Dear rum lovers, wherever you are sitting or standing – are you ready? What began years ago as a small project and is now eagerly awaited by rum fans around the world has developed into what is probably the most important award ceremony on the international rum scene.
- No jury, just data: The 2025 awards are based on over 62,000 verified reviews from the community – 100% democratic and impossible to buy.
- A year of records: With over 48,000 members and 260,000 tasting notes collected, RumX is the authority in the scene.
- More than just awards: Integration of over 40 leading online shops and auction houses makes RumX the central marketplace for high-quality rum.
- The roadmap: 6 categories in 6 days – from the ‘Formula 1’ of single casks to the crowd favourites.
While traditional competitions are often based on snapshots taken by small juries or paid submissions, the RumX Community Awards take a radically different approach: they are a direct, unfiltered reflection of the scene. Here, decisions are not made by a panel behind closed doors, but by the collective intelligence of thousands of rum enthusiasts.
Our awards are based 100% on authentic, real-life tastings – collected over an entire year, evaluated using data and without any marketing filters. This makes the RumX Awards the most honest feedback a rum brand can receive: an award directly from the people who appreciate rum the most – the connoisseurs themselves.
What makes the RumX Community Awards unique?
Why are these awards different from the rest? Here are the facts:
While others rely on a few experts, our results are based on the collective swarm intelligence of thousands of active tasters from our community of over 48,000 members.
The RumX community is critical. Only 8.8% of all rums tasted this year achieved the status ‘Excellent’ (9.0+ points).
With over 170 new reviews per day, we feel the pulse of the scene in real time.
With 10,867 bottlings rated, we cover the entire spectrum from supermarket classics to 40-year-old single casks.
No submission fees, no sponsorship of the results. Only taste counts here.
RumX Recap 2025: A year of records
Before we raise the curtain, let's take a look back at the past year. You have been busy tasting, discussing and collecting – and the figures speak for themselves:
62,319
reviews
2,587
active jurors
10,867
rums tasted
Milestone reached: a quarter of a million! Since the last awards, our community has grown from 38,000 to an impressive 48,000 members. Together, we have broken the magic mark of 250,000 rum reviews this year. This makes RumX not only the most comprehensive rum database in the world (25,000+ rums), but also the undisputed No. 1 when it comes to purchasing decisions.
More than just reviews: the marketplace is growing
Our goal has always been to link the largest rum database with the largest selection of rum in Europe. We achieved this in 2025.
- Over 40 shop partners: We now list not only small boutiques, but also leading online shops such as La Maison du Whisky, Spirit Academy and Excellence Rhum. Over 6,000 different rums are now available directly via RumX.
- New: Auction integration: What to do when your favourite rum is long out of stock? We have teamed up with leading auction houses. From now on, you can see when a live auction is running on the product pages – so you can conveniently bid on rarities to complete your collection.
A look behind the scenes: our personal highlights and lowlights
RumX is more than just data and code. We are a team of enthusiasts. What has moved us this year?
My highlight: ‘Definitely the first community meeting in October! Finally getting to meet the people behind the avatars in person and experiencing that “school trip atmosphere” was unforgettable. Thanks to Leo, Michael and Artur for organising it!’
My shock moment: ‘That we had to pause the legendary RumX Advent calendar this year. But I'm confident: ’Next year will see an outstanding edition!"
Oliver· GründerMy highlight: ‘Firstly, the new RumX co-bottlings – it's great that the community likes them as much as we do! Secondly, the legendary Caroni tasting weekend with Johannes and Stefano Caroni.’
My shock moment: ‘Realising that the year is almost over and I still have so many tasting plans left.’
Jakob· GründerMy highlight: ‘After a long day at Whisky Live Paris with Ricci Spirits and the community, taking over Bar1802 and celebrating a wild release party for our Navy Rum!’
My shock moment: ‘Realising one day before the release that the Ricci shop wasn't technically integrated into the platform yet!’
Robert· GründerMy highlight: ‘How the team grew together – and the moment I tried Shakara 12YO. It's unbelievable how much quality you get for so little money.’
My shock moment: ‘Nothing shocks a controller! (Joking)’
Lukas· GründerThe Community Awards 2025: New format, more categories
To do justice to the diversity of the rum world – from beginners to nerds – we have expanded the categories. Over the next few days, you can look forward to six exciting reveals:
- Best Single Casks 2025 (release: today!)
- Best Independent Bottlers (Wednesday, 3 December)
- Best Blended Rums (Thursday, 4 December)
- Best Classic Rums (Friday, 5 December)
- Best Spirit Drink (Saturday, 6 December)
- The most popular rums (Sunday, 7 December)
Your vote counts: The methodology
Transparency is our highest priority. How are the winners determined?
- Basis: All user ratings from 1 December of the previous year to 30 November of the current year.
- Quality over quantity: To minimise outliers, we use the statistical median instead of the average.
- Security: A sophisticated algorithm checks ratings and user profiles for anomalies to rule out fake reviews.
- Relevance: We have significantly increased the minimum number of ratings per rum to 40 to ensure a broad group consensus.
Enough of the preamble! You have tasted, rated and discussed. Now let's celebrate the best of the best:
Frequently asked questions (FAQ) about the RumX Community Awards
Here we answer the most important questions about the award, the methodology and the independence of the awards.
The RumX Community Awards are considered the most important independent awards in the international rum scene. Unlike traditional competitions, the results are not based on a small jury of experts, but on verified data from over 2,500 rum lovers worldwide who have actively rated rums on RumX over the past 12 months. The awards recognise the best rums of the year in six categories, from entry-level qualities to rare collector's items.
While competitions such as the IWSC or the International Spirits Challenge are often based on snapshots and charge entry fees, the RumX Awards are 100% democratic and free of charge. There is no jury, no entry fees and no sponsorship. The winners are determined solely by the community's ratings. This makes the awards the most authentic barometer for the best rums in the world.
Quality assurance is our top priority. All reviews on RumX go through a proprietary authenticity algorithm. This algorithm analyses not only the review itself, but also the user's activity profile, IP cluster and text patterns to detect manipulation or ‘review bombing’. In addition, the founding team manually reviews the top rankings.
RumX is more than just a review platform. We are directly connected to over 40 leading online shops in Europe and auction houses. On the respective award winners' pages, you will find direct links to the product pages. There you can check availability, compare prices and order the rum directly from one of our partners.
Every rum listed in our database (currently over 25,000) is automatically entered. As we do not charge any submission fees, all brands have the same chances – from global corporations to the smallest craft distilleries. The only decisive factor is how the rum has been rated by the community over the last 12 months.
