Each year, the San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC) takes place, honoring the finest spirits worldwide.
In April, this prestigious contest celebrated its 24th edition and the Golden State was the heart of it, gathering over 5,000 submitted entries and top industry professionals who carefully blind-tasted the best drinks of the season.
Winning a medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition marks excellence. It can propel a small-batch producer into the spotlight or solidify the reputation of a renowned brand.
On the other hand, spotting a bottle adorned with a San Francisco Spirits Competition medal indicates exceptional quality and taste for consumers.
Bronze, Silver, and Gold medals mark the path to SFWSC glory, with Double Gold being the ultimate accolade. But a Gold medal isn’t just a gold star sticker. It signifies a spirit that is “near to the pinnacle of achievement,” setting the benchmark for its category.
So, if you’re ready, scroll down to discover some of the top brands that stood out in this edition!
Distilled in southern Louisiana (USA), Bayou White Rum is proofed with triple filtered fresh local water, delivering the cleanest and purest taste of vanilla bean and honeysuckle nectar notes, which offers a multi-layered tasting experience.
In 2019, this white rum won a silver medal in the competitions, joining the organization’s awards achievements.
From the northern lands of the United Kingdom, Revival Rum Pure Cane Spirit is a pure, unaged, cane spirit from high-grade cane molasses and cane Demerara sugar: Flavorsome and light funkiness with earthy and grassy notes.
Summer meadows and hay, with ripe apricot stone fruit, overripe pineapple, a touch of licorice, and light black pepper spice are the main characters of this experience.
It is a special spirit for Tiki Cocktails! Please take a look at our Mandarin Tiki Dream recipe!
For more than 160 years, the Barbancourt distillery has been passing down its unique expertise, inherited from its founder Dupré Barbancourt, from generation to generation to refine the Barbancourt style.
That historical pathway led to this floral white Haitian rum, crafted from pure sugarcane juice. It delivers a perfectly crystalline medium dry, velvety body with a lingering finish that reveals vanilla, lemongrass, and spearmint notes.
Freshness and aromatic quality sealed in a bottle that evokes and represents Haiti rum culture.
Black Tot Finest Caribbean is a modern twist on the classic British naval rum.
This blend features top-shelf rums from Barbados (fruity & honeyed), Guyana (full-bodied), and Jamaica (intense & funky), creating a unique and flavorful experience, in which butter toffee, banana cream, caramel, cinnamon, and allspice are the main characters.
It honors tradition while offering a contemporary rum for today’s enthusiasts.
Holmes Cay Fiji Single Blended Rum is a blend from South Pacific Distilleries in Lautoka, Fiji. It’s made from lightly aged molasses-based pot and column still rum.
Blended in the Netherlands and bottled in New York, this spirit offers a distinctive taste with spicy, fruity, and sweet notes that pop in your mouth when the liquid touches your tongue.
This luxury spirit undergoes a unique deep maturation process, specifically designed for Southeast Asia’s climate.
Aged for 7 to 12 years, Phraya Deep Matured Gold Rum unfolds an enticing and exotic flavor profile of crème brûlée and butterscotch, with an underlying fruitiness of fresh pineapple, mirroring the rich history and culture of its homeland.
Calazan Añejo embodies the spirit of Venezuela, from the lands of Monagas State, this rum boasts a harmonious blend of light and medium-bodied spirits, aged for four years in American white oak barrels.
It’s characterized by its alluring aromas of dried fruits, honey, and plum, gracefully intertwined with delicate woody notes.
In 2023, Calazan Añejo, alongside its companion Calazan Reserva (also a winner in this category), stood out at the Wine & Spirits Tasting Competition, securing Silver and Double Gold medals, respectively.
Flor de Caña 18 is a luxurious 18-year aged spirit boasting Nicaraguan heritage.
This ultra-premium rum takes sustainability seriously, using 100% renewable energy and Fair Trade practices. The result? Thanks to its extended slumber in bourbon casks, a smooth, complex flavor profile with hints of vanilla and spice.
Mount Gay Single Estate Series embodies Barbados in every sip.
The flavor of fresh sugarcane cultivated in Mount Gay, pineapple, and oak is the distinctive signature of this spirit, creating an exclusive experience when tasted.
Single State undergoes the aging process in ex-bourbon barrels for five to six years. Each bottle is a journey that connects the day-to-day tasks from the sugarcane fields to the sip.
Zacapa XO is a blend of rums aged between 10 and 25 years in the Sistema Solera from Zacapaneca, a small town in Guatemala.
Its complex aromas come from the aging process: once the older and younger rums are blended as they age in a sequence of barrels that previously stored robust American whiskeys, delicate Sherries, and fine Pedro Ximénez wines, it’s finished in French oak casks, which previously aged Cognac.
This journey unrolls flavors like dark cherry, chocolate, date, and prune with sweet oak spices of clove, vanilla, and cinnamon that converge in a clear, tawny brown amber appearance.
Here are the top 5 Overproof Rums
Whether you’re a seasoned connoisseur or just starting to explore the world of spirits, the San Francisco World Spirits Competition is a name to remember. It’s a testament to the dedication and innovation of distillers worldwide, and a guide for those seeking out the very best in a bottle.
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