Rum As A Sipping Spirit: 15 Of The Best

My editor at Robb Report asked me to write about the 15 best vodkas you can buy right now. I try to never turn down work, so I told her I was game, but I also mentioned that I’m not a big vodka fan in general. I mean, I have no problem with it, and once or twice a year I’ll find myself in the mood for an ice-cold vodka martini. But I call it the bottled water of spirits — you can certainly tell the difference between brands, and there are absolutely better and worse brands. But is it really worth the effort to discern the barely-there flavors and aromas of each one? My editor, bless her soul, replied thusly: “Actually, how about rum instead, if you don’t love vodka? I don’t like vodka either…so I know that research is no fun.”

I mostly write about whisky (or whiskey, but for today’s purposes I’ll just type it as “whisky”), because it’s what people like to read about. But my real passion lies with rum, namely aged sipping rums. It may just be because I’m so immersed in the world of whisky, but I find it so exciting to discover a great new rum. And when I’m home, if I’m sipping for pleasure, I’ll usually go for the rum shelf first. But perhaps the most exciting thing about the category is that it’s evolving so quickly. Brands that were revered five or ten years ago are now regarded as garbage. Brands that were made for locals only are now prized by rum drinkers worldwide. And knowledge is increasing at a lightning-fast pace.

To get caught up, and to get a nudge in the direction of the best rums currently available, I went straight to Kate Perry of La Maison & Velier. Kate is not only one of the foremost rum experts in the world, but she also knows everyone in the industry. She opened a whole lot of doors for me, and made my research so much easier than it would have been. I think we were both excited to have a rum article that actually featured the best rums, rather than the most expensive rums or the most high-profile rums. I know she probably doesn’t agree with a couple of my choices, but I stand behind all 15 of them.

If you’re a rum novice, I hope this will open your eyes to just how diverse and wonderful a spirit it can be — leave your Bacardi-influenced preconceptions at the door. And even if you’re a hardcore rum fan, I think there’ll be at least a couple of brands here with which you’re unfamiliar. Oh, and lest I forget, here’s the link. Enjoy!