Banks DIH says its prized XM Royal 10-year-old rum and XM VXO seven-year-old rums “made an unprecedented clean sweep” at the recently held inaugural Spirit Business Rum Masters Awards 2009 in the UK.

In a press release Banks said the XM VXO rum secured a Master Award in the Gold Under Seven Years category while the XM Royal 10-year-old which has been described as the “cognac of rums” was awarded a master in the Gold 8-12 years old class, the highest accolade awarded at the prestigious competition.

The judges including Patience Gould, Editor of The Spirits Business magazine said the contest proved to be a fascinating day of judgement.

She said there were over 50 rums in 12 classes. Specialty Drinks, distributors of the Banks DIH Limited products in the UK chalked up three Masters at the event.

Banks DIH Marketing Director George McDonald said the XM Royal 10-year-old continues to show remarkable progress in the UK following its recent high rating at an international tasting event in London.

He noted that XM VXO Rum possesses similar qualities but this recent honour vindicates its international standing.

According to the release VXO is a popular Demerara rum famous for its unique smoothness, bouquet and aroma derived from fruits. Robert Sugdeo, Banks DIH master blender presided over the sampling and mixing exercise in Barbados, the release said.

Meanwhile, Sales and Marketing Executive Carlton Joao who recently returned from a sampling and tasting workshop in Barbados said the XM brand was looking to get a bigger share of the Barbadian, European and US markets.
He said XM rums have been sold in Barbados over the past two years but a concerted effort was now being made to take a greater share of the market for spirits on that island.

The company also plans to make a greater impact on France. “We are going officially into France in the first quarter of 2010 and we are going into the Eastern Seaboard, which basically gets us into New York in the first quarter of this year,” Joao said.