In search of the most effective rums? Rum has been having a renaissance of late as increasingly more drinkers embrace the spirit, each as a base for cocktails and as one thing to be sipped and savoured in its personal proper.
Intrigued however unsure the place to start out or which rum manufacturers to attempt? Learn on for our decide of the most effective premium rums obtainable now, from clear white rums good for daiquiris to buttery, spiced numbers and darkish, sultry spirits supreme for sipping.
All merchandise have been chosen and reviewed independently by our editorial group. This web page incorporates affiliate hyperlinks and we might obtain a small fee for purchases made, however this comes at no further value to you and helps us to proceed offering fine quality content material for our loyal readers.
Barra Distillers Island Darkish Rum, £35/70cl, The Tipple Cellar
This rum is infused with carrageen seaweed native to the Hebridean island of Barra. It is subtly briny, with hints of orange, coconut and spice.
Equiano Gentle, £34.50/70cl, store.equianorum.com
A globe-spanning mix of rums from two distilleries (one in Barbados, the opposite in Mauritius), Equiano Gentle is the blonder, honey-coloured sister to the unique Equiano aged rum. It’s produced from each barrel-aged and un-aged rums, and mimics sugarcane juice in aroma and flavour. Count on gentle and creamy vanilla notes, harking back to crème anglaise, with a fragile spiced sweetness and loads of vibrancy. There’s additionally citrus peel and delicate woodiness in there, too. Equiano grants 5% of firm earnings and £2 from each bottle offered via equianorum.com to its 2021 charity companion, Anti-Slavery Worldwide.
Étän, £37/70cl, etanrum.co.uk
Made by 5 sisters – Laura, Briget, Noella, Caroline and Kareen – in London, this elegant golden spiced rum is distilled with 5 botanicals generally present in Cameroon (Étän means ‘5’ of their mother and father’ dialect, Mungaka) in West Africa – fevergrass, ginger, cassia, vanilla and orange peel. Dry on the palate, it’s replete with warming, gingery spice, citrus and vanilla notes that make it good for sipping, or attempt with ginger beer.
Two Drifters Overproof Spiced Pineapple Rum, £42.95/70cl, Grasp of Malt
A vibrant spiced rum from carbon-negative Devon distillery, Two Drifters. It is bought baggage of fragrant flavour, with plenty of contemporary, tangy pineapple plus caramel, vanilla, baking spice and a candied trace of froth banana sweets. Regardless of the hefty ABV – 63% – it is {smooth} sufficient to sip neat, however would additionally work superbly combined with ginger beer or cola.
5 Rivers Indian Spiced Rum, £31.50, fiveriversrum.co.uk
Spiced rums are typically on the candy, syrupy facet however this uncommon white rum from India’s Sanghera Rum Firm is a pleasingly trendy, dry affair, with loads of botanical oomph. Deeply fragrant, with notes of cardamom, coriander and cloves, and a peppery end, the makers of this rum had been impressed by English gin-making and it exhibits – it has an nearly juniper-like character. Strive mixing with tonic water.
Black Tot fiftieth Anniversary Rum, £110, The Whisky Alternate
Made to have a good time the 50th anniversary of Black Tot day (the final day on which the Royal Navy issued sailors with a each day rum ration), this restricted version rum mix is a wedding of rums from Jamaica, Barbados, Guyana and Trinidad.
Upon first sniff, it’s intoxicating. All of the richness of demerara sugar, bananas, combined spice, ginger cake and treacle, layered over notes of cream. On the palate, it’s overwhelmingly vanilla pods, darkish chocolate, hazelnuts and banana – a flavour profile that reminded us very a lot of a banana break up. Drink slowly, over ice – at 54.5% ABV, it’s one to take your time with.
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Hattiers Egremont Premium Reserve Rum, £42, Hattiers Rum
A marrying of aged rums from the Dominican Republic, Panama, Barbados and Guatemala, this aromatic spirit was blended in Devon by the primary ever British B Corp rum model. Clean and accessible, with caramel and cooked fruit notes, sweetness and mild baking spice. One to sip neat.
Diablesse Clementine Spiced Rum, £28.75, diablesserum.co.uk
Made with single-origin demerara rum from Guyana, this fragrant spiced rum smells like a kitchen the place you’ve been baking festive treats all day – anticipate vibrant candied citrus, gingerbread and cinnamon notes, and a well-balanced sweetness so you may sip with out all of it getting too sickly.
Burning Barn Smoked Rum, £35, burningbarnrum.com
For those who may distil a bonfire into rum then that is what you’d get. Its daring, nearly meaty smokiness hits the nostril and palate first, however is adopted by extra mellow treacle and delicate chocolate hints. This is able to make a cracking quaint with Angostura or orange bitters and brown sugar syrup.
Twin Fin Spiced Golden Rum, £24.89, Grasp of Malt
The distillery behind award-winning Tarquin’s Gin have turned their attentions to rum – one other Cornish favorite – with this new Spiced Golden Rum. The spirit is impressed by coastal life and is created utilizing a secret recipe of spices which flavour a mix of Jamaican and Dominican Republic varieties. The addition of a little bit PX sherry and growing older over charred oak chips give this rum a heat, advanced end, with notes of vanilla, caramel and nutmeg – like a Cornish sundown in a glass. This can be a super-smooth, rounded rum so good for sipping straight-up.
The Duppy Share Caribbean Rum, £26, Amazon
Mixing three-year-old, traditional-style Jamaican rum with five-year-old Barbadian rum, this has notes of oak and vanilla on the nostril, and a {smooth}, nearly buttery mouthfeel. Ideally suited in a punch.
East London Liquor Firm Demerara Rum, £26.99, Amazon
Aged in ex-bourbon casks for 3 years, it is a luxurious, {smooth} and sophisticated rum with a lovely toffee color and luscious brown sugar, caramel and spicy vanilla notes. Severely sippable.
Equiano, £46.95, The Whisky Alternate
Believed to be the world’s first Afro-Caribbean rum, Equiano is a mix from distilleries in Barbados and Mauritius, aged for no less than eight years and completed in ex-bourbon casks. Count on a candy butterscotch flavour, in addition to sultana and buttery vanilla notes. Look out for an orange peel aftertaste, too. Finest loved merely poured over ice.
Belgrove Hazelnut Rum, £28.40, Home of Malt
This single-origin demerara hazelnut rum from Guyana has plenty of toasted nutty notes in aroma and flavour, in addition to creamy vanilla and a few delicate cocoa. Candy however not cloying, it’s {smooth} sufficient to sip by itself or over ice, and would additionally work superbly in an quaint.
Lower Smoked Rum, £27.20, Grasp of Malt
Constructed from a mix of Jamaican and Trinidadian spirits, the smokiness (from burnt wooden chips) on this spirit doesn’t dominate the palate, mingling as a substitute with beguiling notes of tobacco, espresso, oak, wealthy vanilla and brown sugar.
Diplomático Reserva Exclusiva, £40.95, The Whisky Alternate
A wealthy, opulent Venezuelan rum with dried fruit, vanilla and baking spice notes, and delicate cocoa tones on the palate. With a rounded, velvety texture, that is one to sip neat and savour – ideally in entrance of a roaring hearth.
Lifeless Man’s Fingers, £22, Tesco
It was an evening consuming Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva that led to the beginning of Neythan Hayes and Chris McGuire’s rum and seafood bar in St Ives and, later, their very own Cornish rum, Lifeless Man’s Fingers. They infuse Caribbean rum with spices and age it for 3 years. The consequence has notes of orange peel, saffron cake (a Cornish speciality), vanilla and nutmeg – greatest served over ice.
Wester Premium Spiced Rum, £36.42, Grasp of Malt
The Wester Spirit Co in Glasgow has produced a corker. Crafted in copper pot stills, it’s a super-smooth spiced rum, with warming flavours of dried orange peel and creamy vanilla overtones. Sip on the rocks.
Previous Salt Rum, £36.10, Grasp of Malt
One of many few rums produced fully within the UK, Previous Salt is triple-distilled after which aged in English oak for 3 years. The top result’s a sublime affair – suppose delicate smoke (nearly whisky-like) with hints of butterscotch, banoffee pie and a peppery edge.
FAIR. Muscovado Rum, £42, The Drop Retailer
This uncommon white rum from moral drinks firm FAIR. packs a punch, with aromatic herbaceous and menthol aromas, plus wealthy sugar (because of the rum’s excessive molasses content material). Strive in an fragrant daiquiri.
Depaz Rhum Vieux Agricole Hors d’Age, £91,95, Grasp of Malt
Rhum agricoles are produced from freshly pressed sugar cane juice reasonably than molasses as with most different rums, leading to a funkier spirit. This advanced quantity was matured in oak and completed in port wine casks, and the tip result’s rewardingly advanced – with wooden, caramel and seductive chocolate notes.
