WILLEMSTAD – Curaçao rum producer AnnaBay Club has earned major international recognition at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, winning two Double Gold medals and one Silver for its locally produced rums.
The company’s Amber Rum and Aged 5 Years Rum both received Double Gold, the competition’s highest medal distinction. A Double Gold is awarded when all members of the judging panel independently award a spirit a Gold medal during blind tasting.
AnnaBay Club’s White Rum also received international recognition, taking home a Silver medal.
The latest awards strengthen the Curaçao brand’s growing international reputation. AnnaBay Club had already received awards at a competition in London earlier this year, giving the producer recognition at two major international spirits competitions within the same year.
According to the company, its rum is produced, aged and bottled directly along Sint Anna Bay in Curaçao without additives. The local production process allows the brand to market not only the rum itself internationally, but also Curaçao as its place of origin.
Managing Director Christian Branum described the San Francisco results as an achievement that extends beyond the company itself.
According to Branum, the awards demonstrate that a product made in Curaçao can compete with spirits from some of the world's most established rum-producing countries. He believes the results also strengthen Curaçao’s position as a serious emerging rum-producing destination.
The San Francisco World Spirits Competition attracts spirits from producers around the world and uses blind judging, meaning judges evaluate the products without knowing their brands or producers.
For AnnaBay Club, receiving Double Gold for two different rums represents another important step in building international recognition for a product entirely associated with Curaçao.
The company says the results show that Curaçao can compete internationally not only as a tourism destination, but also through locally developed and produced premium products.