Putting together a home bar? You shouldn’t be without rum since it’s essential. It makes a fantastic base for strong rum drinks. Like tropical piña Coladas, zesty mojitos, spiced dark ‘n’ stormies, and many others. Like other alcoholic beverages, some types work best when incorporated into mixed drinks. While others are more suitable for sipping straight up. In the case of rum, the maturing and distillation procedures determine the differences between kinds. Discover the main varieties and the most appropriate uses in the following helpful analysis.
There are now many excellent bottles of rum available as it finally receives the recognition it deserves. In several nations, various styles are manufactured, each with its own flavor profile.
Appleton Estate Signature
When rum lovers are questioned about which larger brand they truly appreciate, Appleton is invariably mentioned. Joy Spence, a master distiller, produces this entry-level bottling in Jamaica to some of the toughest standards in the world, and it offers excellent value. Both a daiquiri and a huge vat of rum punch can be made with this rum and unlike many other top rums. It is also reasonably priced for the latter. It has strong flavors of stone fruit, pineapple, and molasses along with a subtle wood character that makes it incredibly versatile. This is the ideal rum: a true taste of the Caribbean that is both traditional and popular.
Lyme Bay Winery Jack Ratt Lugger Rum
This dark rum from Lyme Bay Winery is incredibly exceptional since it is both scrumptiously smooth and intriguingly peppery. As soon as you take a sip, the heady combination of nutmeg, orange peel, cloves, and vanilla hits you. Making it a fantastic beverage to sip plain or over a little ice. Although we think it would go well with a spicy cocktail as well. The robust flavors of this rum can go well with cola or ginger beer if you prefer a longer drink.
When you try Luggers, you’ll see why it took home a gold medal at the 2019 International Spirits Challenge in the flavored or spiced category. This deserves a spot in your liquor collection if you enjoy rums that are highly rich yet only mildly sweet. It’s similar to drinking Christmas, except that you can enjoy it in both the sun and the winter.
Havana Club 3-Year-Old Rum
It doesn’t get any better than this for mojitos and daiquiris. This white rum is ultra-smooth and light, with flavors of vanilla, smoky wood, almond, pears, and banana. It is made in Cuba from molasses and matured for three years.
This white rum is by far the most widely consumed rum in Havana and the country’s largest rum brand. But its appeal extends beyond Cuba. It won a gold medal at the 2018 International Spirits Challenge and is served at respectable bars all over the world. It destroys the more bland, mass-produced white rums like Bacardi without a hint of the harshness found in many other brands.
Kraken Black Spiced Rum
This dark spice rum has a Victorian-inspired flavor and is simple to blend or savor. It comes in a gorgeous traditional-shaped bottle. Try it with coke, ginger beer, a mojito, an espresso martini, or over ice with a splash of apple juice if you want to mix it. This dark spice rum is very black and rich with aromas of caramel, nut, and coffee. With a sweet vanilla undertone on the palate and a strong kick.
It is named after a huge squid that, according to folklore, sank a rum ship in the 18th century. This rum was introduced in the UK in 2010 and is much smoother than many other rums at this price. There is no rum “burn” with this one.
Finders Oak Aged Chocolate & Coffee Spiced Rum
This is the flavor-infused rum you want if you’re seeking something that’s both incredibly affordable and delicious. It’s not at all sugary or sickly like many flavored rums, though. Although there are undertones of brown sugar, it doesn’t taste artificial at all. With the chocolate, coffee, and delicate spices all coming through, it is incredibly sophisticated on its own. While we think it tastes great straight up in a chilled glass with some ice. It also elevates the traditional rum and cola.
We strongly advise trying this if you’re interested in learning more about spiced rums but don’t want to spend too much money on something you might not even like. Even the most fervent opponents of coffee will savor this wonderful rum.
Black Tears
Given how delicious it is, it’s astonishing it took so long for Black Tears to arrive in our glasses as the first-ever dry spiced Cuban rum. Black Tears debuted on the beverages market in 2019. It has a molasses base and is spiced with cocoa, coffee, and aji dulce, a type of sweet pepper native to Cuba. It is named after the well-known Cuban song “Lagrimas Negras.”
The aroma and flavor that stood out to us the most were those of coffee and cinnamon, although the three spices work incredibly well together. A smooth, bittersweet rum is produced as a result of the combination, which is pleasant to sip on its own but really shines when used as the main ingredient in a cocktail or long drink. Additionally, it has a low sugar level, like many Cuban rums, which is only ever terrible if you have a set of sweet teeth.
Rockstar Banana Bomb
A genuinely delectable beverage that goes great over ice or in cocktails, this one-of-a-kind rum combines naturally ripe banana with a hint of sweet caramel and spice. Two years are spent maturing Panamanian fairtrade rum in oak bourbon barrels before it is released with a massive 57% ABV. The finished product is deliciously smooth and sweet while also packing a deliciously alcoholic punch. Overall, It’s a terrific fruity addition to your bar collection and a need for summertime concoctions.
We also recommend Rockstar’s over-proofed Pineapple Grenade rum if one fruit rum isn’t enough for you. It’s an equally delightful beverage for aficionados of pineapple because it’s made with natural pineapple flavoring and a hint of salted caramel.
Mount Gay Black Barrel
Would you like to enjoy a Barbados sunset? The most upscale addition to the Mount Gay line of rums, it’s simple to picture when you’re enjoying this beauty. It’s been aged in extensively charred bourbon barrels, which imparts a toasty and creamy vanilla edge. As a result, you get a delightful warming spice impact that is followed by a lengthy, somewhat sweeter aftertaste.
When consumed plain, it goes down well. You can also make a fantastic Blackstorm by combining it with ginger beer and lime wedges. With 50ml rum and 25ml dry Vermouth, with orange bitters and peel, it also works well as a Manhattan.
Wood’s 100 Navy Rum
This rum has a distinct maritime swagger if ever there was one. At 57% ABV, it packs a strong punch. It is still prepared using the original Navy formula from 1887, blending three separate rums, including one from a 250-year-old still (the only single wooden pot still in the world), and then aging it for three years in Scottish oak barrels. The toffee and brown sugar flavors and strong spice make it easier to down straight down the hatch than other Navy rums because it is smoother and more mellow. Naturally, you may also mix it; regardless of how you consume it, it is unique and full of personality.
