In 2012, Caribbean Journal’s Rum Journal first launched the Rum Awards — a unique celebration of the best rums of the year. 

And after seven previous incarnations, the annual Rum Awards morphed into a full-fledged rum event in St Barth, the recently-concluded Caribbean Rum Awards, now an annual event on the Caribbean’s most exclusive island that will be held in Gustavia Nov. 10-15, 2020, held in partnership with the Saint Barth Rum Festival.

But the tradition of marking our favorite rums of the year remains, now called the Best Rums of the Year, part of our quest to celebrate and elevate rum, a spirit that continues to change — both in the glass and in the minds of consumers. 

Indeed, it’s remarkable how much the rum world has evolved since we began the Rum Awards back in 2012 — there’s a new, welcome focus on premium and ultra-premium rums, on classification, on quality, and, perhaps most happily, an even greater appreciation for rhum agricole of the French Caribbean. 

Rum still faces an uphill battle — to win the hearts and minds of consumers who still think rum is best off drowned in sea of coke. 

But the size of that market is a declining one, as more and more people begin to appreciate the wonder of the Caribbean’s most famous export. 

This year’s edition of the Best Rums honors rums in a diverse range of categories, from the Best Rum and Best Rhum Agricole of 2019 to the coolest bottle design and the best rum bar in the Caribbean.

Our 2019 judging was conducted, as usual, at Empire Social in Miami, with a team of rum experts tasting an enviable group of world-class rums, whittled down from several hundred sampled by the Rum Journal team over the course of the year across the Caribbean. 

Here are the best rums of 2019. 

Rum of the Year 2019: Goslings Papa Seal Bermuda Rum Every year, it gets more difficult to choose our favorite molasses-based rum of the year. But this year, we came full circle, returning to the brand that first took home the crown in the inaugural Rum Awards back in 2012: Bermuda’s Goslings. The company’s newest ultra-premium expression is exquisite, a luxurious, hand-bottled expression that is the best rum Gosling’s has ever made. A mix of pot and column-still rums brought to the Atlantic region and aged in Bermuda for more than 15 years in ex-bourbon barrels, it’s simply a world-class rum, and a new triumph for one of the hemisphere’s most venerable rum brands. 

Double Gold: Ron Barcelo Imperial 30 Aniversario (Dominican Republic)

Gold: Zafra 30-Year Rum (Panama) 

Silver: Samaroli Caribbean  

Bronze: Chairman’s Reserve 1931 (Saint Lucia)

The post Rum Journal: The Best Rums of 2019 appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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The best Jamaica resorts set the standard for the Caribbean travel experience; since the dawn of the jet-set age, Jamaica has been a haven for rarefied, elegant, character-filled hospitality, and that’s even more true today. 

Few islands boast as diverse and fascinating a hotel product as Jamaica, from its all-inclusive stays to its classic beach resorts to its hidden-away boutique hotels — and everything in between. 

While Jamaica continues to evolve as a destination, what hasn’t changed is its enviable, remarkable and unique take on the Caribbean vacation experience. 

Here are our favorite Jamaica resorts for your 2020 trip to the island. 

Half Moon The Grande Dame of Jamaica resorts, Half Moon is about as iconic a hotel as there is in the Caribbean, a luxurious, opulent hotel where the service is bold and brilliant and the ambience is serene. But Half Moon will have a particularly interesting 2020 with the debut of its new standalone resort, the 57-room Eclipse at Half Moon, a Half Moon for the 21st century — and it’s as exciting a hotel as has come to Jamaica in years. And while that resort makes its debut in March, the original resort (whose guests have included the Queen) is just about the pinnacle of lovely.

The post The 10 Best Jamaica Resorts to Visit in 2020 appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Spanish hotel giant Melia Hotels International is opening another new resort in Mexico, the company announced.

The new Paradisus Playa Mujeres will open its doors in the summer of 2020, according to Melia. 

The all-inclusive property will include a total of 498 rooms, each with views of either tropical gardens or the Caribbean sea. 

Amenities will include 10 dining concepts, a spa, a fitness center and a plum setting on the beach. 

“Playa Mujeres the perfect place for relaxed luxury in a dream setting with a natural, unspoiled landscape,” the company said in a statement. “The new motto of Paradisus by Melia, ‘Embrace Your Nature,’ takes you to a paradise that reflects the endemic beauty of the destination.”

The newest Paradisus will join four other Paradisus-branded resorts in Mexico, including Paradisus Los Cabos; Paradisus Cancun, Paradisus Playa del Carmen La Esmeralda and Paradisus Playa del Carmen La Perla. 

It’s yet another new resort in Melia’s fast-growing regional portfolio, and another addition to what is arguably the hottest destination for hotel investment in Mexico: Playa Mujeres, sometimes dubbed Costa Mujeres, often known in the regional industry as the “New Cancun,” which has seen a wave of new hotels from brands like Riu and Palladium, among others.

For more, visit Paradisus Playa Mujeres. 

– CJ

The post Melia Is Opening a New Paradisus Resort in Playa Mujeres appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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