See full version: The 11 Best Rums Under $50 For Sipping
And so we get to the budget sipping rum. Yes, it’s a thing. Or it should be a thing. Considering how eagerly we knock back shots of Jameson, it’s surprising that rum has to be relegated to mix-or-sip, with nothing really in between. But what happens when you have more than $11 but less than $40 in your pocket? Is there a decent rum you can buy that might be good for mixing, yes, but sipping, too?
Almost $30, but still a bit of a steal, and not just because it’s “single barrel.” In case you’re wondering, we put that in quotes because, like most rums, this rum is actually a blend of multiple rums aged in multiple barrels. Except here, what’s bottled is blended and aged and taken from a single barrel. Smooth and slicked through with notes of vanilla ice cream, delicate smoke, and a bit of fudgy fruitiness. here
The answer, yes, it just takes a little searching. Not to mention getting to know your own undiscovered rum palate. This is a sweeter spirit, an easy leap for bourbon lovers who might need a brief summer vacation from America’s native whiskey, and whether it’s made with molasses or sugar cane juice (in which case it’s called “rhum agricole”), it tends to showcase baseline caramel spectrum notes, with hints of spice, fruit, and varying levels of oak, chocolate, vanilla, citrus, etc. Plus, yeah, that hit of boozy heat that will be more or less integrated (and ice can always help with that). Not to mention the option to simply pour some rum into a glass is extra welcome as temps rise and the desire to move purposefully falls precipitously. here
This honey-hued rum contains a blend of five- to 12-year-old St. Croix rums, which age in oak casks before losing some color through charcoal filtration. It’s a complex blend that sees pineapple husk and grassy aromas followed by a pepper-spiced palate and contemplative finish. Average price: $23.
This Barbadian rum benefits from a gentle swirling to open it up. After a minute or so, candied tropical fruits emerge from a haze of charred oak. The rum drinks smooth and packs a punch of vanilla and sweet baking spice flavors. You can sip this, but we prefer it mixed in an Old Fashioned. Average price: $24.
The second-oldest expression from Flor de Caña, the extra years in barrel have added dried banana peel, tobacco, and old oak aromas, and a well-integrated tannic texture to the palate. The finish is spiced with a distinct cedar note. A perfect gift for your favorite Scotch-drinking relative. Average price: $50 [links]
Produced and bottled at the legendary Foursquare Distillery in Barbados, this charcoal-filtered aged white rum shows marzipan and molasses on the nose, and a vanilla-rich creamy palate. The sweet notes are balanced by a black pepper spice, though we do recommend holding back on the simple syrup when mixing in a Daiquiri. Average price: $21.
Average Price: $26 here
Bottom Line: more
This rum is a blend of Caribbean rums that were aged for varying years in ex-bourbon barrels. The blend is specifically designed to be mixed but can work as a sipper. Really though, this is known as the base ingredient in a Dark ‘n Stormy and that’s really the best use for it. more
Venezuela’s Diplomatico is one of the best rum houses on the planet. Their antique stills, high-altitude Amazonia aging, and masterful blending prowess make for great expressions. Mantuano is a blend of rums made on all three of their antique stills that are aged in ex-bourbon and ex-single malt barrels for eight years.
This is a bit thin on the nose with a hint towards vanilla, dark chocolate, and wet old wood. The taste has a slightly buttered toffee feel with some kind of fruit … maybe apple? The end is, again, thin and a little dry on the tongue. more
This is a fascinating sip. The nose opens with a sense of bananas next to rich plums and pods of vanilla. The sip carries touches of orange zest next to cardamon, cloves, and allspice while the sweetness stays hinged to the plummy fruits. Those Christmas spices and oak marry on the end as a billow of smoke brings about a concise final note.
ABV: 43%
Origin: Bridgetown, Barbados
Average Price: $29.99 [links]
Mount Gay, the oldest rum distillery in the world, has created a unique and very new expression of rum with their Black Barrel rum. The rum is distilled in double pot and column stills and then aged in ex-bourbon barrels. Finally, the rum is blended and then finished in heavily-charred ex-bourbon barrels, hence the “Black Barrel” moniker. [links]
Cruzan’s 9 Spiced Rum is an aged rum that uses, as the name suggests, nine different spices to create a floral bouquet on the nose and a complex palate. These spices include allspice, vanilla, pepper, ginger, mace, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon and juniper berry. Try this one in your favorite tropical drink, or use it in a Hot Toddy during the colder months.
Eclipse is the lightest and youngest rum (at 2 years old) from esteemed Barbados distillery Mount Gay, but it has a strong, deep flavor and delivers on quality and value. Vanilla, caramel and banana notes pop with each sip, but this is primarily a mixing rum and provides the right balance of spice and sweetness to complement any cocktail, classic or new-school. [links]
Jamaica makes some of the best rums out there, known for having earthy and funky notes on the palate that intertwine with tropical fruit flavors and sweetness. The core expression from Appleton Estate is inexpensive and delicious, a blend of rums from column and pot stills that’s aged for an average of four years. This should be your go-to rum for making cocktails. [links]