As a brand, Banks is all about exploration. From its name, which comes from the 18th-century explorer and botanist Sir Joseph Banks, to its offering, which combines more than 20 rums of different ages from Trinidad, Jamaica, Guyana, Barbados, and Indonesia.

If you do nothing, you will be auto-enrolled in our premium digital monthly subscription plan and retain complete access for 65 € per month. Crafted in Guatemala, Ron Zacapa distills its rum at 2,300 meters above sea level in the highlands of Quetzaltenango to ensure a unique-tasting spirit. It’s a well-known brand that combines richness, quality, and mastery to create a range of delicious bottles. After either of these methods have taken place, the rum is blended and bottled or left to age. Rums that are aged in the Caribbean require less time to reach their peak due to the tropical heat and accelerated evaporation. Some brands finish their aging process in Cognac or wine casks for a unique flavor profile. Terminology: The terms to know when talking about rum XO: XO stands for “Extra Old” and refers to rum that’s been aged in barrels for at least six years. Our methodology to select and rank the best rum brands of the year To produce rum, sugarcane is burnt, harvested, and milled for around 24 hours to keep it fresh and prevent deterioration.

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Privateer keeps things simple in the best way possible. The brand disregards many practices favored by larger companies, like sweetening, flavoring, filtering, and spicing its rum, for favor of keeping honesty and purity at the forefront of its offerings. It firmly believes that this method of combining rums from different regions is a great way to offer a sophisticated and characterful rum and its bottles agree. The alternate method is to use the freshly fermented sugarcane juice, in a method called ‘rhum agricole’. These rums are commonly found on the French islands but are rare to find elsewhere. The sugarcane mixture is pressed to the point that all of the juice has been extracted before it’s fermented with water and yeast and then distilled.

Contrary to its name, Ron Zacapa 23 Year Centenario isn’t entirely aged for 23 years. It’s a bottle that combines rums aged for between six and 23 years. In the past, it won the award for “best rum in the world” for five years running. It’s a true work of art that’s wonderfully intricate, offering honeyed butterscotch and spiced fruit among many other subtle notes. Rhum agricole: A term used for rum that’s distilled in the French Caribbean islands from freshly squeezed sugar cane juice rather than molasses. It’s rare to find this sort of rum produced elsewhere in the world. Founded in 1749, Appleton Estate has spent centuries perfecting its distilling methods. It produces some of the most exceptional spirits in the world from its home in Jamaica, in the Nassau Valley. The unusual terrain of its home creates a spirit unlike any other, perfected using a combination of unique weather, soil, and geographic demarcation.

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Sip it neat or with one large ice cube to bring out other flavors of oak, vanilla, dried fruits, and a spicy touch of cinnamon and ginger. The long and smooth finish offers a hint of smoky marzipan. It’s an excellent all-rounder bottle for rum experts and novices alike, offering an adventure on the palate and plenty of complex aromas. Change the plan you will roll onto at any time during your trial by visiting the “Settings & Account” section. What happens at the end of my trial? Diplomatico aims to support its home country through its rum production by providing sustainable jobs and keeping the health of the environment at its core. The brand uses an ecological treatment process to transform residual water into fertilizer for its sugarcane.

Facundo offers a range of luxurious, high-end sipping rums that stand tall above many other brands. It’s a brand that appeals to those who have a palate for extra-aged spirits that tell a story.XA or “extra aged” offers an unparalleled blend of dark rums aged up to 23 years with a deep amber color. It combines some of the oldest, most coveted rums to produce an incredibly smooth and mellow bottle that’s perfect for sipping. Enjoy the tasting notes of chocolate, dark caramel, and toasted walnuts. It’s the best top-shelf rum on our list. Havana Club’s Primer Maestro Romero, Don José Navarro, describes the brand’s Añejo Blanco as “The whitest of all aged rums, the most aged of all white rums”. The Havana Club Añejo Blanco is distilled and aged in Puerto Rico for one year. Then, the aged rums are blended together and aged for another two months. This bottle is aged for up to 12 years and combines mostly sweet flavors like fruit cake, rum and raisin ice cream, cocoa, dried ginger, cinnamon, and clove. It’s a dark, golden rum that’s smooth and delicious. If you prefer to read about rum before opening the bottle, jump to our sections below to learn more about rum. You can find out more about the terminology you should know about rum and our selection process for drawing up the best rum brands of the year at the end of this article. 1. Ron Zacapa