A Bermudian rum has been named Rum of the Year at the 2019 Rum Awards in Miami.Gosling’s Papa Seal eclipsed rums from across the Caribbean to claim the top prize at awards organised by Rum Journal, part of Caribbean Journal, a website that covers the region with a focus on travel and tourism.A story on the Rum Journal portion of the website said: “Every year, it gets more difficult to choose our favourite molasses-based rum of the year. But this year, we came full circle, returning to the brand that first took home the crown in the inaugural Rum Awards back in 2012: Bermuda’s Goslings.“The company’s newest ultra-premium expression is exquisite, a luxurious, hand-bottled expression that is the best rum Gosling’s has ever made. A mix of pot and column-still rums brought to the Atlantic region and aged in Bermuda for more than 15 years in ex-bourbon barrels, it’s simply a world-class rum, and a new triumph for one of the hemisphere’s most venerable rum brands.”In second through fifth places, were Ron Barcelo Imperial 30 Aniversario, Dominican Republic; Zafra 30-Year Rum, Panama; Samaroli Caribbean Rum; and Chairman’s Reserve 1931, Saint Lucia.Papa Seal rum was launched by Gosling’s late last year in a limited release of just 12 barrels, with just one barrel reserved for Bermuda customers.The company described the rum as: “Startlingly mellow with an elegant finish carrying notes of spice, leather, banana, caramel and molasses. So refined is this rum that Goslings urges owners to savour it neat or over a single cube of ice.”Malcolm Gosling, president and chief executive officer of Gosling’s International Limited, said at launch: “Our obsession has always been on crafting the finest rums possible, not the most rums. With that mantra in mind, we proudly created Papa Seal, ‘the father of all rums’. My only regret is that we are forced to limit the number of people who can experience it.”