16 best rums to sip straight, on the rocks and mix in cocktails - From dark and spicy old fashioned’s to sweet and fresh daquiri’s, there’s a tipple for everyone...
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The Independent
2022-10-04T08:08:06Z
These past few years have seen an explosion in craft brands and artisan production. Ask bartenders and industry insiders, and many will tell you rum is set to be the “next big thing”.
Some are grain-to-glass spirits from distilleries fanatical about terroir and sourcing; others are complex blends, created from unique rums sourced from across the world. Some show off the purity of sugarcane as an ingredient; others the skills of an experienced blender. Some are just darn delicious in a mixed drink, full stop.
When choosing our favourite rums for 2022, we tasted each one neat at room temperature, then again with ice. We mixed up dozens of tasty daiquiris, the simple, classic rum cocktail with lime and sugar syrup – the spirit’s answer to a margarita. We ranked each rum we tasted on flavour, of course, but also took into account transparency of sourcing and production, and value for money. Let’s say “cheers” to the standouts…
Ask any rum fan about which bigger brand they really respect, and Appleton’s name consistently comes up. Produced in Jamaica to some of the world’s strictest standards by master distiller Joy Spence, entry-level bottling signature shows brilliant value for money. Intense flavours of stone fruit, pineapple and molasses join a gentle oak character that makes it super versatile; this is just as good stirred into a daiquiri as it is a giant vat of rum punch (and, unlike many other top rums, it’s affordable enough for the latter, too). Classic and crowd-pleasing, this is exactly what a rum should be: a pure taste of the Caribbean.
If you thought white rum lacked flavour, think again. Clairin, a Haitian version made with fresh sugarcane juice, tastes green, grassy, fresh and characterful – in short, a bit like the lush Haitian landscapes captured in a bottle. This one, made from organic sugarcane in Saint Michel, is a charitable endeavour, with a full 100 per cent of the profits going to non-profits that work to uplift impoverished Haitian communities. It’s bursting with vegetal, spicy notes of green pepper, green banana and smoke. If you enjoy the profile of mezcal or characterful tequilas, this is the rum for you.
This blended white combines rums from two of the sugarcane world’s major cult distilleries: Foursquare in Barbados and Hampden in Jamaica. Medium-bodied yet rich, it has enough weight to offset zingy lime in a daquiri and plenty of delicious flavour too, with notes of tropical banana, pineapple and a hint of green grass. Really, it’s pretty exceptional value given the quality (not to mention the pedigree). And if you happen to be out of fresh lime for daiquiri-making, we can confirm from experience that it tastes just as superb sipped neat…
If you drink whisky you’ll perhaps have heard of the “angel’s share”, the small amount of liquid lost to evaporation as the spirit ages in barrel. Well, in rum they call it the “duppy’s share” – duppies being Caribbean spirits – and that’s what gives this fun 100 per cent Jamaican rum its name. It’s all classic character: bright tropical banana and mango, a bit of spice, and a super smooth finish that seriously impresses given the sub-£20 price point. And if you need one more reason to buy? It’s produced with London-born grime musician Kano, who has Jamaican heritage; if he’s willing to put his name to the bottle, you know it’s got to be tasty.
Here’s one for the proper rum geeks: a terroir-driven, single farm column still rum from Grenada’s Dunfermline estate. It’s a rare prospect – a rum that’s not about blending and aging, but rather about expressing a specific origin; think of it as a snapshot in place and time. It’s amazingly complex (and punchy, at 50 per cent ABV), with concentrated notes of banana, orange and aloe. It’s one for drawing down with some ice and sipping slowly and thoughtfully, so you can unpack all that character. Though put it in the hands of a bartending maestro, we imagine it could make for some seriously interesting cocktails too.
This bottling shows off what great blending skills can do. The British-made spirit contains eight different rums from four different countries – Barbados, Trinidad, Jamaica and, unusually, Australia – as well as super fresh Dartmoor water from South Devon. Some rums have been aged (some for as long as eight years) while others have never seen time in a barrel. The result is a white spirit that has rich body and the smooth vanilla, cream and fudge notes that come with aging – yet still plenty of fresh
