Cruzan(R) Single Barrel Rum Receives Top Accolade in the Rum Masters 2015 Competition

DEERFIELD, IL--(Marketwired - Mar 19, 2015) - Beam Suntory Inc. is pleased to announce that Cruzan® Single Barrel Rum has been awarded the title of Rum Master in the Super-Premium category of The Rum Masters 2015 competition. This is the highest recognition possible and only presented to the top-rated rums in each category in a blind tasting. As one of Cruzan's most awarded rums, this esteemed award continues Cruzan Single Barrel Rum's streak of earning top industry accolades.

"We're thrilled that Cruzan Single Barrel Rum achieved this recognition as a leader in the super-premium rum category," said Gary Nelthropp, Cruzan Rum's Master Distiller. "My family has been distilling quality rum on the island of St. Croix for generations and, as one of our favorite expressions, we take great pride in this acknowledgement of Cruzan Single Barrel Rum as one of the highest-quality rums on the market."

Cruzan Single Barrel Rum is crafted using rums that are aged between five and 12 years before being hand picked, blended and barreled for a second time in new American oak barrels. It is then aged once more before being bottled one cask at a time. This rum, which is best enjoyed when sipped neat or on the rocks, has notes of caramel sweetness balanced with oak, and a warm and buttery finish. Like all Cruzan Rums, Single Barrel is distilled using Cruzan's unique five-column distillation process, removing the fusel oils that can taint the taste of the rum and resulting in one of the cleanest-tasting rums on the market.

Organized by The Spirits Business, The Rum Masters competition is staged to acknowledge and award the world's finest rum brands. The competition, chaired by The Spirits Business and a panel of leading spirits specialists, is judged in a blind tasting where excellence is recognized by category and age as well as design and packaging. The Spirits Business is a valued resource whose versatile and relevant content appeals to everyone in the dynamic spirits industry worldwide.

For more information on Cruzan Rum, please visit www.CruzanRum.com, www.YouTube.com/CruzanRum, like us on www.Facebook.com/CruzanRum or follow us on Twitter @CruzanRum.

About Cruzan® Rum
Named for the people of St. Croix (Crucians), Cruzan Rum is synonymous with the spirit of the island whose unpretentious and authentic lifestyle proves that life -- like our rum -- is more enjoyable when you embrace "The Don't Hurry" and sit back, relax and take things one sip at a time. The Nelthropp family, who has called St. Croix home for eight generations and runs the distillery to this day, crafts each of its rums using a five-column distillation process and natural ingredients. Cruzan also touts one of the cleanest-tasting rums in the industry -- a characteristic derived from crafting a spirit with low levels of fusel oils, a by-product of the distillation process which, if not removed, can taint the smell and taste of the rum.

About Beam Suntory Inc.
As the world's third largest premium spirits company, Beam Suntory is Crafting the Spirits that Stir the World. Consumers from all corners of the globe call for the company's brands, including the flagship Jim Beam bourbon and Yamazaki Japanese whisky, as well as world renowned premium brands including Maker's Mark and Knob Creek bourbons, Hakushu and Hibiki Japanese whiskies, Teacher's, Laphroaig, and Bowmore Scotch whiskies, Canadian Club whisky, Courvoisier cognac, Sauza tequila, Pinnacle vodka, and Midori liqueur. The company generates annual worldwide sales exceeding $4 billion excluding excise taxes.

Beam Suntory was created in 2014 by combining the world leader in bourbon and the pioneer in Japanese whisky to form a new company with a deep heritage, passion for quality, innovative spirit and entrepreneurial culture. Headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois, Beam Suntory is a subsidiary of Suntory Holdings Limited of Japan. For more information on Beam Suntory, its brands, and its commitment to social responsibility, please visit www.beamsuntory.com and www.drinksmart.com.

Cruzan® Rum, 21%-75.5% Alc./Vol. ©2015 CRUZAN International, Deerfield, IL USA
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