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Esquire Rum Guide: 28 Bottles That Should Be on Your Bar Cart in 2024
Expert-approved white, dark and spiced rums for daquiris, mojitos and straight-up summer sipping
If you ask us, rum is one of the most underrated spirits going. It’s not just sailor’s grog, or an ingredient for your piña colada (though we’ll come to that) – many of the techniques used to make rum are similar to whisky, and indeed, there are fine rums that ask simply to be sipped from a tumbler, Don Draper-style.
But while the varied styles available make rum amazingly versatile, they also make it fiendishly difficult to get to grips with. The techniques, ingredients, blending, location of origin, location of maturation and so on all contribute to a killer spirit that deserves more respect than being drowned in flat coke and lacklustre lime.
So, if you’re looking to add a taste of the tropics to your bar cart this summer, step this way...
Best dark, white and spiced rums for 2024
Types of rum
Rum’s flavours range from the light, bright and tropical (think pineapple, mango, vanilla, maybe a hint of spice – Bajan rums are a good example) to deep, dark and rich (chocolate, coffee, burnt sugar, even liquorice – typified by Guyanese rums).
While traditionally categorised as ‘white/silver’, ‘gold/amber’ or ‘dark/aged’, the broad spectrum of colours and flavours found among rums mean that some producers are trying to phase out that old terminology. And with bartenders keen to use the finest spirits to make ever better cocktails, it’s not always fair to pigeonhole categories into prescribed uses.
The bigger problem is that rum’s restrictions (or lack of, compared to the likes of whisky) have led to vast discrepancies in quality. Without having to state which distilleries a blend’s components come from, exactly how old the liquid is, or whether colouring or extra sugar has been added, rum can be prey to a bit of smoke and mirrors. As a rule, the more information the bottle tells you, the better its contents are likely to be.
Navy rum harks back to the times when each sailor of the Royal Navy was allocated a daily ration of rum as part of his salary (known as a ‘tot’). Although other alcohols were originally used, rum was introduced by Admiral Edward Vernon in 1751 and continued until 1970. At first, half a pint was given to each sailor, but the occasionally unfortunate results of this caused him to reduce it and water it down to what became known as ‘grog’. Nowadays, a true Navy rum should be 54.5 per cent ABV (57.15 per cent ABV in the UK), and contain blends from at least two of Barbados, Jamaica, Guyana and Trinidad — all former colonies from where the Navy would have sourced its casks.
Spiced rum may historically have been the subject of derision for its addition of flavourings and sweeteners, but the tide is gradually turning as premium producers increasingly use natural and better-quality ingredients to infuse their spirits.
How to drink rum
There are plenty of sipping rums out there, designed to be supped straight up – or maybe with ice. These may be served in a tumbler, or in a snifter for swilling in your palm like brandy. Look for interesting types of ageing, such as the types of barrels used. How long was it aged for, and was a solera system involved? Famously used for sherry, this method involves passing the liquid through a set of differently aged barrels and allowing it time to rest in each, imbuing it with a more complex flavour.
Lighter rums mix well with citrus and tropical flavours, hence the ubiquitous mojito (white rum, lime, mint, sugar/syrup and soda water) or holiday favourites such as the daiquiri (hold the mint and soda from the mojito and serve in a swankier glass) and piña colada (add pineapple juice and coconut milk/cream).
Richer rums can be treated simply, as with the dark and stormy (mix with ginger beer and a wedge of lime), but don’t hold back with well-aged spirits – swap with whisky to make a smokier old fashioned or with gin to enliven your negroni.
How we test rum
We put over 60 white, dark and spiced rums to the test, asking a panel of spirits experts and consumers to score each tipple on its complexity, balance, length and finish.
These are the 28 bottles your bar cart deserves in 2024.
Callum is our Food and Drink Testing Manager and has been part of the world of professional catering for 10 years, from cheffing to food manufacturing. While working in manufacturing he specialised in bespoke product and menu development for several start-ups and well-known brands such as Wrap It Up! and HOP Vietnamese. He holds the WSET Level 2 in wine, a Level 3 in spirits and has a particular interest in agave spirits.
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