13 best rums: great rum brands put to the ultimate drinking test
The best rum in the world right now - from spiced to white and everything in between
The word on the street is that rum is the next big trend in the world of spirits. It’s easy to see why. The best rum comes in many different shapes, sizes, styles and importantly, flavours. There’s something for everyone.
In its simplest form, rum is a clear liquid distilled from various forms of sugar, like demerara and molasses. However, this is often followed by barrel ageing in oak casks and, like some of the modern craft beers, some have fruit or spices added.
This means you can get white, golden, dark, navy, spiced and fruit rum - and then combinations of those types. Traditionally rum comes from the Caribbean, but these days you can get it from all over the place including Scotland.
Here’s a selection of 13 every rum lover should try...
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13. Sweetdram - Smoked Spiced Rum - 41%
Probably not one for the rum purists out there, but this intriguing rum is worth a try for gin-lovers and the adventurous.
Sweetdram adds various botanicals to a base of aged Guyanese rum including macerated lime leaf, chamomile, cardamom, fennel, grains of paradise and fig.
All that creates a hugely complex and interesting flavour. And, to finish off, lapsang souchong tea imparts some smokiness. You’ll get something different with each sip. Sweetdram is brewed in Edinburgh.
12. OVD - Demerara - 40%
If you don’t like the idea of using white rum in cocktails then look to OVD and this extremely dark and rich demerara rum.
It really is like drinking alcoholic brown sugar in liquid form and works great in any situation - neat, with any mixer, particularly ginger beer - and in all rum based cocktails to create dark versions. Oh and it’s really affordable, too.
11. Havana Club - 3 Year Old - 40%
You’ll need a white rum in your home bar for making cocktails like mojitos and daiquiris, and you really can’t go wrong with Havana Club as a staple.
Partly because it’s one of the most affordable rums out there but also due to its clean and crisp profile with some subtle flavours in the background including citrus, oak and a nice sweetness.