10 Best Rums UK 2024 | Mount Gay, Kraken and More

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.