The best sipping rums to drink in 2024
When it comes to sipping spirits neat, the rum category truly stands out for its diversity and complexity. I’ve picked out a few of the best sipping rums, so grab your favourite glass, get comfy, and prepare to embark on a delicious journey.
From selecting and processing a raw material (in the case of rum, sugar cane or molasses) to distillation and maturation, there are various factors and methods for producers across the globe to consider when making their spirit that will influence the character of the final product. You can find silky, elegantly aged expressions, that offer the same kind of laid-back sipping you might expect from a Cognac or a well-aged grain whisky, and at the other end of the spectrum, there are hugely pungent, characterful offerings that can be as unique as mezcal, and as powerful as an Islay single malt.
If you want to get really stuck into all the hows and whys, I thoroughly recommend exploring our incredible Rum Guides, but if you’re here for some bottle tips, keep reading…
Here are the best sipping rums…
Mount Gay XO Triple Cask Blend Rum
This expression from Mount Gay in Barbados is made for sipping – it’s a blend of pot and column still rums, generously aged in three different types of cask. The influence of American whiskey, bourbon, and Cognac casks has resulted in a rich, characterful sipper, with plenty of cocoa and spice in the depths, and sweet, tangy molasses up front. Enjoy this neat, and if you’re going for a cube of ice, try freezing coconut water to serve with this rum instead (it’s incredible).
Foursquare 14 Year Old 2007 Barbados Rum – Kill Devil (Hunter Laing)
Staying in Barbados for a while longer, you can’t make a list of good sipping rums and not include one from Foursquare. Official distillery releases are super sought after and tend to fly immediately when they’re released – keep your eyes peeled, but thankfully in the meantime, there are plenty of independent bottlings out there, like this one from Hunter Laing. This expression showcases 2007 vintage pot still rum from Foursquare, matured for 14 years and bottled at cask strength, a hearty 60.9% for the Kill Devil collection. With layers of butterscotch and elegant, leathery oak char, hazelnuts, prunes, and woody notes of cassia, it’s a glorious rum to sip and savour.
Mezan Jamaica 2010 Rum
That takes us nicely on to another indie bottler, Mezan. I’d say independent rum bottlings are one of the best ways to explore rum from different producers and regions, and discover the different styles and characteristics on offer. Often bottled from single casks and small batches, these are just the sort of thing you’ll want to explore neat. Mezan offers a brilliant range of rums, and this 2010 vintage column distilled rum from Jamaica’s Monymusk distillery is packed with punchy tropical fruit and estery Jamaican funk having spent its years maturing in bourbon casks. Once you really get acquainted with the flavour, this one could really add its own unique character to tropical cocktails like a Mai Tai.
Diamond (Versailles Still) 14 Year Old (That Boutique-y Rum Company)
I’m on an indie bottler roll now, and the range from That Boutique-y Rum Company is packed with treasures to delight rum fiends across the land. There are some fascinating offerings, like this 14-year-old rum from Guyana’s Diamond distillery. It was produced on the famous Versailles still, which is made of wood. Wood!! Ponder that while you explore notes of juicy raisins, vanilla, sweet tobacco, and drying baking spice.
Dictador 22 Year Old 1998 Capitulo Uno Port Cask Rum
There are all sorts of sippers to explore in the Dictador range, but something like this 1998 vintage rum from the Colombian producer is certainly something you’d find me taking my sweet time over. Matured for 22 years in a Port cask, it’s taken on heaps of dark cherry and berry character, joined by tropical notes of banana and vanilla, drying, spicy oak, and rich, leathery tobacco.
Appleton Estate 15 Year Old Black River Casks Rum
Back to Jamaica, and its legendary Appleton Estate. Appleton’s rum boasts a signature sleek character, making all of its rum superbly sippable in my opinion. This 15-year-old is an opulent offering that certainly doesn’t need any mixing. A combo of both pot and column still rums, it’s superbly balanced, with sleek layers of sweet vanilla, chocolate raisins, tropical fruit, oaken spice and leathery tannins.
Ron Zacapa Centenario Sistema Solera 23 Rum
If you’re not already someone who regularly enjoys their spirits neat, you can still become one, and Ron Zacapa offers a welcoming introduction to rum sipping. Sumptuously sweet and smooth in texture the Guatemalan rum is aged in a solera system, in casks that previously held bourbon and Pedro Ximénez sherry. It’s packed with notes of candied nuts, chocolate, soft, dark brown sugar, and toasted oak, all rounded with a superbly gentle character.
I could keep adding to this list, it barely scrapes the surface of what’s out there, so there’s no time like the present to treat yourself to a bottle and begin your rum sipping adventures.
The post The best sipping rums to drink in 2024 appeared first on Master of Malt Blog.