15 Years in a Barrel. One Silver Medal in San Francisco.

We’re thrilled to share some exciting news from the world of rum: our 15-Year Belize Single Barrel just took home a Silver Medal at the 2025 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

If you’re not familiar with the competition, it’s one of the most respected spirits contests in the world—sort of like the Oscars, but for booze. Winning any medal here is no small feat, and we’re especially proud considering the company we were in: global brands, legacy distilleries, and a whole lot of well-funded marketing machines. We brought a barrel. They brought budgets. Ours just happened to taste damn good.

The Rum: A Story Worth Sipping

This barrel came to us from Travellers Liquors in Belize—a family-run distillery known for traditional column stills and long, tropical aging. We fell for this particular cask the moment we tasted it: rich brown sugar, baking spices, the perfect amount of oak, dried tropical fruit, and a soft but complex finish that just won’t quit. A good friend described it as “Christmas on vacation”. No additives, no blending, no funny business. Just honest rum, 10 years in the tropical heat, another 5 in a temperate climate, bottled at a perfect 118 proof.

Why Belize?

Belize is one of the quiet giants in Caribbean rum. It doesn’t get the attention of Jamaica or Martinique, but the aging conditions are punishing (in the best way), and the spirit that comes out is concentrated, full of character, and criminally underrated.

We love an underdog. And this barrel was one.

What It Means to Win

Awards aren’t everything. But when you’re an independent bottler trying to build something honest from the ground up, getting a nod from a panel of industry veterans hits a little different. It tells us we’re on the right track. That maybe we’re not crazy for betting on transparency, flavor, and terroir in a category still finding its footing.

Limited Bottles. Unlimited Gratitude.

Less than 250 bottles came out of this cask, and they’re going fast. If you’ve been waiting to try something special from Great Shearwater, this is the one. It’s a piece of Belize, a decade and a half in the making, and a silver medal winner to boot.

Thanks to everyone who’s supported us so far. And to the folks in San Francisco who gave this rum a shot and saw what we saw—cheers to you.