Rum originated in the Caribbean, with the first official records pointing towards Barbados around 1650. These islands and its people have a living, breathing desire for life, which is reflected in the fiery spirit of rum. Rum is now sold all over the world, and in this article, we'll introduce you to the world-leading brands producing dark, white and spiced rums of the highest quality and taste.
Ranking the 10 best rums in the UK, we've compared Mount Gay, Kraken, Sailor Jerry and many more, available from Amazon, Tesco, Waitrose and Asda. So read on to find the perfect spirit for your next cocktail or rum and coke!
Quick List - Top Rums
Mount Gay
Mount Gay’s Award Winning Gold Rum Is Ideal for Enjoying Neat and in Mixed Drinks
Kraken
Dark and Moody Spiced Rum That Tastes Great With Lime and Ginger Beer
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Spiced rum encapsulates the essence of the Caribbean spirit possibly more than any other variety. Rum that is spiced boils down to exactly as the name suggests; any bottle under the rum-brewing sun that has had a little extra zing added to it is a spiced rum.
This can be with the classically-paired spices of caramel, orange peel, clove, nutmeg and ginger or with more botanical flavourings like pineapple and other tropical fruits. Spiced rum is widely popular through its cocktail compatibility and tastes downright delicious with ginger ale, and of course, cola.
Spiced rum is very often golden, looking a lot like runny honey in its richness. However, it can also be dark in colour, which translates to a longer ageing process with its particular spices and flavours.
To help you find the perfect mixer, here are the best ginger beers too!
All rum is made by fermenting then distilling either sugarcane molasses or sugarcane juice. When looking at the flavour of dark and gold (or 'amber' rum as it's sometimes referred to), it's really all about how smooth they taste. This is due to them generally being better for drinking straight, making a palatable taste essential.
The sought-after smoothness that shines through in these styles of rum is determined by the type and quality of the barrels used in ageing, along with the quality of ingredients in the mix.
Blended rums are common in the upper-echelon of dark and gold rums, with producers handpicking the highest quality rums and infusing them to create something bold, unique and irresistibly smooth.
White rums are synonymous with some of the most famous cocktails in the world: the mojito, the daiquiri and the pina colada. White rum is famously clear in colour through its low ageing time, normally being no more than one year.
This is just enough time for the rum to gain its smoothness in flavour before being carbon filtered (sometimes multiple times) to remove any and all of the impurities collected from the barrel in ageing. It's this process and this process alone that will turn these rums back to being white.
Their versatility to blend well with many different flavours in cocktails or mixed drinks is their biggest drawcard. Picture plenty of lime, mint and ice on a hot beach with the sun in your face and that's where white rum shines. Or if you want to bring the heat to your home, they are ideal partners in cocktail-shaking crime.
Looking for some inspiration? Check out some of our favourite cocktail recipe books!
An integral influence on a rum's overall taste is the type of barrel it has been aged in. This is where the art form truly takes shape, as barrels are selected on account of their previous lives storing and ageing whiskey, bourbon and other spirits.
Barrels can be charred to bring on even more intensity, infusing rum with some smokey tones. Oak is widely considered the best wood to age rum in, with many Caribbean rums being aged in white oak barrels to give rich vanilla flavours with hints of coconut.
This all makes the scope of flavour notes linked to rum very intriguing, with rum production being a mystical form of artistry mixed with science.
The ageing time of rum can be dependent on where the rum is being aged, as the process is hastened in tropical climates like the Caribbean. For instance, most dark rums are only aged for 2-5 years in the Caribbean, while North American dark rums can be aged for up to 10 years.
The same can be said for gold rum which is typically aged for no more than 2 years in the Caribbean and as long as 5 years in North America. Most spiced rums are aged for lengthy periods of time, even up to 8 years. They are allowed ample time to give the flavours every chance of working their magic and resulting in the deliciously sweet heat of spiced rum.
Rums that are aged for long periods of time are normally more expensive. This is through increased production costs and longer ageing processes equating to higher yields of quality and taste. To allow a rum more time to age, some companies even ship their rums across the world to finish their ageing in cooler climates.
Consider whether there's a particular country's rum you'd like to try. With most rums hailing from Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Cuba and Puerto Rico, you may want to try a spirit from one of these regions for a more traditional taste.
These days, you will find rum-producing companies all over the world. They source rum in its infancy from the Caribbean and add their own twist during the ageing process. This makes them a good choice for those who would prefer to sample something different.
You can even find rum producers right here in the UK from Scotland to Cornwall. These are typically from established distillers, keen to add to the ever-evolving story of this world-renowned spirit.
It's always worth checking the ABV (alcohol by volume) measurement of any alcoholic beverage you intend to partake in. You don't want any unexpected surprises in this department, as we all know alcohol has the potential to send you down for the count.
On the account of it being worth your time but still drinkable neat, 40% ABV is widely considered the standard for rum of any variety and age. You can, however, find other bottles to be anywhere from 20% all the way up to 75%, which is exactly why you want to read the finer print if opting for a rum you haven't tried before!
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Key features | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Mount Gay XO Triple Cask Blend Rum |70 cl | ![]() | Mount Gay’s Award Winning Gold Rum Is Ideal for Enjoying Neat and in Mixed Drinks | |
2 | Angostura 1919 8 Year Old Gold Rum|70 cl | ![]() | Smooth Premium Golden Rum From Trinidad | |
3 | Kraken Black Spiced Rum|70 cl | ![]() | Dark and Moody Spiced Rum That Tastes Great With Lime and Ginger Beer | |
4 | Dead Man's Fingers Spiced Rum|70 cl | ![]() | A Cornish Spiced Rum With Complex Flavour Notes | |
5 | Plantation Original Dark Double Aged Rum|70 cl | ![]() | Blended Artisanal Rum With Hints of Banana and Light Caramel | |
6 | Bacardi Carta Blanca Rum|1 litre | ![]() | The Perfect White Rum for Adding a Kick to Your Cocktails | |
7 | Sailor Jerry The Original Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum|70 cl | ![]() | Spicy Spirit With Cinnamon and Nutmeg for Rum and Coke | |
8 | Mount Gay Eclipse Rum 70cl | ![]() | Silky Smooth, Golden Rum From the Iconic Mount Gay | |
9 | Wray and Nephew White Overproof Jamaica Rum|70 cl | ![]() | Fiery White Rum From Jamaica That’s High in Alcohol With Citrus Notes | |
10 | Five Hundred Cuts Botanical Rum|700 ml | ![]() | A Fruity Flavoured Rum From the Scottish Brand Five Hundred Cuts |
Winning Gold at the 2020 San Francisco Spirit Awards, this gold rum has been aged for over 6 years, entitling it to the notable XO label, meaning 'extra old'. This title is reserved for the rums on the shelf above the top shelf – which is exactly where this triple-cask blended rum sits.
Aged for 5-17 years in American whiskey, bourbon and cognac oak barrels, this is a complex rum that's been brought into this world by none other than the O.G's of rum: Mount Gay. With flavour notes of vanilla, clove, salted caramel, baked fig and dark chocolate hitting your palate in an irresistibly smooth yet decisive way, there's really not much more to say except wow, and to enjoy this one neat if possible.
Aged for eight years in charred American oak bourbon barrels, the Angostura gold is as smooth as rums come. The charred barrels give the rum a toasted touch, while you'll also find notes of cocoa, molasses, caramel and vanilla.
Produced in Trinidad since 1919, this is a rum that knows its history while having its sea legs firmly planted in the future. It's a premium rum with a rich, golden-amber hue that is smooth, yes, but at 40%, it'll still leave you with a biting edge just as good rum should. Sit back and relax in taste and style with the Angostura.
Produced in Trinidad and Tobago and aged for 1-2 years in oak barrels, the Kraken black spiced rum encapsulates the spirit of great, no-nonsense rum. Hitting all the right notes on the flavour front with cinnamon, ginger, clove, coffee and vanilla, it's a rum that holds no prisoners and pairs perfectly with lime and ginger beer.
Getting the name from a mystical sea beast 100 ft in size that swallowed whole ships and crews, this is a rum to rival the pirates of the Caribbean in mystique and glory. It wouldn't take much to picture old Jack Sparrow taking one final swig of the Kraken before he goes down the belly of the beast.
Dead Man's Fingers is a spiced rum created by the guys behind the famed Rum & Crab Shack in St Ives, Cornwall. Using a blend of rum from Trinidad and Barbados, these clever entrepreneurs infuse their rum with a healthy helping of many complex flavours to bring you a spiced rum unlike any other.
With too many flavour notes to list and being one of the bestselling rums on Amazon as well as in our supermarkets, this spiced rum sensation has taken the UK and the world by storm. And as there are no signs of it slowing down, it's probably about time to see what all the spice-centric fuss is about.
Plantation is a rum brand firmly cemented at the top of the artisanal rum pecking order. While this is one of their entry-level offerings, it will still out-perform most rums on the taste and character scale.
This is a blended 40% dark rum produced in Trinidad that boasts intense flavours of banana, light caramel and some bitterness. It's been aged for 3-5 years, starting off the process in Trinidad then finishing in the cool, ancient cellars of Cognac. This makes for a thoughtfully soft and balanced finish.
Bacardi is another rum that needs little introduction but still deserves it. Founded in 1862 straight out of Santiago Cuba, Bacardi was the inspiration for many of the world's most beloved cocktails of today.
It's now produced in San Juan, Puerto Rico where it's aged in white oak barrels for 1-2 years then charcoal filtered, leaving notes of oak coupled with citrus and vanilla. With an alcohol content of 37.5%, it's ripe and ready for the picking and mixing of all your favourite cocktails.
Inspired by Normal 'Sailor Jerry' Collins who was the original old-school tattoo artist of the 20th century, this dark and spiced rum is packed full of flavour and style. With the flavour notes of vanilla, cinnamon, butter and nutmeg coming to the forefront, it's a mature and bold take on the tradition of spicing rum.
Having just the right amount of alcohol at 40% makes it ideal to drink neat, in a cocktail or with the classic pairing of coke or ginger beer. It's been aged in an oak barrel but there was no mention as to the ageing time for this one. Still, it's a remarkable rum produced in the Caribbean but destined for the world.
Coming out of the Mount Gay distillery on the island of Barbados, this smooth golden rum has history seeping from its bottle. The Mount Gay distillery is the oldest running rum distillery in the world, being founded in 1703.
With very little being changed in terms of the classic Mount Gay recipe, the 40% Eclipse rum is their most affordable offering. Owing to the flavour notes of apricot, banana and vanilla coming through, this is a a crisp and aromatic rum created to get the job done.
Wray and Nephew's over-proofed white rum is the original rum of the Jamaican people, accounting for 90% of all rum drunk on the island. With flavour notes of citrus, pear and pineapple, it's a zesty affair that leaves the palate feeling fresh and fiery.
It's a very potent spirit at 63% ABV which is much higher than the rest of the rums on this list, so proceed with caution! There's also not much information as to which barrel and for how long this rum is aged for, adding a little mystery to the production side of 'tings'.
Branded as being a botanical rum with notes of tropical fruit and burnt sugar, this white spiced rum is certainly a blend of the future, perfect for cutting your botanical rum teeth with.
Produced in Aberdeenshire by the insanely popular craft beer brewers, Brewdog, Five Hundred Cuts is a super fruity and fun rum with tattoo art-inspired branding to match. Unfortunately, it's been given a few thumbs down in the taste department from various reviewers claiming it to be a little too flavoured, making it a potential hit or miss prospect.
Ever wondered how to make the perfect mojito? Transport yourself to tropical climes with this classic recipe from Jamie Oliver and Bacardi, no plane ticket (or cocktail shaker) needed!
Written and researched by Connor Macanally
No. 1: Mount Gay|XO Triple Cask Blend Rum |70 cl
No. 2: Angostura|1919 8 Year Old Gold Rum|70 cl
No. 3: Kraken|Black Spiced Rum|70 cl
No. 4: Dead Man's Fingers|Spiced Rum|70 cl
No. 5: Plantation|Original Dark Double Aged Rum|70 cl
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