The Best Rum to Gift for Christmas 2023

White Rum, Dark Rum, Flavoured Rum and Spiced Rum, we’ve got the perfect Christmas recommendations for each to please the rum drinkers in your life.

The rum shelves are stacked at this time of year and picking out a bottle to gift can be daunting, but no more rumming and ahing, because we’ve picked out the rums that receive rave reviews from everybody.

The Best White Rum to Gift for Christmas

El Dorado 3 Year Old White Rum

This is tremendous rum for the price, using the traditional method of Demerara sugar which comes through luxuriously in the expression. It is still mightily fresh and crisp though, which white rum drinkers want, and this balance explains all the awards.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 40%
Find here: £23.95

Sunset Very Strong Rum

No, that isn’t a typo, this is 84.5% ABV, and therefore makes for a striking Christmas gift indeed. It’s molasses distilled from Saint Vincent, but don’t be thinking that this is just pure alcohol and that’s it. It’s a serial award winner for a reason, but not when treated like a 40% rum. It demands respect, and when served with a lot of mixer, or into cocktails and punches, it shines. Surprisingly smooth with a gorgeous warm glow, carrying sugary spice and coca notes on the finish, it’s more than just a throat burning gimmick.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 84.5%
Find here: £47.99

The Best Dark Rum to Gift for Christmas

Ron Barceló Gran Añejo Rum

Añejo is a categorisation we’re more used to seeing on tequila bottles, but in this case it’s applied to a stunningly smooth Dominican rum brimming with delicious sweetness. Espresso, dark chocolate, and roasted hazelnuts bring a richer, darker quality to the manuka honey, to create a rum bursting with flavour. Connoisseurs love it!

Size: 700ml
ABV: 37.5%
Find here: £26.99 (usually more!)

Pusser's 'Gunpowder Proof' Black Label Rum

A rebrand of the original Blue Label, this brings the same silky complexity as that did. You’re looking at a traditional high proof dark rum in the British Naval mould, using authentic recipes. The warm flavour is intoxicating, and it really punches through with full-bodied dried syrupy fruits.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 54.5%
Find here: £37.40

The Best Spiced Rum to Gift for Christmas

The Duppy Share Spiced Rum

Duppy Share have excelled in delivering exceptional taste without overbearing sweetness with this spiced rum. It means, ‘Angel’s Share’ referencing the evaporation within the rum barrels. A rich blend of spices merge with kola nuts and pineapple, but there’s so much depth with vanilla, white chocolate, caramel, and ginger, as well as tangy citrus. Gorgeous Caribbean bottle too.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 37.5%
Find here: £25.99

Golden Buck Rum

Golden Buck Rum brings a boiled sweet vibe with its cherry and vanilla infusion giving a creamy and fruity taste that stands out from other rums. Tropical pineapple and rich brown sugar come through too, and it’s just as delicious as it sounds. It has all those sweet flavours, but with maturity and authenticity and seems to go down a storm with anyone that tries it.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 40%
Find here: £34.58

The Best Flavoured Rum to Gift for Christmas

Bombo 40 Rum - Caramel & Banana

The caramelised banana flavour is deliciously complimentary to the core richness of the Bombo 40 Rum, completely coating your mouth. If you know someone that loves sweet rum, then this really is perfect because there’s no going away from it, it is very sweet. After a few servings, it gets a little too sickly but a few serves just with ice is such an indulgent treat.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 40%
Find here: £27.95

Diablesse Clementine Spiced Rum

This a gorgeous rum that embraces the Christmas spirit with bright clementines that cut through the richness harmoniously. It has a fair whack of sweetness too, but it’s natural and tastes it. Forget any throat burn, it’s pure smooth spiced rum with the distinct clementine twist, and it would make a cracking gift for a spiced rum drinker.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 40%
Find here: £28.75 (usually more!)

We’ve got a tonne of Christmas present guides all across our website currently, like our Gin one for example, so do check out these for other present recommendations!

The Best Spiced Rums Under £40

Ahoy rum enthusiasts! Spiced rum is an area that contains a lot of variety. It doesn’t help that production rules are super strict in some countries, whilst totally relaxed in others, and all kinds of characteristics can be affected including ageing and sweetness. On the plus side, this means that there will be something for everyone so rather than just splashing out on a bottle with a hefty price tag hoping that it’s a guaranteed hit, check out the best spiced rums for under £40 below!

£20-30

Redleg Spiced Rum

For value, there aren’t many if any spiced rums better than Redleg. It’s pure Caribbean spirit in a bottle, infused with Jamaican vanilla and ginger. Rich custard and apple slices rolled in cinnamon invite on the nose before delicious sweetness hits after sipping, with gingerbread and creamy vanilla. The warmth of the pepper and ginger last the distance too. This is an adventure for both rum newbies and connoisseurs and goes well served simply in a Cuba Libre.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 37.5%
Find here: £21.99 (usually more!)

Depth Charge Spiced Rum

Crafted from top-notch Caribbean rum and a medley of spices, Depth Charge is a flavour explosion. Picture this: brown sugar, honey, caramel, and zesty citrus dancing together with cinnamon, clove, and peppercorn. It’s definitely smooth and layered enough to enjoy over ice with a lime wedge, but a splash of cola takes it in a new direction too. A Hurricane cocktail also comes to mind with this one.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 40%
Find here: £25.95

Black Magic Spiced Rum

Black Magic Spiced Rum, the mystical concoction of light and dark rums, unveils a flavour spectacle with vanilla, cherry, caramel, and a hint of black pepper – a proper carnival in a glass! The awards speak for themselves, picking up Gold at the World Rum Awards in 2022. This rum isn't shy either; it loves to mingle, especially with cola. But for a real "Lift Off," try it in a cocktail with amaro, honey, and a splash of Prosecco.

Size: UK 700ml / US 750ml
ABV: 40%
Find here: UK £26.74 / US $17.99

Chairman’s Reserve Spiced Rum

Chairman’s Reserve Spiced Rum, straight from St. Lucia, is a tropical taste sensation that punches well above its price point. Cinnamon, clove, vanilla and allspice get the party started, but it’s the balance and smoothness that’s staggering. It’s just so drinkable. A Spiced Rum Old Fashioned with this is a dream.

Size: UK 700m/ US 750ml
ABV: 40%
Find here: UK £28 / $26.99

£30-40

Sly Dog Spiced Rum

We loved their Christmas Crackers last year, but you really just want a full bottle. Made with aged rums from Jamaica and the Dominican Republic, it's the smooth operation of rums – suave, sophisticated, and with a hint of mystery (thanks to their secret spice recipe). There are some classical rum profile flavours, but also some unusual but very welcome notes. You'll taste pineapple chunks, brown sugar, a touch of clove, and salted caramel, but it’s how harmoniously put together everything is that won it a Gold at the World Rum Awards 2022.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 40%
Find here: £32

Pull the Pin Spiced Rum

The explosive, eye catching bottle hints at the interesting origin story of Pull the Pin, because co-founder Tom left the army to pursue the perfect Spiced Rum, and he has to be happy with the results. Guyanese in origin, if you don’t like too much sweetness in your spiced rums then this is the one for you. It’s all about the spice – a treasure trove of aromatic baking spices with cinnamon at the fore, intertwining with silky butterscotch, brown sugar, and tobacco for a super comforting drinking experience. We’d like to see (and taste) it in an extra spicy Dark & Stormy.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 37.5%
Find here: £34.49

Mermaid Spiced Rum

Crafted with a blend of aged sugar cane and molasses rum from Trinidad and the Dominican Republic, Mermaid is infused with a bevvy of exotic botanicals from the Isle of Wight to bring sweet honey, apricot, rock samphire and black salt to the smooth, caramel notes. This is an instantly distinct rum that may very well surprise drinkers who don’t normally go in for spiced rums, with vibrant fruity Christmas spice and floral sweetness. It’s fun to explore this one neat but topping up with ginger ale isn’t a bad idea either.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 38%
Find here: £37.99

Rumbullion Spiced Rum

A prestigious Master award winner at the 2021 Rum Masters, Rumbullion is a warming spiced rum evoking the full-bodied and rich seafaring rums of years ago. Madagascan vanilla is added to the highest quality of Caribbean rum as well as a sprinkle of orange zest, cassia, cloves, and cardamom. Expertly crafted, intense in flavour, balanced perfectly, and packaged with such charm and attention to detail – Rumbullion on a cold evening is the stuff of dreams.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 42.6%
Find here: £39.95

If you’ve found yourself here then the likelihood is that you’re really enjoying your rum, so to enhance that at home drinking experience, why not have your own dedicated rum bar? Check out 7 Things Every Rum Lover Needs!