Here at Casa Cocktail Wonk we drink a lot of rum. While I happily pull out my wallet for well-regarded high end rum, I also wonk out over finding great rums at a great price. There’s plenty of well-established brands with wonderful entries for less than $25 US. For instance, the Plantation Grande Réserve 5 is a steal at around $15. However, I also get a kick out of promoting the smaller, lesser-known brands with great bottlings that I stock at home. Below are eight rums I personally endorse, all available online somewhere for less than $25, before shipping. For each rum I’ve listed the best current price and the site where I found it.
Caldas Gran Reserva Oak Cask
This 8-year aged rum from Columbia is very smooth and moderate to dark gold in color. It’s dry and seems to have little or no sugar added after distillation. It’s somewhat comparable to Bacardi 8 in overall feel, but I prefer it to the Bacardi. Good enough to mix in spirit forward cocktails with abandon because of its taste and price, I end up sipping a dram every time I open the bottle.
17.99 luekensliquors.com
Cana Brava
Aged for three or more years, then filtered to strip the color, this rum comes the legendary Don Pancho Fernandez in Panama. Don Pancho is behind numerous well regarded rum lines including Ron Abuelo (see below.) Cana Brava works well in drinks calling for flavorful silver rum, such as the Daiquiri. It’s part of the 86 Co.’s line of spirits targeted primarily at bartenders.
$24.99 (1 liter) hitimewine.net
Denizen Aged White Rum
A blend of aged rums from Trinidad and Jamaica. The founder of Denizen tells me the Aged White was created to make the perfect Daiquiri. I recently reviewed its sibling, Denizen Merchant’s Reserve. Both are blended by master blenders E&A Scheer in Holland, and deserve a spot in your bar. $16.99 drinkupny.com
Doorly’s X0
A blend of rums from Barbados, aged between six and ten years in American oak, then finished in sherry casks. As with everything from Richard Seale’s Foursquare Distillery in Barbados, there’s no sugar added to juice up the perceived flavor. Richard’s insistence on quality rums are well known in the rum world. Doorly’s XO is what I brought back from Barbados for my rum loving friends.
$19.99 totalwine.com
Hamilton Jamaica Black
This 92 proof rum comes from Ed Hamilton’s Ministry of Rum collection. If you’re a fan of Jamaican hogo, this rum delivers in spades. I find the funk to be more vegetal than the fruity funk of Smith & Cross, but equally intense. Put Hamilton Jamaica in your drink and the flavor will pop right through, so I enjoy it in Tiki drinks where there’s a lot going on. There are both gold and black version of this rum – the only difference is the type of caramel coloring added, imparting a slight flavor difference.
$23.99 hitimewine.net
Pacific Rum
Bull Run Distillery in Portland, OR makes one of the many new American white rums popping up all over. What makes Pacific Rum unusual is that it starts from sugar cane juice instead of molasses, and is then aged for about a month. This rum is essentially an American version of an Agricole style rum – somewhat organic and grassy tasting, in a good way. Not as intense as La Favorite Blanc, I use it frequently in Tiki style drinks that call for an agricole rum. I’ve mentioned it previously in my Essential Arsenal of Tiki Rums post.
$24.56 clearviewspiritsandwines.com
Ron Abuelo 7
Ron Abuelo is a Panamanian rum from Don Pancho Fernandez, born in Cuba and considered a master of the Cuban style. The entire Ron Abuelo line is well regarded, but at Abuelo 7 is a smooth sipper at a bargain price. I enjoyed my first bottle of Abuelo 7 so much that I didn’t hesitate to purchase the Abuelo 12 as well.
$21.99 hitimewine.net
St. Lucia Distiller’s Chairman’s Reserve Spiced Rum
I’m normally not a spiced rum kind of guy. However, at a local tasting of the Chairman’s Reserve rums from the St. Lucia Distiller’s group, I was shocked at how well executed the Chairman’s Reserve Spiced rum is. The cinnamon and clove elements nicely complement the aged rum flavors, rather than attempt to mask it like so many other spiced rums. Sure, you could mix with it, but you’ll be happier to just pour out an ounce or two and savor it slowly.
$19.99 drinkupny.com
