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The best rum: top rum brands put to the ultimate drinking test

This is the best rum in the world right now

The best rum: top rum brands put to the ultimate drinking test
12 September 2023

The rum market is booming. It's worth around £12 billion a year, roughly equalling gin revenues. But we'd argue that it's a far more versatile drink and the different types of rum, from aged to spiced, excel in totally different situations.

In its simplest form, rum is a clear liquid distilled from different forms of sugar, including demerara and molasses. However, this is often followed by barrel ageing in oak casks and, like some of the modern craft beers, some also have fruit or spices added.

UPDATE: The world of alcohol-free spirits have come on in big strides over the last couple of years. In just the last month rum master Captain Morgan has announced its 0.0% rum, Spiced Gold. It has been in the works for two years, and gone through more than 400 taste rounds. We can't wait to try this out. Getting that intensity of a spirit in a 0% alcohol version is extremely hard. Have they done it?

This means you can get all sorts of different kinds of rums, like white, golden, dark, navy, spiced and fruit rum - and even combinations of those key types. Traditionally, rum comes from the Caribbean, but these days you can get it from all over the place, including Scotland.

All of the best rums we've selected below have been put to our taste test. But we've got a few super popular new flavoured rums to try soon too that you should take a look at if you're keen to find a quirky rum for a special occasion, like the Finders Oak Aged Chocolate & Coffee Spiced Rum and Rockstar Spirits Banana Bomb Navy Strength Premium Spiced Rum.

Here’s our tasted tested selection that we think every rum lover should try.

Additional reporting and taste testing: Marc Chacksfield

Best rum

Best rum

1. Market Row Botanical Rum

Master of Malt

Not many rums can boast having Nigerian hibiscus, Kenyan black tea and rose petals from Pakistan but when you have Brixton's Market Row on your doorstep, the pick of botanicals is always going to be impressive. This rum went down a little too well in our taste tests, so much that we have to order another bottle. There's some brilliant vanilla notes and a heady hit of spice at the end. Lovely stuff.

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Best rum

2. Mount Gay - XO - 43%

View now at Amazon

Some rum is better taken without a mixer and Mount Gay, which claims to be the oldest rum distillery in the world with a deed from 1703, has created a corker.

‘XO’ stands for extra old and is a blend of different rums aged between seven and 15 years old. It’s dry and oaky on the nose, yet is fruity and slightly sweet in taste, then has a smooth finish.

This is a rum for the whisky lovers, who should try it as an old fashioned

Mount Gay XO has recently gone through a substantial rebrand, with Trudiann Branker, Mount Gay master blender, making it from a broader selection of rums, each aged in three different casks – American whiskey, Bourbon and Cognac.

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Best rum

3. Pirate's Grog Spiced Rum

Buy now on Amazon

Another spiced rum that is better than its non-spiced variant - Pirate's Grog is a tasty, golden rum with hints of vanilla and all spice. It's not too sweet but there's a subtlety there. Everything has been matured in American oak, bourbon barrels for five years which seems to add to the smoothness.

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Best rum

4. El Dorado - 12 - 40%

View now at Amazon

When a rum has won no less than seven golds at the Carribean Rum Taste Test you know you’re onto a winner, quite literally.

This 12 year old rum is a blend of Coffey still and double wooden pot still rums. It has a really deep and rich, almost port-like flavour, and a robust body. With notes of caramel, spice, vanilla and prunes it’s really quite moreish.

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Best rum

5. Santa Teresa 1796

Buy from Amazon now

Given there's over 200-odd years of tradition that goes into making Santa Teresa 1796, we were expecting something special from the drink and it did not disappoint. In our taste tests, we got fantastic notes of fruit from the rich amber liquid. This is followed by swathes of vanilla and dark chocolate and a peppery finish. This one is best enjoyed neat and swirled to release the flavours.

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Best rum

6. Diplomatico Reserva Rum

Buy now from Amazon

This is a rum a lot of our readers were raving about so we had to get it in and weren't disappointed. It's a dark golden rum, distilled from molasses so expect really strong, rich notes - but these are all cut with a much-needed kick of fruitiness. There is added sugar here, but we loved the taste - it was great with cola, but also decent as sipping rum over ice.

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Best rum

7. Don Q Cristal

Buy now from Amazon

Made in Puerto Rico, Don Q has a whole host of rums but it's the Cristal that's made this list. It's a clear rum which makes it an ideal serve in a cocktail. We found it so smooth that this one could replace vodka in any drink you are planning. This isn't a sweet rum, but one with woody notes. You get a good dollop of citrus, too, in the end warmth of the sip.

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Best rum

8. Black Tears - 40%

View now at Amazon

A double hit of Cuban flavour, Black Tears is a Cuban rum infused with Cuban spices, notes of coffee and cacao. It’s a full 40% strength drink, and should work well in cocktails that will get on with its coffee-infused flavour.

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Best rum

9. Berry Bros. & Rudd Nicaragua Rum

Buy now from Amazon

This is a rum that is diverse. We tried it both straight and in a cocktail (an Old Fashioned) and were impressed with the taste. It's on the sweeter end of the rum spectrum, with chocolate and syrup notes but there's a slight smokiness to it, too. If you are drinking it neat, then we are pleased to report that there is very little burn with each sip. While we taste tested the Nicaragua rum, Berry Bros. & Rudd also have Barbados, Jamaican and Guatemala varieties - all of which, we're sure, are worth checking out.

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Best rum

10. Doorly's 14 Year Old Rum

Buy now from The Whisky Exchange

This is a fantastic rum that has been aged for a huge (in rum years) 14 years. It's from the Foursquare distillery in Barbados and there is a tropical richness to the taste, with everything from sultanas to mangoes coming through. This is a sweet, intense rum with a taste that lingers longer than most.

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Best rum

11. Lyme Bay Winery Jack Ratt Lugger Rum - 40%

View now at Amazon

A Devon rum named after smuggler Jack Rattenbury. Lyme Bay sells both spiced and 8-year-aged golden versions of the rum, which is a blend of three drinks from Barbados, Venezuela and Panama — each similarly aged.

It picked up a Gold Medal at the 2019 International Spirits Challenge. Orange, cinnamon and dark chocolate are three key taste components to the spiced bottle.

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Best rum

12. Havana Club - Tributo 2021

Buy the 2019 version now from Master of Malt

We were blown away with the Havana Club - Tributo 2021 edition when we sampled it. Tributo is now into its sixth bottling, with the first back in 2016. If you can get hold of any of the years, then you are very lucky. The 2021 edition came to us in a small sample and is a perfect drink to buy for a gift. Matured in white port wine casks, it offers notes of grapes, nuts, and coffee. There will be only 2,500 bottles made so if you see one, then snap it up

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Best rum

13. Santiago De Cuba Añejo - 40%

Buy now from The Whisky Exchange

Available now to buy in the UK, Santiago De Cuba Añejo has a real darkness to its taste, with rich molasses coming through as well as burnt caramel and creamy banana - all of this creates a lovely, smooth drink. This is a great rum to drink straight, but would definitely work as the base of a cocktail, too.

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Best rum

14. MacNair's Exploration Rum - Panama 7-year-old Peated

Buy now from Master of Malt

Master distiller Billy Walker has taken all the expertise he's gained in the world of whisky and tried his hand at a selection of rums. At MacNair's he's created three rums: a 7 year old, a 7 year old peated and a 15 year old. We have tried the lot and were really impressed with the peated version of the 7 year old. It has a really rich taste of apricots and mango, with brown sugar rounding things off. There's a lovely nose of cigar smoke to the drink, too. At 46% it's a punchy rum - that was second matured in peated single malt casks - and we are big fans.

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Best rum

15. The Kraken - Black Spiced Rum - 40%

View now at Amazon

With its distinctive bottle and branding, Kraken has quickly become a modern classic and a rum you’ll find in pretty much any pub or bar. It’s as dark as squid ink, rich and spicy yet somehow drinks just well neat as it does mixed with coke.

This really is a rum for any home bar.

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Best rum

16. Appleton Estate - 8 Year Old Reserve

Buy now from Amazon

If you’re looking for an affordable rum that’s hugely versatile then Appleton Estate’s 8 Year Old Reserve is a front runner.

It’s got just the right balance of deep and complex flavours to be drunk neat - think along the lines of a classic Jamaican rum with notes of burnt sugar, dried fruit, vanilla, spices and Appleton’s signature orange peel. However, helped by the price point, you won’t feel guilty if you use it for cocktails.

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Best rum

17. The Equiano Rum Co - 43%

Buy now from Master of Malt

We were always going to expect something special from a rum that sees two brilliant distilleries team up - Barbados' Foursquare and Gray's Distillery of Mauritius - but this really is a great rum that we've been enjoying on the rocks. It's rich with the oak from the bourbon barrels its finished in, but smooth with an end taste of raisins. The African and Caribbean sides meld well together and we can't get over the lack of heat - sure, there's a warmth but there is a brilliant balance here

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Best rum

18. Two Drifters - Overproof Spiced Pineapple

Buy now from Master of Malt

Pineapple rum is often overly sweet and artificial tasting but Two Drifters has produced one of the best we’ve ever tasted. As the name suggests, it packs a punch at 63% but also in flavour with gorgeous flambeed pineapple bringing a burnt caramel balance to the fruit and vanilla sweetness.

It tastes great neat but equally delicious mixed with coke. The Devon-based business makes rum from raw ingredients and is also the world’s first rum distillery to be carbon negative.

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Best rum

19. The Duppy Share - Aged

Buy now from Waitrose

The Duppy Share is named after the dark duppy spirits that would, as legend has it, swoop between Caribbean islands stealing the best share of the rum.

The spiced edition is a great rum but this blend of 3-year-old Jamaican rum from Worthy Park and Foursquare Distillery’s 5-year-old is our favourite. The younger rum brings vibrant hits of sweet tropical fruit while the older expression balances things with earthy oak and spice.

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Best rum

20. Ableforth's Rumbullion! - 42.6%

View now at Amazon

Go big with this award-winning spiced rum. It kicks off with an intense hit of vanilla and orange peel on the nose. This continues upon sipping, but with a lot more complexity with clove, cardamom and cinnamon.

It’s a reminder of colder months eating toffee apples and Christingles. To top it off, each bottle is wrapped in brown paper, wound with twine and sealed with black wax.

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Best rum

21. Cut Rum - Spiced - 37.5%

View now at Amazon

Cut Rum is all about no fuss, authentic rum - strictly “no pirates. No sea monsters. No pin up girls”. No artificial sugars or flavourings allowed here either, this rum is made on the Worthy Park Estate in Jamaica - an estate which has been making rum since the 1740s.

This spiced rum doesn’t pack a punch in the way most spiced rums do (though there’s a definite warmth afterwards). Instead it’s creamy, with flavours of caramel and an aftertaste of vanilla. It’s smooth enough to be enjoyed neat, but would be equally good in a mixer.

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Best rum

22. Don Papa

Buy now from Amazon

This rum is made in the Philippines and has a rich vanilla and honey taste. It's well bodied with a hint of fire. It works well with a mixer (try ginger ale) but we were happy to have it neat, its lemony notes mixing well with what tastes like ripe banana.

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Best rum

23. Pampero Aniversario Rum

Buy now from Amazon

If we were basing this one purely on looks, then the awesome leather bag packaging would win this list hands down. Thankfully the taste is great, too, with a rich, Christmas pudding taste. It's got a bit of heat on the way down, so it's better paired with a glug of cola.

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Best rum

24. Plantation - Pineapple Stiggins’ Fancy - 40%

View now at Amazon

Fruited rum is great but can often be over the top. Plantation has got it spot on here, delivering authentic fruit flavour alongside others, such as ginger, cola and vanilla.

Pineapples are infused with Original Dark then distilled, later to be blended with 3 Star white rum, which has had the rind added. The name, if you’re wondering, comes from Reverend Stiggins in Dickens’s Pickwick Papers, whose favourite drink is pineapple rum.

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Best rum

25. Spirited Union - Lemon & Leaf

Buy now from Master of Malt

White rum can be a little boring and typically one you keep in a home bar for making cocktails like a Mojito. However, Spirited Union has taken a different approach as the world’s first botanical rum distillery.

You can think of it as a sort of gin-rum hybrid and a great gateway drink for gin lovers to get into this spirit. A range of flavours is available with Lemon & Leaf being the original, distilled with - apart from lemon - a combination of earthy, herbal and spicy notes from kina bark Sarawak pepper, Sarsaparilla root, eucalyptus leaves and black tea.

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Best rum

26. Grander Panama Rum

Buy now from Master Of Malt

Unlike many rums on this list, Grander has one point of origin for its rum and that is Panama. This gives it a fruity feel with more than a hint of bourbon and vanilla. It's matured in the tropics, so those eight years really go a long way to give this rum a distinctive taste. Don't be fooled by the colour - there's a deep taste here.

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Best rum

27. Black Tot Rum - Finest Caribbean

Buy from the Whisky Exchange

Black Tot Rum is a modern take on the old fashioned rum that was enjoyed by sailors. It's packed with fruitiness, thanks to a mix of Barbados and and Jamaican rum but there's also a nice coffee and chocolate hit thanks to the Guyanan rum in there. This is a really accomplished blend that's good for sipping.

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Best rum

28. Banks 7 - 43%

View now at Amazon

Blending spirits is an art, not a science and this example contains no less than 23 hand-selected rums. The ‘7’ in the name doesn’t refer to age but the places they are from: Jamaica, Trinidad, Barbados, Guatemala, Panama, Guyana and Java.

The result is a complex golden rum with a darker side of molasses but balanced with fruitiness and spice. A great rum to drink neat or in cocktails.

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Best rum

29. Havana Club - 3 Year Old - 40%

View at Masters of Malt

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.

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Best rum

30. East London Liquor Company - Demerara Rum - 40%

View now at Master of Malt

You might know East London Liquor for its gin but this rum is definitely worth a go, partly because it’s so affordable despite the quality on offer.

It is made in Guyana by Demerara Distillers with the last remaining wooden Coffey still in the world, and aged for three years in ex-bourbon casks. The sugar really comes through here along with big fruity notes.

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Best rum

31. OVD - Demerara - 40%

View now at Master of Malt

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.

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Best rum

32. Sweetdram - Smoked Spiced Rum - 41%

View now at Master of Malt

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.

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The best rum: a buying guide

The best rum 2020: 20 rum brands put to the ultimate drinking test

Rum is one of the most complex drinks on the market. There are many varieties of rum, made in a number of different ways, but it’s a drink that isn’t that well regulated (like the whisky world is) which means that there are a lot of mistruths.

Here we will try and give you a rundown of rum and what you should be looking for when buying the best rum for you.

What is rum made of?

This is an easy one: sugar cane. Rum isn’t like vodka, where many things can be used to distill the spirit. Rum has to come from sugar cane and depending on where it is distilled and what technique is used, this will change the colour of the rum. But...

Classifying rum by its colour isn’t great

Imagine if we classified whisky as being amber, red or yellow. That would be doing the spirit a massive disservice. But that’s what many do with rum: break it down by colour.

Yes, there is dark rum in the market and white rum in the market (simply put, this is down to maturation) but look beyond the colour when buying and more at where the ingredients come from and, most importantly, where they have been distilled.

Look at rum by the region and the provenance instead

This is something we learned while on a rum tasting session with Black Tot, one of the rums in our best rum guide.

Mitch Wilson, Black Tot’s global brand ambassador, told ShortList that: “We have been bad at educating people. Rum is sometimes described as white, gold and dark - this is a shit way to describe anything.

“Try and drop the simplification and chat about the regions themselves and the provenance of the rums. For example, Black Tot uses Jamaican, Barbados and Guyana for its classification.”

Taking this rather brilliant advice, a really simple rule of thumb is as follows (and don’t forget that most rums will actually be a mixture of rums from different regions):

Rums from the Americas

The best rum 2020: 20 rum brands put to the ultimate drinking test

Rums from the likes of Guyana, Panama and Venezuela will have a much richer, sweeter palette than other rums and this is because, for the most part, they distill using sugarcane honey and not the usual sugarcane juice.

We’d recommend the Diplomatico Reserva Rum, from Venezuela, if you want to try something from this region - it’s a dark rum with a real fruity kick.

Rums from The Caribbean

The best rum 2020: 20 rum brands put to the ultimate drinking test

If you want to pinpoint the home of rum, then Barbados is a great place to start. Its rum-making techniques make it pretty much the modern home for rum, creating a rum that’s usually fruity but well balanced.

A similar rum, but we reckon even fruitier, is one that’s made in Jamaica. Then there’s the more fragrant rum that comes from Cuba, which is where the likes of Havana Club comes from.

Our personal pick of Caribbean rum would have to be Mount Gay, which is our current top best rum pick and from Barbados. It’s recently gone through something of a rebrand and is fruity with a lovely smooth finish.

Rums from elsewhere

The best rum 2020: 20 rum brands put to the ultimate drinking test

You can, of course, make rum anywhere as long as you have the right ingredients. Creating rum on the shores of Scotland, though, is quite different from the balmy climates of Barbados so the tastes will differ, a lot.

You have the likes of Don Papa which is made in the Philippines and renowned for its honey-like taste. Then Ableforth's Rumbullion! Is based in Kent but this rum is made from selected Caribbean rum and Madagascan vanilla. There is, of course, Australian favourite Bundaberg which uses its own sugar cane.

How does rum age? Does this affect the colour?

The best rum 2020: 20 rum brands put to the ultimate drinking test

It’s worth noting that rums made in a colder climate will take longer to mature. It’s all about the ‘angel share’ here - the amount of evaporation that takes place.

When something is aged in somewhere like the Caribbean then this is called, rather obviously, tropical ageing. Here the climate, heat and humidity play a big role in how it ages in a barrel.

To put this type of ageing into context: 5 years’ ageing in Barbados is around the same as 10-15 years if it was aged in somewhere like Scotland.

This means that the angel share in somewhere like Barbados would be around 6% compared to 2% in a colder climate.

Ageing rum in a barrel makes the rum darker, although some rum brands will also throw in some burnt sugar to make the colour appear darker, too.

If you like your rum very dark, and packed with caramel tastes, then Gosling's Black Seal Rum is worth a shout, mainly because it is the official rum to use in a Dark’n’Stormy.

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