Best rums in the world ranking
10 Best brands of RUM For Every Mood
Rum is not just a spirit. It is much more than that. It is an experience to be relieved and cherished. Whether enjoying it with your mates or mixing it in a cocktail or simply sipping it neat, there is that
best rum
available for every mood and every occasion. The best
rum drinks brands,
whether it’s
Old Monk Rum
Or
Bacardi and Rum
or even the array of
white rum brands
, ensure the best drinking experience for your every mood anytime anywhere.
10 BEST BRANDS FOR RUM
From party starters to smooth sippers, there are several top rum drinks brands
.
OLD MONK RUM
A popular Indian brand, Old Monk Rum comes with a proud long-standing tradition of trust and ratability.
Follows a distinctive aging process in oak coasts.
Offers a smooth, rich flavor. This springs from its distinctive aging process.
Ideal for sipping or mixing into your favorite cocktails.
Delivers comfort with warmth after a long day, whether you are in a relaxed mood or looking to just unwind.
A great choice if you’re looking to savor sweet, fuller-bodied rum.
BACARDI
Think of Bacardi, think of a brand that’s synonymous with pure enjoyment.
Light and smoo
As much as any other spirit, it’s safe to say there’s a style of rum for everyone. Nations across the globe have made it for centuries, with regions and producers offering different interpretations via distinct base ingredients — fresh cane juice, cane syrup, and molasses — as well as varied fermentation and distillation techniques.
Expressions arrive unaged and uncut; matured but with color later stripped away; or following decades in casks old and new. Some bottles are specifically produced for cocktails; others, owing to the price tags that accompany them, demand to be sipped, whether neat, on the rocks, or proofed down to the drinker’s preference. Then there are flavored or spiced releases, which accounted for over 50 percent of the rum sold in the U.S. in 2023.
With all due respect to the fictitious sailors that typically adorn such bottles, we did not consider flavored selections for our annual roundup of the best rums to drink right now. But we did dive deep into the diverse range of examples listed prior, tasting more than 120 bottles from over 20 nations across the globe.
Those samples were sent to VinePair (free of charge) by producers, importers, distributors, and
The 10 best rums in the world for a perfect sip
Rum traces its roots to Caribbean hotspots like Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and Venezuela
, regions where sugarcane farms have thrived for centuries, supplying the heart of every great rum. Traditionally, it was a favorite of sailors and pirates for its ease of storage and transport aboard ships; rum even served as a form of currency in maritime trade. Today, those same historic distilleries produce the best Caribbean rums you can buy in U.S. liquor stores and online retailers.
From light, mixable white rums to full-bodied, barrel-aged expressions, top rum brands transform cane molasses or fresh-pressed juice into spirits with layered aromas of vanilla, oak, spice and tropical fruit. Whether you’re building classic cocktails like a Mojito or Daiquiri or like to enjoy a pour neat, these premium aged rums deliver a tasting experience you’ll want to explore sip by slow sip.
Here are 10 of the finest aged rums guaranteed to elevate your home bar and rum tasting adventures.
1/10
© Barceló Imperial
Barceló Imperial
Hailing from the Dominican Republic, every Barceló rum meets the country’s strict regulations: producers m
(Image credit: Kraken / Don Papa / Karisimbi)
The rum market is booming. It's worth over £12 billion a year, roughly equalling gin revenues and is only continuing to grow. But we'd argue that it's a far more versatile drink, and the different types of rum, from aged to spiced, excel in totally different situations.
In its simplest form, rum is a clear liquid distilled from different forms of sugar, including demerara and molasses. However, this is often followed by barrel ageing in oak casks, and, like some modern craft beers, some also have fruit or spices added.
This means you can get all sorts of different kinds of rums, like white, golden, dark, navy, spiced and fruit rum - and even combinations of those key types. Traditionally, rum comes from the Caribbean, but these days you can get it from all over the place, including Devon.
Here’s our taste-tested selection that we think every rum lover should try, which we have separated by region.
Additional reporting and taste testing: Marc Chacksfield
What we're drinking
From the ocean-aged complexity of Goslings Spirited Seas to the honey-spiced warmth of Wildjac Premium Honey, and the rich, conservation-d