Photographed by Janelle Jones/Styled by Miako Katoh
For years, spirits enthusiasts have hoped that rum finally might have its whiskey moment and achieve the same runaway popularity as bourbon and Scotch. That hasn’t happened. And yet, neither legacy distilleries nor upstart brands have been deterred. Lately, there have been more fantastic new blends and single-cask expressions released than we’ve seen in a long time. So while we wait for these bottles to get their turn in the spotlight, one thing is certain: You have a better chance of scoring one of these limited editions than you do the next allocation of Buffalo Trace. Here, the most exciting—and more importantly, the most delicious—rums we’ve tried in recent memory.
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Appleton Estate Hearts Collection 1998
Image Credit: Appleton Estate The annual vintage releases from Jamaica’s Appleton Estate each highlight a specific year of production. The latest is a 25-year-old pot-still style by master blender Joy Spence in partnership with rum expert Luca Gargano. It’s a heady spirit at 126 proof, but rich notes of orange, ginger, espresso, banana, and dark chocolate shine through with every sip.
Buy Now: $600
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Ten to One Triple Cask Reserve Federation Blend No. 1
Image Credit: Ten To One Rum Since it was founded in 2019, Ten to One has made a big impact with its excellent white- and dark-rum blends. Its first Federation bottling is an 18-year-old blend of pot- and column-distilled rum from Barbados, Jamaica, and Trinidad aged in ex-bourbon and used rum casks. It’s a delicate sipper with notes of tropical fruit, caramel, and chocolate and a touch of spice on the finish.
Buy Now: $199
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Planteray Jamaica 1984 Rum
Image Credit: Planteray This release is the oldest to date from Planteray (formerly known as Plantation). The 40-year-old single- barrel expression spent its first 35 years maturing in Jamaica before master blender Alexandre Gabriel shipped it by sea to France and finished it in an ex-Cognac cask. It’s surprisingly bright, considering its advanced age and proof, with notes of burnt orange, sour fruit, crème brûlée, and oaky tannins.
Buy Now: $2,000
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Brugal Colección Visionaria Edición 02
This new rum, the second in the series, is so singular in process and flavor that it might surprise even the most avowed whiskey fans. Brugal uses what it calls aromatic cask toasting for this collection; in this case, that meant finishing the rum in barrels toasted with Arabica-coffee beans. The resulting liquid picked up notes of toasted almonds, milk chocolate, black pepper, and cinnamon during its time in its secondary cask yet still retains its tropical-fruit character.
Buy Now: $99
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Holmes Cay Infinity
Image Credit: Holmes Cay This independent bottler has released some truly fantastic single-cask expressions and blends over the past few years. Its Infinity release uses rums ranging in age from 20 to 47 years old sourced from 13 distilleries in seven countries. After initial maturation, the components were combined in a single cask and aged for another two decades to reveal notes of vanilla, spice, and leather, resulting in a true collector’s item for rum connoisseurs.
Buy Now: $1,800
