Caribbean.”

Best Luxury Resort in the Caribbean: Baoase Luxury Resort, Curacao

The post The Winners of the CJ Caribbean Travelers’ Choice Awards 2022 appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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