For many drinkers , rummy can be an reconsideration : a piffling rise to turn a glass of juice into a prissy mai tai and help oneself you justify sitting in a thatched bar listen to Jimmy Buffett . The truth is , though , that rummy can be as satisfying on its own as a glass of whisky . You just have to pick out wisely .
Like all liquors , rum is a smell distilled from sugar . Like most modern liquors , rummy has a smattering of characteristic that make it rum . But within those parameter , there are variations ranging from brightness level to iniquity to amber to spiced . Point is , rum ’s complicated .
Almost every highly-developed nation in the world ( and many developing nations ) have at least one rummy recording label churning out bottles of the not - of necessity - expert stuff . But if you ’re the sort who drinks rum even when it ’s not let the cat out of the bag Like a Pirate Day , you need to be more discerning . That ’s why we consulted Blair Reynolds – possessor of fabled Portland Tiki barHale Pele– and writer / beer maker Christopher Jennings to enter out the best ports of call when it amount to the world ’s best rum .
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Barbados
Barbados is the nominal birthplace of rum , and also Rhianna , which is maybe why so many rummy drinks have umbrella in them . Though some other placement claim this title , Barbados is the first office where rummy purchase was read and it was a key blockage on the famed “ Triangle Trade ” route so significant to the economical wellness of the New World . They apply a portmanteau of tummy and column stills , and use local molasses .
Barbados rums are aged in whisky and bourbon casks . This is n’t strange , but most Barbados rum makers apply the wood to advantage , producing a rum with woody look of coconut and banana tree . It ’s nifty in cocktails , provided you work with the flavors rather of sweep over them .
Best bottles:96 Cockspur Old Gold , Real McCoy
Andy Kryza/Thrillist
The Philippines
You do n’t always think of the Philippines when you think of rummy , but the island has all the required sugar crops , molasses production , nautical tradition , and less - mouth-watering element that made the Caribbean what it is , so why the Scheol not ? Though it ’s probably some kind of rum existed in the beginning , rummy production here went big when the Spaniards start up it up during the 19th century .
Solid ashen and golden rum made in column stills are what you ’ll get in a Filipino rummy . Most are blended to provide an almost wine - like smoothness with a silky mouthfeel . Good for not bad or sway treatment , or with a swooning cocktail like a caiporena .
Oh , and Filipino rummy is the best - selling rummy in the world , ever since Tanduay rum overtake the market place back in 2013 .
Andy Kryza/Thrillist
unspoiled bottle : Tanduay Superior 12 days , Don Papa
Guyana
A lilliputian coastal nation on the N remnant of the part of South America that fits into Africa the way your girlfriend ’s buttocks go into your crotch when you smooch , Guyana has only one celebrated drink . ( The less said about a Guayanan Kool - help the unspoiled . ) However , Guyanan rums have long enjoyed a square repute among those who know about rum .
Guyana ’s rum are smoky and flavorful with note of vanilla extract , honey , and baking spiciness . They tend to be thicker than other rummy , for a syrupy back talk and glossa feel . Most are distil in wooden coffey and pot stills .
Best bottleful : El Dorado 12 year , El Dorado
Flickr/Steve Bennett
Cuba
Until late , it ’s been toilsome to get a Cuban rum , but the lifting of sanction by Obama mean they ’ll probably be available bulge this yr . Before what we ’ll call the Big Pissing Contest , Cuban rums were popular throughout the United States . Their proceeds might be the bounteous thing in intoxicant legalization since Repeal Day .
Cuban rums are a Spanish - style look – clear , drying agent , and with a high proof . This mean a crisper mouth - spirit and light flavors ( often of beloved or citrus pelt ) . They ’re a legato beverage best enjoyed neat or over a single clod of methamphetamine .
merriment fact : Cuban rum has been formalized since a royal decree in 1539 , which standardize production and build a rummy brand before branding was a give-and-take people used .
Joel Berg/Shutterstock
good bottles : Ron Palma Mulata , Santiago de Cuba Extra Anejo
Jamaica
You cerebrate of rummy mixers like Mai Tais when you think Jamaica and rummy , but you ’d be thinking wrong . Jamaica rums are famed for their “ hogo ” : a ill-scented , sulfurous odor and nip that reminds more than one taster of petrol , but in a honorable room . If you wish that slight formaldehyde aftertaste in Jamaican beer , you ’re already a fan of hogo .
Jamaican distilleries get their hogo visibility by maintaining a refinement of “ dunder , ” a preserve yeast that continues to arise and mutate much like a sourdough mountain and carry notes of late batches into novel brews .
ripe bottles:95 Smith & Cross Traditional , 98 Appleton Estate 21 yr
Flickr/Karen
Haiti and Martinique
Both of these island nations have had mass of eldritch history for the good and the spoilt , and both farm a style of rummy similar to one another , but unlike rums made anywhere else in the existence .
Haitian and Martinique rummy practice a charentaise distillment method – the same sort used in producing Cognac . A charentaise is a two - stage distillation method , mean the first batch of distilled spirits is put back through the system to be distilled a second time . The rummy is then aged in Limosin oak tree , which gives it more tannin and spice than other oak tree potpourri . The end resultant role is acidic , with spicy notes of powdered ginger and pepper on top of the dearest finish .
in force bottles : St. James Fleur de Canne , Rhum Barbancourt
Flickr/Steve Bennett
India
There ’s a good chance the first feel distil from cane sugar was made in India , sometime between 0CE and 500CE . Despite not being precisely world - famous for its rummy , India is the biggest consumer of rum in the world , both in terms of rummy drunk per head and in damage of most rum drunk each year .
Indian rums are molasses distilled , and disconsolate . They tend to have a cherubic nozzle and taste , with a thicker sassing find even than other dark rums . Some reviewer recommend it as a before - dinner party sipper , like Sherry .
It ’s also something of a currency : soldier in the Indian US Army still receive a “ ration ” or rum each week as part of their salary .
Flickr/Alan Levine
Best feeding bottle : Old Monk 12 Year , Khukri XXX
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Jason Brick is a voracious reader , expansive drinker , and awesome dad ( not necessarily in that social club of importance ) . When not testing the theoretic limits of awe-inspiring , he practices warriorlike arts so he can quiver people up for teasing him about how much he likes playing Dungeons & Dragons . Find out more atbrickcommajason.com .
