Although I'm not really a fan of Bacardi as a brand, I will say that Bacardi Black is quite possibly the best budget black/dark rum on the market - vastly underrated IMO and lately has been my go-to black rum for cocktails as it is such a cost saver. Also, it's one of the few rums I've seen that's available in a 1.75L bottle.
Appleton estate white, signature, 8 and 12(I can get 12 for $39 in my area) are always my go to. Perfect for getting into Jamaican rums and on your way to funk town. Rum fire, W&N, The Funk and Smith & Cross are beautiful when you want to really dive deeper.
Plantation 5 year is probably the best bottle of anything that I own. Fantastic value, absolutely delicious, and not too challenging for anyone new to rum. I’m a neat sipper above everything, and this is the perfect spirit for that.
Thank you for this. I saw your video on how spice rum isn't true rum and it blew my mind. I never knew that it wasn't. So I'm interested in trying that real stuff but on a budget to keep in my bar to share with guests at my house.
Fantastic video! This is something I've been struggling with--going from the mixing rums to the sipping rums. I actually really love Don Q, especially Don Q Cristal. I find it much smoother and tastier than other similar brands.
Mount Gay I would suggest, for absolute beginners, Eclipse I think is the name, black barrel possibly bordering on the price limit. Eclipse for me you can go to from only ever drinking spiced with little trouble.
I was at an all inclusive resort in Mexico, ordered a rum and Coke that tastes totally different. I had to ask the bartender what kind of rum they used: Appleton White (now rebranded to Kingston 62). Next for me was Flor de Caña 5 in a homemade Painkiller and Flor de Caña 4 in a homemade daiquiri. More recently Clement Blanc was my intro to Martinique/Agricole style rum, El Dorado 8 was my intro to demarara, and Doorly’s 8 was my intro to Barbados rum. I think getting into tiki drinks and making my way through Smuggler’s Cove is what has taken me much further down the rabbit hole!
Havana 3 is my go-to workhorse rum. It's light and bright, does really well in cocktails and is substantially cheaper than most other entry level rums in my country (Poland)
After going down the spiced rum route, i have quite quickly decided that the majority are to sweet for me. I have now got a few bottles and much prefer a 5 year old for either sipping or mixing if i fancy a longer drink. A few comparisons i have made i prefer Ron Santiago 8 to Havana 7. Doorly's 5 is very nice.
Been drinking a lot of Brewdog and Dark Matter recently, I drink my rums new, and I personally find these to be very decent 👌 (probably says a lot about me!) But now looking out for Chairman's Reserve 👍
In my region, Appleton and Plantation are best ones available under $25. Sure there are a few other brands like Cruzan but haven't tried them or heard RU-vidrs mention it.
I´m fairly new to rum. I love my spiced rum like Captain Morgan Spiced Gold and Dark Rum in a Coke, but a while back, I bought a Flor de Caña 12, a Plantation Grande Reserve, a Barracuda Gran Reserva, a Havana Club Anejõ Especial and a Bacardi Carta Blanc. Just to get some variety. The Plantation is great neat, but for the rest of them I struggle. The Bacardi is just terrible. I don’t even mix it with Coke. For the rest of them, there is a long lingering aftertaste that I just don’t appreciate. Not sure what it is. Maybe from the wood? I have never found the same in Whisky, Brandy or Aquavit, But I don’t find the same in my spiced rums or in the Plantation. Should I just stick with Plantation? I hesitate buying another bottle of something else in case I get that strange aftertaste…
For me Doorly's > Mount Gay > Plantation. I love your Chairman's Reserve pick, but I would rather have seen El Dorado in place of Flor De Cana. I totally accept that you can't leave Bacardi out. So my 4 would be El Dorado, Doorly's, Chairman's Reserve, Bacardi. (and of course we're both guilty of leaving out Rhum Agricoles!)
I am getting into Cane Juice...but i really still do think thats a step too far for basic entry. May be wrong though. The Clement Ambre is fantastic for the £££. Its just the Whites won't be to many newbs palates.
Yeah...there's a reason they're a massive brand. They sell great Rum. I totally appreciate that. Only an absolute Muppet would class Havana as "Not Great". But thats the beauty...we all like different things! Havana SDM is superb though!
@StevetheBarmanUK I'm asking myself if you ever have tried the A.H. Riise Collection - especally something like the Kong Haakon or the Christmas Edition which both come around 40€. I know they can't be longer called as "Rum" as they have added sugar - but in my Opinion they are some of the best rums I ever tasted. Also I want to stand out, that the Apple signature is my go-to for rum and coke
They’re not a thing that I know of here in the UK. I have heard of them, but never seen them. But from what I hear, quite sweet?! But obvs can’t comment myself.
Sir i have a very serious question. If you where to make a rum ham (a ham that has been injected and soaked in rum) what would be your rum of choice? Preferably a rum that would taste good soaked into ham. My friends and I are going to make an actual rum ham for New Years, but we wanna see if we can actually make it semi-decent lol
I’d actually go more towards a Spiced Rum if I’m honest. And probably one with a decent Orange notes. That or something crazy like a Pineapple Rum. Plantation Stiggins Fancy would be epic with Ham.
I've tried a few rum brands. Plantation's Original Dark may be the tastiest rum I've ever had, and that's not even considering that I can get it for 20 DOLLARS.
My first ever bottle was an Eldorado 15y old. And it was way to much for me to handle. But my aboslute favourite that got me into to sipping rum was "Come hell or highwater XO" not to complex and god damn delicious
Eldorado..is the BEST and it's like a intoxicating perfume when I crack open the bottle..I can't resist dabbing some behind my ear..such a nice smooth drink.
So..as a whiskey drinker the price talks on these videos gives me a bit of a chuckle. That said..i am very much a novice in the rum category so these videos are helpful but the "cheapest that's still ok" isn't exactly what im looking for personally.
How do you know it’s not what you’re looking for?! Many many people come into any category with that attitude. And yet, Blind Tastings always level the playing field. Judge a Rum on how it Tastes, not by the Label, Bottle shape or Price. Many experienced Rum and Whiskey Drinkers have been fooled by a £25/$30 bottle! It’s absolutely fine to like what you like. But you can’t dislike anything until you try it 😉
@Steve the Barman please don't misunderstand..I'm not discounting lower priced "budget friendly" options. I'm simply saying that it being low price isn't a necessity. I don't want to pass over and/or exclude something that truly is a better option just because it cost a little more. To put this into more perspective I have (American) several $100-$150 bottles...there are more than a couple $60 bottles that are much better options. I understand that more expensive doesn't mean better product in this adventure.
Ha. I hear ya, but impossible to do as there’s only one real brand that disclose all that, and that’s Plantation. They hide nothing. Alls I can say is most “Single Cask Releases at Cask Strength” will be undosed and uncoloured. But most brands will add colour for regular releases, simply cos of consistency. It’s no different to Whisk(e)y world.
Not necessarily. It does depend on what Cocktails you want to make. Like if you only drink Daqs, Mojitos and Pina Coladas, you have no need for Dark or Gold Rums. Just White. BUT, if you go down a rabbit hole, you'll soon realise that even 2 different 5 year Rums can give you very different finishes to a Cocktail. Like a Guyana 5yo, a Jamaican 5yo, a Barbados 5yo and a Dominican 5yo...use them in for example a Hurricane...and you'll end up with 4 very different Hurricanes. So its not really about White, Gold and Dark...its about finding your favvy styles of Rum that make your favvy Cocktails taste better. Essentially, they all taste very different. Like Wine Grapes...
Yes, but should be more funky. Smith&cross should also be funkier. One that isnt very funky and easily available is plantation xaymaca. It comes from high ester marks but is diluted with water at 40%.
As the others have said...it depends. Do you want Funk or not?! for many, Hampden will be waaaay too far. For others, they'll love it. If you're unsure about Funk, i would agree with Xaymaca...but also IMO probably Worthy Park tops all of them. At the moment, I'm enjoying Worthy a lot more than Appleton. (PS...Hampden is waay too much for me. Appreciate the Rum, but i don't want that Funk in my face. Banana...great. Mouldy, high Ester, over Ripe Banana...nah.)
We dont have that one here, got the Grand Reserve instead and while ok, isnt anything special, for me atleast. I can get the FDC 7 for the same price and i always buy that instead on our lousy selection.
STEVE!!! This was a great video!!! I'm going with Plantation because they have a wide range of rums to choose from. The 3 stars is such a good starting point!! CHEERS!!!
Watch the video again... I'm talking about Brands. And I think you'll find that MG didn't feature in my top recommendations. And the point you miss which i say in most videos, I try to guide people...NOT put people off. Mount Gay E and MG BB are nowhere even close to being my favourite Rums. In fact both wouldn't be restocks. BUT. Only a fool could deny they are one of the best Brands in the world. Just because I don't like them, doesn't make them poor Rums. Same premise as the Havana in this video. And i think I actually mention Doorlys too if I'm not mistaken!
