MOUNT GAY RUM has officially been deemed the favourite rum of America's "rich and famous".

Less than two weeks into the new year, the world-renowned Barbadian rum was adjudged the winner of the 2007 Luxury Institute Luxury Brand Status Index (LBSI) survey for premium rum.

The Luxury Institute, America's most respected luxury goods and services rating agency for wealthy consumers, conferred the award on the Mount Gay brand after respondents definitively ranked it above some of the well-known brands in the industry, including Bacardi, Captain Morgan, Castillo and Myers'.

From the independent votes of 1 200 wealthy consumers, each representing an average household income of US$340 000 and average net worth of US$2.7 million, Mount Gay ranked highest in three of the four component indices: "consistently superior quality; uniqueness and exclusivity; and consumption by those who are admired and respected".

According to the institution, Mount Gay was also deemed the most recommended brand, with respondents considering the Barbadian liquor the "finest of Caribbean rums" and the one most worthy of a price premium.

Speaking shortly after the announcement of the award, Peter Marshall, sales and marketing director of Mount Gay Distilleries Ltd, said the company was honoured by the approval of its high-end clientele.

"Mount Gay has been producing high-quality liquors for more than three centuries," he said, "and during that time we have built a reputation for consistency and superior quality in markets from the Caribbean and Latin America to Europe and the United States." (PR/GE)