Manchester’s House of Rum has claimed two of the most coveted titles in the spirits world, collecting Supreme Champion Rum, the honour regarded as the best rum in the world, and Independent Bottler of the Year at the International Spirits Challenge 2026. The awards were announced at a ceremony in London and mark a striking rise for a business founded only five years ago. An ISC medal is widely regarded as the pre-eminent mark of quality, craftsmanship and consistency, awarded by one of the world’s most respected blind tasting competitions.
A single cask from Mauritius takes the top honour
The winning release is a Mauritius 2014 rum, drawn from a single cask sourced by founder David Howarth from the Chamarel Distillery, one of Mauritius’s most esteemed producers. Distilled from red and yellow sugarcane varieties, the liquid was aged in both tropical and continental climates before being bottled in 2023, yielding just 273 bottles. It sits at the centre of a portfolio of exclusive, ultra-premium single-vintage, single cask and cask strength rums.
We knew with one sniff of the cask that this was very special. We are so proud to receive this award alongside some of the world’s finest spirits and entries from over 70 countries, said Howarth. Our reason for being is exploring around the world to find really rare and very special rums and bringing them to market in unadulterated form: no additives, no sugar, no water, no colouring, just rum, the way it’s meant to be, he added.
From Caribbean waters to Manchester
The award completes a personal journey that began when Howarth first travelled to the Caribbean as a 21-year-old and fell in love with the islands, a fascination now entering its fourth decade. He moved there permanently for a time, spending seven years as a scuba diving instructor while exploring 15 islands and immersing himself in their cultures and their rums. He vowed that one day he would have his own rum business, telling the world how exceptional these spirits are.
House of Rum now sources special bottlings from 11 different countries, from Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean to distilleries in El Salvador, Mauritius, Guatemala, Panama and Venezuela. Every bottle leaves the cask exactly as it was found, with nothing added along the way.
That philosophy has quickly earned the young Manchester company a devoted following among collectors of fine spirits, with each single cask release followed eagerly once announced. The latest haul of medals suggests the wider industry has now taken note too.
Four golds and a Double Gold
The Supreme Champion title was the centrepiece of a broader haul that included four Gold medals in total. House of Rum also collected Double Gold for its Nicaragua 2004 release and Gold for both its 2010 El Salvador and 2012 Guatemala rums, underlining the consistency of its portfolio across vintages and origins.
The International Spirits Challenge, now in its 31st year, attracts thousands of entries from more than 70 countries. Each submission is evaluated by a panel of more than 80 leading industry professionals across three weeks of tightly controlled blind judging. Our expert judging panel only awards medals like this to exceptional spirits that meet our very highest standards, said ISC organiser Justin Smith.
For a company that began with one man’s long-held fascination with Caribbean rum, the accolades confirm House of Rum among the most exciting independent names in world spirits, and a standard bearer for Manchester on the international stage.
You can purchase the award winning rum online today: http://www.house-of-rum.com/