In the News

Tortuga 5-Year Old & 12-Year Old Rums Take Top Ratings in Taste Tests by Industry Experts

Grand Cayman, B.W.I./ Lansdowne, MD - Tortuga Rum Company, Ltd has won top honors for its Tortuga 5 Year Old Rum and Tortuga 12 Year Old Rum at the International Cane Spirits Festival held in Tampa, Florida on March 24, 2007. The International Cane Spirits Tasting Competition, held in conjunction with the festival, is the only tasting event in the United States dedicated to the sugar cane spirits industry. The judging panel included industry experts from around the world, and from the distilling, mixology, culinary and spirits media industries.

International Cane Spirits Festival

For Rum, Aged Up to & Including 8 Years Category
Tortuga 5 Year Old Rum
earned the Gold Medal and Best of Category topping 17 other rums including fellow Gold winners Goslings Black Seal, Mount Gay Sugar Cane, Prichard's Fine Rum and Ron Barcelo Imperial; Silver winners Bacardi 8 and Goslings Gold; and Bronze winners Appleton Estate Reserve, Bacardi Select and Mount Gay Eclipse among others.

For Rum, Aged 9 - 15 Years Category
Tortuga 12 Year Old Rum
tied for the Gold Medal and Best of Category with Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva, besting Silver winners Mount Gay Extra Old, Ron Botran 12 Year Old, Ron Zacapa 15 Centenario Year Old and Santa Teresa Selecto.

Tortuga 12 Year Old Rum, Tortuga 5 Year Old Rum
Tortuga 5 & 12 Year Old Rum

"With so many fine rums in the competition we are especially proud to have won Best of Category for both of our aged rums," says Robert Hamaty, founder of the Tortuga Rum Company, Ltd. "We invite everyone to come to the Cayman Islands to enjoy our award winning Tortuga 5 Year Old and Tortuga 12 Year Old Rums and look forward to introducing them into the United States market later this year."

Founded in 1984, the Tortuga Rum Company is the largest duty-free liquor business in the Cayman Islands. Its premium and flavored Tortuga Rums are specially developed, private blends of Jamaican and Barbados rums and a favorite souvenir of the millions of cruise passengers and other tourists who visit the Caymans each year.

The exclusive United States importer for Tortuga Rums of the Cayman Islands is Majestic Distilling in Lansdowne Maryland. The company introduced Tortuga Gold Rum and Tortuga Light Rum into the US market in 2006 and will be adding Tortuga Banana Rum, Coconut Rum and Spiced Rum into distribution in June. Tortuga 5 Year Old Rum and 12 Year Old Rum will be added later this year.

"This recognition, and from such a distinguished panel of judges, is a tremendous boost in helping us introduce more people to Tortuga's truly excellent premium and flavored rums," says Corky Graff, Vice President Sales & Marketing of Majestic Distilling Company, Maryland's oldest independent distillery. "American rum connoisseurs now have an exceptional, new brand available for them to enjoy."

Judges for the International Cane Spirits Tasting Competition included Ian Burrel, rum ambassador and host of UKRumFest; Rene van Hoven, Rum Pages; Ian Williams, correspondent and author of "A Social and Sociable History of the Real Spirit of 1776"; Wayne Curtis, writer and author of "...and a Bottle of Rum"; Robert Burr, Gifted Rums; Paul Artrip, Rum Aficionado; Louise Owens, Dallas Morning News; Jack Robertiello on-line editor-in-chief, Adams Business; Robert Plotkin, writer for several trade publications, author of several books and president of BarMedia.com; Eric Schiller, owner Gaspar's Grotto; Terry Jones, ABC Fine Wines & Spirits; Rick Crossland, Darden Group's Bahama Breeze restaurants; Bill Dowd, Albany Times Union and Dowd on Spirits blog; and Arturo Sighinolfi, Southern Wine & Spirits.

More information on the competition is available at www.polishedpalate.com

The Tortuga Rum Company, Ltd. is a family owned and operated business based in Grand Cayman, B.W.I. with franchise bakeries in Jamaica, Barbados and the Bahamas. In addition to its award winning rums, the company also is known for its world famous Tortuga Caribbean Rum Cakes, the #1 export of the Cayman Islands. Tortuga Imports/Tortuga Rum Cake Company handles worldwide distribution, food service, mail order and online sales from Miami, Florida.

For more information on United States distribution of Tortuga Rums see www.majesticdistilling.com