East London’s own Solar Reserve Rum Co has good reason to be in high spirits, having achieved a double victory at this year’s prestigious London Spirits Competition. The luxe brand’s two signature expressions have taken home a gold and silver medal.
The company’s flagship blend, Solar Reserve 55, scored an impressive 95 points, while its single-origin counterpart, Solar Reserve 8, was awarded 92 points – sealing the London startup’s place among giants in the world of premium rum.

Anthony Delaney, founder of Solar Reserve Rum Co, said, “We’re thrilled to have received both a gold and silver award at the London Spirits Competition given our London roots. I was born in Dagenham, I live in Highgate and our HQ is near Hackney so we are London through and through!

“Winning a 95 Gold for Solar Reserve 55 and a 92 Silver for Solar Reserve 8 demonstrates that we are producing the types of spirits that bar managers and mixologists want to use, and that drinkers enjoy choosing and consuming. This is a real vote of confidence for Solar Reserve Rum Co and we’re looking forward to seeing both Solar Reserve 55 and Solar Reserve 8 in additional high-end venues across London in the very near future.”

Judged by a panel of industry experts including some of London’s most influential bartenders, sommeliers, and drinks buyers, the London Spirits Competition places emphasis not only on quality but also on value and packaging – all areas where Solar Reserve Rum Co has built its reputation, crafting exceptional rums with both flavour and ethics at the forefront.

Solar Reserve 55 is a masterful blend of aged Caribbean rums, combining 3- to 8-year-old column still spirits from the Dominican Republic with 3-year-old Jamaican pot still rum from a renowned distillery in Lluidas Vale, Jamica. The locally grown sugarcane and traditional distilling methods result in a richly layered profile featuring notes of caramel, toffee and vanilla. These notes are further rounded out with a tropical fruit taste rum fans will recognise as being characteristic of high-ester Jamaican rum.

Solar Reserve 8 is itself an exceptional, single-origin rum from the Dominican Republic. Made from fresh sugarcane juice and distilled using column stills, the rum is aged for eight years under full tropical maturation in ex-bourbon American oak casks. This process, overseen by master distillers on the Caribbean island, merges eco-friendly farming and age-old techniques with modern environmental practises. The resulting rum is bold and complex with flavours of coconut, hazelnut, toffee, and baked spiced apple, with a smooth vanilla cream finish.