It’s holiday time, and that means it’s time to light the tree, deck the halls, fire up the menorah... and also time to put lots of bottles of alcohol into gaily decorated gift bags to hand off to assorted loved ones, friends, business associates, doormen, and so on. But here’s a little secret — while you’re picking up bottles of Johnnie Walker Blue Label or Tanqueray or Veuve Cliquot or any of the usual gifty standbys, you can also pick up a bottle of delicious rum and — wait for it – take it home to drink yourself. What’s stopping you? And I don’t know about where you live, but here in New York City, a day of navigating around slow-walking tourists and harried, half-sprinting natives at holiday time calls for a little liquid reward.
Rum, even the fanciest of fancy bottles, isn’t necessarily the ideal gift. People think of it as sweet stuff, fit only for mixing into frozen daiquiris and the like. That implicit bias prevents a lot of folks from sitting down with good aged rums and really giving them a chance. If they did, they’d find they aren’t only not sweet, but they’re as complex and multi-layered as the finest whiskies or cognacs. But since you already know that, why not save the good stuff for yourself? And the best part is, since rum is so misunderstood, most of the really good ones, even rare bottles, can be had for a fraction of the cost of a rare bourbon or single malt. So you’ll be splurging on yourself without blowing up your bank account. Win-win!
Here are a few of my favorite rums that have hit store shelves in the last few months, all of which are worth your time. Some will be harder to find than others — and a couple will be all but impossible to track down. But I hope you’ll see that as a challenge rather than an impediment.
Foursquare Magisterium (58% ABV, $160). A few years ago it was the popular thing to call the Barbados-based Foursquare “the Pappy of rum” because of its hardcore fan base, and how quickly each release of its Exceptional Cask Series flew off the shelves. Things have since cooled down a bit — the rums are easier to find and, once they sell out, go for pretty reasonable sums on the secondary market. But serious rum fans are just as enamored of the brand and the man behind it, distiller/blender Richard Seale. The distillery’s name on the label is a veritable trademark of quality, whether it’s Foursquare’s own bottlings or its liquid sourced by other brands. Magisterium is the 26th in the ongoing Exceptional Cask series of somewhat goofily named rums. I haven’t tried them all, but if there’s a bad one in the bunch it’s escaped my attention. Magisterium is a blend of three 16-year-old rums, all distilled in a double-retort pot still and twin-column Coffey still, and then aged in a combination of Oloroso sherry casks and ex-bourbon barrels. I’m not the biggest fan of Oloroso-aged rums but this is a good one, with dark fruit and chocolate notes offset by a dry oakiness and a bit of spice. At 116 proof, it’s no shrinking violet, but it doesn’t require water for maximum enjoyment. A great rum to raise the eyebrows (and hopefully alter the mindset) of any whisky snob.
Planteray Mister Fogg Navy Rum (55.7% ABV; $40). Planteray’s founder, Alexandre Gabriel, has been one of the more controversial figures in rum since he founded the brand then known as Plantation around the turn of the millennium. But his love of the category and his thirst to uncover its history is undeniable. With rum historian Matt Pietrek as his guide, Gabriel did a deep dive into the history of Royal Navy rum — the ration, or “tot,” that British sailors were given daily up until 1970. Where was it sourced from? What was the aging process? How was it blended? What was the proof? Using the information they uncovered, Gabriel created a historically accurate naval rum that also happens to be quite appealing to landlubbers (along with a book detailing the history he and Pietrek had studied). Employing rums from Jamaica, Guyana, Trinidad and Barbados, Mister Fogg evokes a boozy fruitcake both on the nose and palate, with big notes of baking spices, dried fruit, molasses and dark chocolate — even a subtle hint of marzipan. It’ll warm you up for certain this winter, and you won’t even have to swab the deck or hoist the sails to get it.
Hampden Estate Great House 2024 (57% ABV, $130). The GOAT of Jamaican rum distilleries? That’s a tall order, but Hampden Estate is certainly in the running for greatest rum distillery you’ve (probably) never heard of. Operating since 1753, the estate’s pot-still rums were used exclusively in blends until 2018, when the world could finally sample its estate-aged rums unadulterated. The Great House series, launched in 2019, is an annual limited edition using different blends of the distillery’s eight marques, or recipes, of rum. 2024’s blend skews a little younger than usual, with the vast majority of it aged four years or less. But aging in Jamaica’s tropical heat makes things move quickly, and this is a terrific, fully mature rum. The nose is redolent of overripe banana, sweet apple, and a hint of tar; on the palate, sweet notes of pineapple, coconut and vanilla are met by a dry, peppery spice. The finish is lingering and warm, with notes of tobacco and dark chocolate. A fine introduction to Hampden if you haven’t tried it before, and a snazzy addition to the collection if you have.
Goslings Spirited Seas Ocean Aged, Vol. II (44% ABV, $60). Bermuda-based Goslings doesn’t make its own rum, but it’s age and blended on the island — and, with the new Spirited Seas series, off the island as well. Namely, at sea. Goslings’ aged stocks are blended and placed into second-fill bourbon barrels aboard a ship that travels weekly between Bermuda and New Jersey. Nine months and almost 60,000 nautical miles later, the rum has sloshed about plenty, making maximum contact with the oak, getting subjected to extremes of both heat and cold, and soaking in a bit of the ocean air as well. Vol. II has more of the oldest rums in the blend than Vol. I had, and to my taste buds it’s superior, with notes of berries, rich caramel, and molasses mingling with a dry, elegant spiciness. It’ll be interesting to see how this series evolves.
BRUGAL COLLECION VISIONARIA EDICION 02 (45% ABV, $100). The Dominican distillery, in operation since 1888, has been a mainstay on back bars for decades. But Brugal isn’t resting on its laurels. Maestra Jassil Villanueva Quintana (the first female maestro ronero in Dominican history) launched the Collecion Visionaria in 2023 with a rum aged in... <checks notes> French oak casks toasted with cacao beans. Say what? As far as I can figure, the beans were toasted along with the oak but didn’t make physical contact with the wood, letting them impart aromas and flavors to the barrel without overwhelming the rum aging therein. It was apparently a success, so for Edicion 02 they’ve gone and done the same aging process (the length of which is undisclosed), only this time the toasting was done with native-grown Arabica coffee beans. The toasted oak comes through on the nose, along with undertones of coffee. On the palate, again, there’s mocha for sure, but it doesn’t bonk you over the head the way a flavored rum would. It’s rich and warming on the palate, with lots of dried fruit and dark chocolate to go with the coffee and oak notes. Is this a gimmick? Sure, I suppose. Is it a wonderful rum? Oh, you betcha.
Ten To One Reserve Cask Collection (Jamaica/Barbados/Trinidad) (46% ABV, $200 each). Ten To One was founded by Starbucks VP-turned-rum blender Marc Farrell, who sources and blends rums from throughout the Caribbean, creating finished products that are greater than the sums of their parts. With the Reserve Cask Collection, however, Ten To One is focusing on the “one” with a trio of 18-year-old expressions, all sourced from a single distillery in a single country (the identities of which aren’t made public for legal reasons). They’re all at least partly aged in tropical climates, which speeds up the aging process. Surprisingly, none of them are excessively tannic; the Jamaican and Bajan expressions are as tasty as you’d expect, but my favorite was from Farrell’s native Trinidad, a vanilla-and-oak, sweet-and-spicy combination that’s elegant and supremely sippable. Only 325 of each one is available; if you get shut out, try their also-delish Five Origin Select, aged up to 15 years.
ROCKHOUSE 50th ANNIVERSARY RUM (45% ABV, $125). Rockhouse, a luxury hotel in Negril, Jamaica that’s celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, has paired with the venerable Worthy Park Estate to release this super-limited bottling. Worthy Park is an old/new distillery — its history of rum-making goes back to at least 1741, but the Worthy Park we know today is the result of a complete overhaul of the facility in 2004, after it had been shuttered for more than four decades. The current place is making some very nifty rums, and that includes this single-barrel offering, laid down in 2006. Aged in ex-bourbon barrels for 13 years and then transferred to cognac casks for another five years, it’s one of the oldest Worthy Parks ever bottled, and all of it literally comes from a single barrel (”single barrel” spirits all contain liquid from a single barrel in each bottle, but many different barrels are typically used in each batch), with a mere 187 bottles available. And this surefire collector’s item is a mere $125! What’s the catch? It’s only available at the Rockhouse. Which... elevates the price a bit if you don’t live up the road from the hotel. But hey, it’s a beautiful resort, part of the proceeds are going to the Rockhouse Foundation charity, and this is a truly lovely rum. The cognac influence really comes through on the palate, with elegant notes of dried fruit and French oak; the Jamaican influence is felt with flavors of brown sugar and light tropical fruit, with a dry, lightly smoky finish. It’s an elder statesman to be sure, but a most entertaining and obliging one. Meet me in Jamaica?
La Maison & Velier Flag Series: Fiji 2012 (64.5% ABV; $300) . The Flag Series was created by LM&V in 2021, bottling single casks of what they judged to be some of the finest rums on the planet. And since they’re one of the premier independent bottlers of rum on the planet, they know whereof they speak. I love Fijian rums, which are distilled at the Rum Co. of Fiji, the only major distillery on the island. The best ones have a very distinct flavor of burnt rubber... but it’s the most delicious burnt rubber you’ll ever taste. Bottled at a cask strength of 129 proof, completely unadulterated by any flavoring or coloring, this beauty was aged in Fiji for two years and then in Europe for another 10 in ex-bourbon barrels. It’s big, bright, a teensy bit hot but not nearly as much as it should be, given the high ABV. It’s very fruity — I get melon and pineapple in particular — with vanilla and lemony citrus present as well. And yes, it’s got that lip-smacking burnt rubber flavor. You’ve got to taste it to understand. And you’ve got to be lucky enough to find one of the 241 bottles produced to taste it. Happy hunting.
Holmes Cay Infinity (58% ABV, $1,500). Infinity bottles started off with brown spirits collectors blending the dregs of various bottles to stave off the oxidation that comes quicker when they’re nearly empty. The trend slowly gained momentum, and now infinity bottles can be found at the odd bar as well — even a few distilleries have gotten into the act. In this case, Holmes Cay, an independent bottler renowned for sourcing terrific rums from around the world, got its hands on a single cask filled in 2003 by a rum blending company in the UK, containing leftover rums from 13 distilleries in seven different countries. That cask was left to age for 20 years, by which time five of the distilleries had gone out of business. In 2023, the cask was opened and exactly 100 bottles of the blend, now aged 20-47 years, were bottled at a cask strength of 58% ABV. Infinity is mostly Guyanese rum but also contains, among others, rhum agricole from Guadeloupe; Jamaican pot still rum; and a touch of Trinidadian rum from the legendary and now-shuttered Caroni distillery. At $1,500 a bottle (which includes a hardcover book detailing the provenance of each rum in the blend), it’s about as expensive as a new rum gets. But it’s also a once-in-a-lifetime experience that, for obvious reasons, will never be repeated.
