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Increasingly, consumers are seeking complexity in what they drink, meaning sweeter styles of rum are becoming more balanced and vegetal agricoles are gaining in popularity. Bartenders and educated shoppers are also becoming more suspicious of dishonest liquid – those bottlings that use a surplus of sweeteners and colouring to offer a more mature image and secure a higher price tag.

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But rum’s ascent up the premiumisation ladder continues to be slow and the category cannot neglect its mass market audience. As such, rum must take a multi­-pronged approach to ensure high quality in a plethora of styles and price points. Our Rum and Cachaça Masters 2019 set out to assess whether the category has been successful.

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The blind­-tasting competition took place at The Rum Kitchen Carnaby in London last month, and saw the breadth of the category come under the scrutiny of four judging panels. The first team – which consisted of: Sly Augustin, owner of Trailer Happiness; Daawud Zepherin, rum ambassador at The Rum Kitchen; and chaired by Melita Kiely, deputy editor of The Spirits Business – took on the diminutive cachaça round, awarding two Silver medals.