Jamaica does it again, proving to the world that this little island in the Caribbean Sea can compete with the biggest and the best.

Red Stripe Beer recently competed in the 17th renewal of the Stockholm Beer & Whiskey Festival, which is ranked as the world's largest and most prestigious whisky fair. The Jamaican brew won the category for bottled light, as in colour, lager with moderate to medium hop character and a maximum alcohol content of 5.9 per cent. There were 41 different beers in this particular category, 24 of which were brewed outside Sweden (Australia, Spain, Germany, the Czech Republic, the United States, Greece, Italy, Jamaica, the United Kingdom, Estonia and Indonesia), among them were some of the world's leading brands.

Selection process

The competition is a blindfold tasting where a mixed panel of nine judges (experts and consumers) evaluate hundreds of participating beers in a number of different categories. This year, there were approximately 800 beers in the competition.

A week prior to the festival, the judges tasted all the bottled beers. Each sample was ranked from 1 (poor) to 4 (excellent), and the three beers with the best result advanced to the final tasting at the festival, where they were once again ranked. The two other beers in the final tasting were Swedish brands - one independent producer and one of the best-selling beers in Sweden.

Jan-Erik Svensson, the head judge of the beer competition, commended Red Stripe for its high-quality product, explaining that its rich taste and colour set it apart from other lagers.

Won bottled light lager title

"Red Stripe won the category for bottled light lager with moderate to medium hop character. This is quite an achievement, considering that there were 41 other beers in the category," Svensson said.

"Since Stockholm Beer Festival is one of the more significant beer fairs in Europe, this ensures a lot of exposure for the brand," he added.

Grace Silvera, director of international marketing for Diageo, says that this is another great honour for Red Stripe.

"This year marks a wonderful milestone for Red Stripe, as it is our 80th anniversary. This latest achievement shows how Red Stripe has captivated the hearts of beer drinkers not only in Jamaica, but all across the world," Silvera said.

Red Stripe can be found in 90 per cent of all (421) retail stores in Sweden and in approximately 350 on-trade venues.