What's the best rum?

This is a question that is difficult to answer, as the current offer is immense. We have our own little idea, and each of us has our favorites. But the important thing is that you find YOUR best rum!

So when we are asked what are the best rums, we first ask what that means to you. Are you looking for the best rum to start with ? The best value for money ? The one that is unanimously popular with enthusiasts ? The most authentic and traditional ? The most prestigious ?

From pure cane juice rums to molasses rums, including arranged or spiced rums, everyone can find what they are looking for.

Each country has its own tradition, its own methods, which are even different from one distillery to another. The range of aromas and flavors is infinite, and this is what makes rum a unique spirit. Here are some rums selected from our favorites , all of which you can find in the dedicated category.

The best rums for beginners

Appleton Estate Rare Blend 12 years 43°

 

This Jamaican blend embraces all the talent of the English style. Its fruity and full-bodied notes are perfectly balanced by a gently spicy woodiness. A perfect introduction, with a rum that is not sweet but is smooth nonetheless.

Compagnie des Indes Jamaïca 5 years Navy Strength 57° France

 

All the power of Jamaican aromas is there, enhanced by a degree of alcohol that brings freshness and intensity. The quality of the blend means that everything is well blended, never aggressive. A real explosion of fruit.

Doorly's Rum XO 43°

 

Barbados is known for producing some of the most balanced rums. This blend is made with precision, with a very typical and delicious woodiness, as well as a very soft touch.

JM XO 45°

 

This Martinique rum is often cited as the best gateway to the world of agricultural rum. Its notes of pure cane juice are enhanced by an elegant woodiness, with melted and fruity tannins.

Santa Teresa 1796 40°

 

This rum from Venezuela must be the one that is most often used as an example when talking about unsweetened "ron". It is a molasses rum that has been distilled in a modern column, so a rather light rum, but having benefited from a beautiful aging which gives it subtly woody and spicy notes.

The best quality/price ratios

Ferroni – Rosé Rum Blend 40°

 

Guillaume Ferroni, our mad scientist from the south of France, has brought together all the styles in a single blend. The pure juice and molasses rums have benefited from additional maturation in Rasteau barrels, which gives this rum pink highlights. A sweet, harmonious and very easy to drink rum.

Old Brothers FWI Batch 2 47.1°

 

Two distilleries from Barbados have been brought together in this blend, bottled at an ideal strength that pleases both novices and experienced enthusiasts. The iconic aromatic notes of rums from this island, including coconut and vanilla, are faithfully reproduced.

Plantation Rum Xaymaca Special Dry 43° (in French)

 

This is a finely fruity version of Jamaica that the bottler Plantation offers us here. This blend of two distilleries that we rarely encounter (Long Pond and Clarendon) focuses on balance and finesse, without denying all the exoticism of Jamaican rums.

Rum Nation Jamaica White Pot Still 57°, Rum Nation Jamaica White Pot Still 57°, Rum Nation Jamaica White Pot Still 57°, Rum Nation Jamaica

 

Discover the essence of what makes Jamaica, with this explosive white rum. Solvent, extremely ripe exotic fruits, almost animal notes… but also an infinite delicacy and length in the mouth. A golden opportunity to discover this style.

Saint James VSOP 43° C

 

The famous Saint James wood is made accessible to all, with a VSOP (at least 4 years old, let's remember) at an unbeatable price. All the art of Martinique aging is put to the service of fresh cane and its peppery notes.

The essentials

Depaz Vintage 2002 45°

 

Everyone agrees that this vintage has it all. Balance, accuracy, elegance, all with an intensity that means you never get bored. It is its aging in small oak barrels that gives it its dynamism and its very nice fruitiness.

HSE Grande Réserve XO 43°

 

This very old agricultural rum is a reference of the AOC Martinique. Its recognizable woodiness is a witness to the talent of the great houses of the island in terms of aging. The sweet spices and oak flourish in harmony and elegance.

Ced Ti Rums Arranged with Pineapple Victoria 32°

 

This is the great classic of Ced's arrangements, based on AOC Martinique agricultural rum, with a maceration of perfectly ripened Reunion pineapples. It is proof that the artisanal blend of quality ingredients makes all the difference.

Mount Gay XO Extra Old 43°

 

From the oldest rum distillery in the Caribbean, founded in 1703, this rum represents the Barbados style. Column and pot still rums have been blended to achieve a perfect balance of woody and fruity aromas, all with an almost buttery feel.

Pusser's Gunpowder 54.5°

 

A great piece of English style rum history is contained in this bottle. It is a reproduction of the Navy style that was served daily to sailors in the British Navy until 1970. Its full-bodied and fruity character is definitely unmissable.

The most authentic

Clairin Communal 43°

 

Clairin is a cane brandy from Haiti, a wild rum fermented with indigenous yeasts and distilled in small stills, as in the 18th century. This blend of 4 clairins (Sajous, Vaval, Casimir and Le Rocher) is perfect for discovering the style gently.

Eminente Reserva 7 years old 41.3° C

 

Although it has been on our shelves for decades, Cuban rum remains unknown and often misunderstood. The arrival of this true Cuban tradition rum changes the game. We discover all the complexity of the blend, with a character that is both sweet and tasty.

Hampden 8 years 46°

 

Authentic among the authentic, Hampden has become the emblematic distillery of Jamaica. Its wild fermentations from another time and its pot-still distillations allow to create some of the most aromatic rums there are. An explosion of exotic fruits guaranteed in every glass!

Magnifica de Faria Bica Do Alambic 48° (still)

 

Of the thousands of small Brazilian cachaça distilleries, only a handful of them make their products to us. Often, these products are quite mild and consensual, which is not the case with this 100% traditional and powerful cachaça, with pure cane aromas.

Worthy Park Single Estate Reserve 45°

 

When we talk about authenticity, Jamaica always comes up at some point in the conversation. This old distillery, long shut down, reopened its doors in 2005 and took the opportunity to create its own brand. The molasses it uses comes from its own sugar mill, itself supplied by its own cane fields. With a long fermentation and pot-still distillation only, it delivers a pure terroir rum.

The great rums

Appleton Estate 21 years 43°

 

Appleton is a Jamaican distillery that has some of the largest barrel stocks in the world. It therefore has a huge variety of different rum profiles, distilled in column or pot stills, young or very old. This is why it is able to offer us such exceptional blends, extremely old, for a very reasonable price.

El Dorado Rare Collection Skeldon 2000 58.3° C

 

The Diamond Distillery, on the banks of the Demerara River in Guyana, is one of the most legendary. It houses the stills of all the country's disappeared distilleries. Among these distilleries, the most legendary is perhaps that of Skeldon. The bottlings of its rums can barely be counted on the fingers of one hand, and El Dorado had the good idea of recreating this style for our greatest pleasure.

Neisson L’Esprit Organic 70°

 

The Esprit de Neisson was a legend long before the fashion for bruts de colonne, and remained a reference in the field for years. In the meantime, the distillery has done a titanic job on organic farming, to succeed today in offering us this Esprit Bio which surpasses the legend even more. With this vintage, Neisson will undoubtedly keep the crown for a long time to come.

 

Our selection ends here, and believe me, it was tough! There were many candidates, as there are so many magnificent beverages to discover. Everyone traces their own path in the world of rum, and everyone has their must-haves or unforgettable ones. On this subject, we would very much like to know your path, your favorites, or your ideal cellar. Do not hesitate to share, to exchange in the comments of this article, or on social networks!

In the meantime, we believe you can't go wrong with any of the bottles listed here. Whether for a gift or for your own discovery, these rums are sure to thrill you!