Those hard-to-find bottles. The rhum agricoles, the limited editions, the parcellaires, the cask strength expressions. 

If you’re a rum lover in the United States, they’re all almost impossible to find, even with rum continuing to grow in popularity. And if you’re in other parts of the world with better rum selections, you’ll rarely find all of the greatest, rarest rums in one place. 

The solution is simple — spend a week at the Caribbean Rum Awards St Barth. 

The Caribbean’s ultimate rum experience is back again in St Barth, bringing together an unmatched group of rums from across the region, with the weeklong rum competition and festival will be held in St Barth from Nov. 1-5. 

The event will kick off with Rhum Neisson’s opening VIP party at Le Barthelemy hotel’s stunning rooftop bar, followed by a week of spectacular rum tastings, rum and cigar pairings, culinary dinners and, of course, the international rum competition. (That’s along with a ti’ punch party at Les Ilets de la Plage). 

“The Caribbean capital of luxury is the natural home for a celebration of the world’s most exclusive artisanal rums,” said Alexander Britell, editor and publisher of Caribbean Journal and co-founder of the Caribbean Rum Awards St Barth. “This is a gourmet event aimed at the bon vivant, for those who love the artful expressions of truly passionate producers.”

The event is headquartered at the leading rum bar on earth, the Rhum Room in Gustavia, led by global rum expert Christopher Davis and home to an unmatched collection of rare and ultra-premium rum and rhum agricole. 

And while you can try rums at events all week, the CRA also features the Tradewind Rum Expo on Nov. 3, an afternoon that brings together top distillers and producers for tastings of their best stock.

The Rhum Room will also be home to another new addition for 2022 — an exclusive tasting of Jamaican rums from the 19th century — the first of its kind. 

“Whether you’re a rum connoisseur or a lover of ultra-premium spirits, this event makes for one of the Caribbean’s ultimate vacations,” said Guy Britton, managing editor of Caribbean Journal. “It’s become an essential week on the St Barth calendar.”

For the ultimate Caribbean Rum Awards experience, try one of WIMCO’s Special Reserve Collection villas, all-inclusive villas that come with their own private chefs.

This year’s event is presented by platinum sponsors Tradewind Aviation, WIMCO Villas, Quarter Kitchen and Cocktail Lab and The Moorings and Le Barthelemy Hotel and Spa.  

Partners also include St Barth Tourism, Davidoff, SC Capital, Empire Social, Global Erudite and Les Ilets de la Plage, the island’s beloved boutique resort.

For travel information and packages, visit Epic Experiences. For VIP all-access tickets, see here.

For more information, contact rum@caribjournal.com and visit caribbeanrumawards.com. 

The post Why the Best Caribbean Rums Are Coming to One Island  appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Saint Lucia tourism is starting to rebound, two years after the island was one of the first Caribbean destinations to reopen amid the pandemic. 

In March, Saint Lucia reported its highest month of tourism arrivals since it first reopened back in June 2020, according to data from the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority. 

There were a total of 32,110 visitors to the Eastern Caribbean island in March; Saint Lucia tourism officials says that was 21 percent higher than they forecasted. 

For the first quarter, the island has reported 80,811 arrivals, marking what the SLTA called a “strong start to the year.”

Americans continue to dominate the island’s tourism numbers, with the US market accounting for around 56.2 percent of stay over arrivals for the year.

That’s followed by the United Kingdom, which accounted for 30.3 percent of stay over arrivals in the first three months of the year. That was actually the highest share of UK arrivals to the island – even before the pandemic. 

Canadians accounted for around 6 percent of arrivals, according to the SLTA. 

“The revitalization of Lucian Carnival is one of our priority events this year and we will continue to promote our strong niche offerings such as romance, diving, accommodations, and adventure with some exciting plans for the rest of the year,” said Lorine Charles St Jules, who took over as CEO of the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority earlier this year from former CEO Beverly Nicholson-Doty. 

Saint Lucia recently eased its entry protocols for travelers, waiving testing for all fully vaccinated travelers. 

Unvaccinated travelers five and older must continue to show proof of a negative PCR test within five days before arrival. 

For more, visit Saint Lucia. 

The post Saint Lucia Tourism Is Rebounding  appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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