The News
Camikara, an Indian rum made from pure cane juice, won top honors at two major global competitions—earning a Master Medal at the Global Rum & Cachaça Masters Awards 2026 and a Double Gold at The Fifty Best. Its 8-Year-Old was awarded the highest distinction in the aged rum category, while its 3-Year-Old secured gold again, making it the only Indian rum to win both medals in one year.
The Takeaway
- Cleaner Labels: Camikara 8-Year-Old earned a Master Medal at the Global Rum & Cachaça Masters Awards, while its 3-Year-Old won Gold again—making it the only Indian rum to secure both top honors in one year. This shows that India is no longer just a market but a producer of globally recognized premium rums.
- Consistent Quality: Camikara’s 8-Year-Old received a Double Gold at The Fifty Best, meaning all judges gave it the highest score. That kind of unanimous praise across different panels highlights how well the brand is performing internationally and suggests that Indian rum can stand up to top-tier global competition.
- Historical Significance: Shalini Sharma from Piccadilly Agro Industries notes that this win has deep historical resonance for India, which has long been tied to sugarcane. The recognition of Camikara’s craftsmanship reflects a shift in how the world sees Indian spirits and could inspire more investment in local production.
Original Press Release
March 2026, New Delhi - Camikara — India’s first pure cane juice aged rum — is proud to announce that it has secured top honors at two of the world’s most respected rum competitions, signaling the emergence of India as a serious contender in the premium rum category. Together, these accolades place Camikara among a select group of rums to have impressed judging panels on both sides of the Atlantic — a rare achievement for any brand and a particularly significant moment for Indian rum.
At the Global Rum & Cachaça Masters Awards 2026 in the United Kingdom, Camikara 8-Year-Old was awarded the prestigious Master Medal, the competition’s highest distinction. In the same competition, Camikara 3-Year-Old secured its second consecutive Gold Medal, making Camikara the only Indian rum to win both Master and Gold in the same year.
Following this, Camikara 8-Year-Old received a Double Gold Medal in the Aged Rum category of The Fifty Best, a blind tasting of 10 aged rums by 17 members of the spirits judging panel. The Double Gold distinction is reserved for spirits that receive unanimous top scores from all judges. In the International Blend category, Camikara 3-Year-Old also secured Gold, reinforcing the brand’s consistency across both expressions and international tasting panels.
“For a country with such a long and complex relationship with sugarcane, this moment carries deep historical resonance,” says Shalini Sharma, Head of Marketing, Piccadily Agro Industries Limited. “References to fermented cane beverages appear in ancient Indian texts, yet for decades modern Indian rum was largely associated with industrial-scale production rather than artisanal craft. What we are witnessing now is a shift in that perception. With global judging panels recognizing the quality and character of what we are producing, Camikara is helping reshape how Indian spirits are viewed internationally — not as volume products, but as expressions of terroir, tradition, and technical excellence.”
At the heart of Camikara’s global recognition lies a production philosophy rooted in authenticity and craft. Unlike many rums that rely on molasses or post-distillation additives, Camikara is crafted from fresh sugarcane juice harvested within 36 hours, preserving the natural character of the cane. The spirit is then aged in American oak barrels under North India’s subtropical climate, where wide temperature variations accelerate maturation and deepen the interaction between wood and spirit. The result is a rum shaped as much by geography as by technique — reflecting India’s terroir, climate, and sugarcane heritage.
Source: BevNET