CLARENDON, Jamaica — Jamaican rum producer National Rums of Jamaica has turned a successful new page in the island nation’s long legacy of premium spirit manufacturing, with three expressions from its iconic Monymusk Plantation line taking home top honors at the 2026 Beverage Testing Institute (BevTest) World Spirits Championship.
In an official press statement, the company shared that two of its rums — Monymusk Plantation White Overproof Rum and Classic Gold Rum — earned an identical score of 93 points, while the third entry, Special Reserve Rum, scored a 92. All three products were awarded Gold Medals by the competition, a Chicago-based industry contest that stands as one of the most enduring and respected spirits awards globally. Unlike many public-facing awards, BevTest’s judging process relies on blind tastings conducted by panels of seasoned trade professionals, ensuring that scores and medals are awarded based solely on product quality rather than brand recognition. The full results of the championship, including the three winning Jamaican rums, are featured in Forbes’ May 2026 roundup of the world’s highest-rated rums.
Martha Miller, Chief Executive Officer of National Rums of Jamaica, framed the triple win as a point of national and company pride. “This recognition from the Beverage Testing Institute is a proud moment for National Rums of Jamaica, the Monymusk brand, and the entire country of Jamaica,” Miller said. “To have all three of our entries — White Overproof, Classic Gold, and Special Reserve — counted among the world’s best rums speaks volumes about the consistent quality that defines our entire product portfolio.”
Miller emphasized that the award-winning quality of the rums is no accident, and directed praise to the in-house teams that oversee every step of production. “A tremendous amount of credit has to go to our technical, production, quality control, and blending teams, who pour enormous care into their work every single day,” she explained. “Exceptional rum is not a random outcome. It requires generations of distilled expertise, unwavering consistency, and a long-term commitment to upholding the highest possible quality standards.”
The Forbes feature includes official tasting notes compiled from the BevTest judging panel’s evaluations. The White Overproof rum was praised for its layered aroma profile of green banana, whipped cream, and sugar cookie, paired with flavor notes of warm baking spices, ripe pineapple, and toasted coconut. Judges called it “a great overproof rum with a creamy body and subtle sweet banana esters, perfect for cocktailing.”
For the Classic Gold rum, judges highlighted notes of dunder, charred oak wood, and fresh pomegranate, describing the expression as “a complex, fruity rum to save for special occasions.” The Special Reserve, meanwhile, was singled out as “an excellent choice for experienced rum drinkers” who appreciate the distinct character of traditional Jamaican product.
All rums in the Monymusk Plantation portfolio are manufactured, aged, and blended entirely at the Clarendon Distillery, located in southern Jamaica’s Clarendon Parish. The line stays true to the centuries-old traditional Jamaican rum-making style, defined by extended fermentation periods, a blend of pot-still and column-still distillation, and the iconic high-ester, fruit-forward profile that rum enthusiasts around the world refer to as “Jamaican funk.”