The Best Rum: A Guide for Everyone.
Whether you’re an experienced rum connoisseur or a complete newbie, finding the best rum for your tastes and preferences can be overwhelming. Fortunately, we’ve rounded up some of the world’s best rum selections, detailing their distinctive flavors, production processes, and more.
Popularized in the late 1700s, rum is a distilled spirit made from sugarcane products such as molasses or the juice of sugarcane. Depending on the type of rum, it can be aged in oak or stainless steel barrels, giving it desired characteristics in terms of flavor, color, and aroma.
When it comes to rum, there’s a vast range of styles, distilleries, production process, and flavor profiles. From light and crisp to smoky and robust, it’s an experiment in combining new and old with a myriad of blends to choose from. But there are some clear favorites amongst the rum community that keep everyone coming back for more.
Here’s an overview of some of the best rum available today:
1. Zacapa Rum 23 – Originating from Guatemala, Zacapa rum 23 is one of the most celebrated and awarded dark rum blends. It’s a blend of aged rums aged up to 23 years which adds complexity and adds to the rum’s flavors of cardamom, espresso beans, dried fruit, cocoa, and caramels. It’s the perfect rum to sip in a rocks glass, savoring each sip.
2. Mount Gay Black Barrel Rum – Hailing from Barbados, this is a 4-year-old rum matured in charred whiskey barrels. The spirit has notes of brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, “buell”, and toffee. It’s a delicious blend designed to sip neat, or to breathe life into cocktails.
3. Bacardi 8 Años – From Puerto Rico, this crystal clear rum is somewhat of an anomaly, as the 8 years in oak barrels come pre-aged, creating a smooth and complex flavor. The blend of molecules infuses flavors of toffee, caramel, wood, and white pepper.
4. Appleton Estate 12 Year – From Jamaica, this gold-colored rum is dark and distinct, with heavy notes of vanilla, banana, and coconut. Every sip is a complex, sweet, and spicy blend that truly stands out as one of the best.
5. Pyrat XO Reserve – From Anguilla, this smooth, amber-colored rum is a mix of rums aged for 12 to 15 years in oak barrels. The blend boasts velvety flavors of dried apricot, almond, toasted coconut, and toffee making it perfect for the Ultimate Mojito.
6. Havana Club 7 Year – Operating in Cuba since 1878, this amber-colored rum blends toasted capers and oak tree aromas with a velvety finish. It uses a secret blend of aged rums, which have been aged for up to 7 years and has notes of orange peel and raisins that are sure to please.
To really get an in-depth understanding of rum and its many varieties, be sure to check out our Ultimate rum selection and tasting guide. We’ll take you through the finer details of the types of rum and the processes used to produce them – from light and dry to dark and sweet. You’ll get a better understanding of why each rum varies in flavor and learn how to appreciate and identify each taste profile.
So, are you ready to embark on a voyage of rum discovery? Give these top brands a try and experience the best of rum for yourself. Cheers!