America has a long and winding history with rum, from the colonial period to the present day. Of course, prohibition largely destroyed what was at the time was a booming rum industry — but in the last decade a number of top-quality distilleries have popped up. While Caribbean rums are still the gold standard, there are a number of small-batch distilleries based in the United States that any serious rum aficionado needs to check out. To mark the anniversary of America’s independence, we’ve offered our list of the best American rums currently on the market (in no particular order). And please note – while Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands produce great rum, for the purposes of this list we only considered the 50 states. Cheers!
Thomas Tew – Newport, Rhode Island
Thomas Tew which is made by the Newport Distilling Company, was founded in 2006. It’s made from black strap molasses and offers an all-American, brash, old-school flavour.
Cane and Abe – Madison, Wisconsin
This rum from Wisconsin is made from locally-grown dark brown cane sugar at the Old Sugar Distillery in downtown Madison. It’s got strong notes of oak.
Siesta Key Spiced Rum – Sarasota, Florida
Rum Journal named Siesta Key Rum our spiced rum of the year in 2012, meaning it wasn’t just the best American spiced rum — it was the best spiced rum period. And so it remains. (Siesta Key’s other varieties, including spiced and gold, are also excellent).
Dancing Pines Cask Rum – Loveland, Colorado
Dancing Pines makes three rums, including a light and a spiced variety, but the cask rum is our favourite. It’s made from cane molasses and distilled in charred oak barrels. It’s got strong notes of caramel, toffee and malt.
Sammy’s Beach Bar Rum – Maui, Hawaii
Made by Sammy Hagar, the legendary frontman of Van Halen, Sammy’s Beach Bar rum is actually a rhum agricole, meaning it’s distilled from sugar cane juice in the style of rums from Martinique. It’s fresh, it’s Hawaiian and it’s delicious.
Corsair Spiced Rum – Nashville, Tennessee
A very interesting rum, Corsair is made with a variety of citrus peels and vanilla beans and then aged for six months, offering a unique, unfiltered kind of flavour.
Ragged Mountain Rum – Great Barrington, MA
A very solid rum, Ragged Mountain has notes of whiskey, pepper, caramel and oak. Berkshire Mountain Distillers actually produces gin, vodka, bourbon and corn whiskey as well.
Koloa Kaua’i Dark – Kaua’i, Hawaii
As we’ve written before, Hawaii could be a big rum hub in the future, and it will if it keeps producing rums like the aforementioned Sammy’s and Koloa, a chocolatey rum from the island of Kaua’i.
Prichard’s Fine Aged Rum – Kelso, Tennessee
Tennessee is known for another fine spirit, but it’s quickly developing into a home for rum. One of the best is Prichard’s, which makes a range of rums, including a range of flavoured rums. But the Fine Aged Rum is the best of the bunch.
Owney’s NYC Rum – Brooklyn, NY
Owney’s, born in the summer of 2012 is a white rum, and it’s named after Owen Maddon, a notoroius rum runner in New York City in the early 20th century. It’s exceptionally powerful, but it is a perfect American alternative to Bacardi in a rum and coke. Hopefully there will be more to come from this upstart distillery.