A Dominican rum and a French flavored rum were judged the world’s best rums, each winning Platinum medals, at the 2025 Beverage Testing Institute (BevTest) rum judging. Twenty-three rums won Gold Medals across various rum categories. Below are the official tasting notes on BevTest’s Top Rums.

Ron Barceló was one of two Platinum medalists, scoring 96/100 points. The distillery, founded in 1930 in the Dominican Republic, is one of the most prominent rum producers in the Caribbean. The distillery is known for its sustainability practices and uses 100% Dominican sugarcane juice fermented and distilled in its San Pedro de Macorís distillery.

The Imperial 40 Aniversario Premium Blend was released to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Barceló Imperial. It is a limited-edition rum aged 12 years in American oak and French oak barrels, then finished in ex-Sauterne wine casks.

The rum is rich and aromatic, featuring dried figs, dates, cherries, vanilla bean, roasted nuts, and sweet oak. The palate is full-bodied, with dark chocolate, molasses, plum, toasted coconut, and a touch of acidity from the wine barrels. The finish is long and smooth, with lingering spice, leather, and cigar box hints.

The BevTest Judging Panel described the rum as expressing: