Mexico's Bonampak Rums Launch in the US with Big Awards from BTI

Mexican Rum Brand Ron Bonampak wins big at Beverage Testing Institute's 2022 Rum Review, proving that quality rums can come from many places—not just the Caribbean

TEMECULA, Calif., May 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Beverage Testing Institute (BTI) has published the results of their 2022 Rum Review, which includes cane spirits from around the globe. While many consumers are familiar with rums hailing from throughout the Caribbean, one of this year's most remarkable winners was Ron Bonampak produced in Chiapas, Mexico. All in-depth scores and reviews (of Bonampak and the entire scope of rums featured in this year's evaluations) can be found on BTI's consumer beverage guide, Tastings.com, the premier consumer resource for unbiased beverage alcohol insights and professional reviews.

Though sugarcane wasn't brought to Mexico by Spanish settlers until the 16^th century, the country now holds numerous sugar mills and distilleries, with rum production methods varying greatly. Bonampak rums are produced at the family owned Rones de Mexico Distillery, which is located on the site of the first sugar mill in the Mexican state of Chiapas, sitting at the far southwestern point of Mexico, near the Pacific Ocean, and has a humid, tropical climate. Named after the ancient Mayan archaeological site, Bonampak's branding is rooted in the jaguar image, which is not only represented in the site's murals (thought to be among the best-preserved Mayan murals in existence) but across ancient Mexican art and religion.

The Bonampak White Rum (93 points, BTI Gold Medal) is a blend of pot-distilled cane juice and column-distilled molasses, a technique which lent the final product notes of baked banana, coconut husk, vanilla cream, and nougat. The expert panelists found it to be "silky and mild," creating an ideal canvas for cocktailing. The Bonampak Dark Rum (93 points, BTI Gold Medal) boasts a rich nose of mocha meringue and sappy tree bark, with caramelized nuts and soy latte notes on the palate. Its "soft and toasty" nature indicates an excellent contender for neat sipping. Bonampak's highest-scoring submission is their Gran Reserva (94 points). Oozing aromas and flavors of buttery caramel corn, spumoni, cedar, and sassafras, panelists found this to be a "stellar sipper" as well as a "high-end cocktail choice."

Included in Bonampak's portfolio submissions were two flavored rums: a Coffee Rum and a Botanical Rum, both recommended by the BTI blind tasting panels of trade professionals. The coffee-infused offering has citrusy cola aromas with a dark chocolate latte palate, while the infusions of basil and ginger in the Botanical Rum created a "curious" bouquet of herbal aromas and flavors for "creative cocktail play."

With a strong showing of multiple unique offerings, Bonampak will surely draw much-deserved attention to the Mexican Rum category. The full list of winners from BTI's 2022 Rum Review can be explored here.

Bonampak is imported and distributed by Iconic Brands in Temecula, CA. For more information please contact Kim Brandi at (909) 333-4482 or [email protected].

About BTI

Founded in 1981, Beverage Testing Institute is America's oldest alcohol beverage research and marketing firm and delivers marketing expertise, product testing, and professional reviews to clients around the world. BTI is known for their scientific, data-driven, blind tasting evaluations of thousands of wines, beers, spirits, ciders, sakes, meads, and other beverage categories annually. A member of the American Society of Testing and Materials, BTI's impartiality and attention to detail have been the driving forces behind over four decades of fair, impartial, and consistent reviews.

SOURCE Beverage Testing Institute