Rum is a difficult category to delve into and decipher which bottles on the shelf will taste good. It seems that the rum category, as with many spirits, is as much about the brand as the area of the world in which the rum is made. There are some rums that are great value for money and more than that, they taste much better than their price tag would suggest. You will certainly recognise the names of some of the rums below, but you may not have tasted them recently. Others may be completely unknown, but if you love rum, I would definitely try them. Some of them are spiced, but none of these are flavoured, I may cover that another time, but for now I’m keeping it traditional.
Dead Man’s Fingers
Dead Man’s Fingers is a spiced rum made in St Ives in Cornwall, UK. It’s made on the premises at the Rum and Crab Shack which, if you’re down that way in the future, serves great food, and of course their own rum. This rum is a blend of Caribbean rums with a decent dose of spices. So why not order “Three fingers of Dead Man’s Fingers”!
ABV: 37.5%
Size: 700ml
Buy it now for £18
The Duppy Share Caribbean Rum
In the world of whisky, it is the angels who take their share of the spirit as it matures, but in the Caribbean, it is the Duppy spirits who travel around the islands taking their cut. That is the story of where this rum gets its name. Matured in ex bourbon barrels, there is a mix of rum from Barbados which is five years old and rum from Jamaica, which is three years old.
ABV: 40%
Size: 700ml
Buy it now for £26
Goslings Black Seal
There is a black seal on the label, but the name originally comes from the black wax seal which was used to seal the bottles. Made with rums from pot stills and continuous stills, this rum has been produced in Bermuda since 1806. This is the perfect rum for a Dark’n’Stormy cocktail, which is lucky really as the Gosling brothers hold the trademark to that cocktail.
ABV: 40%
Size: 700ml
Buy it now for £23
Mount Gay Black Barrel
Black barrel gets its name from the heavily charred barrels in which it is matured, and it’s those barrels that give it the flavour which punches well above its price point. The rums are created in a double distillation in a pot still, and a single distillation in a column still. The larger proportion comes from the double distillation. Altogether, a brilliant rum.
ABV: 43%
Size: 700ml
Buy it now for £27
Appleton Estate Signature Blend
This rum is matured in smaller barrels than normal, giving the spirit more contact with the wood and a richer flavour in a shorter period of time. Called the “Signature Blend”, it is rounded out by marrying the rums in oak casks before bottling. Fruity and full of flavour, it is excellent value and tastes like rum that costs double the price.
ABV: 40%
Size: 700ml
Buy it now for £16
Kraken Black Spiced Rum
Named after the legendary sea monster, this rum is incredibly rich and very spicy. It has been in the UK for ten years now and it has gained a reputation for being a great rum. At its recommended retail price of £26, Kracken is very well priced and tastes like rums that are over £40, so at £20 on Amazon right now, it is an absolute bargain.
ABV: 40%
Size: 700ml
Buy it now for £20
Lamb’s Navy Dark Rum
This rum has a long history and a great reputation for value for money. Made from rums from Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana, it is smooth and easy. Where it really shines beyond much more expensive rums is with a mixer. The flavours in this rum are made for mixing and I’d rather have this with coke than many rums four times the price.
ABV: 40%
Size: 700ml
Buy it now for £14
Ableforth’s Rumbullion!
Here is my exception to the title of this piece. Ableforth’s Rumbullion is one rum worth spending just a touch more than my £30 upper limit. It has won a bunch of awards and it’s not hard to see why. With high proof Caribbean rum at its core, it is richly spiced with Madagascan vanilla and zesty orange peel. Small amounts of cassia and cardamom are also added. This rum is great to enjoy neat, or on ice with a squeeze of fresh lime.
ABV: 42.6%
Size: 700ml
Buy it now for £31.69
For more on rums from around the world, Aidy Smith gives us the best four rums to look out for.