Here at Rum Journal, we like to think that every day is National Rum Day. But Aug. 16 actually is National Rum Day in the United States, a day meant to celebrate the glory of rum, the Caribbean’s tastiest export.
So we’ve put together a handy list of six rums we think you should try right now, a mix of styles, origins and flavors that will help you celebrate the day in style. All of these rums can be purchased in the United States.
Rhum JM’s distillery in Macouba, Martinique
Rhum JM XO, Martinique
If you haven’t introduced yourself to the world of the French Caribbean’s rhum agricole, it’s time to try it. These magnificent rums, which are produced by distilling fresh sugar cane juice rather than molasses, are some of the greatest rums on earth, with a totally different set of flavor notes from the rum you’re used to and a cognac-like personality. Rhum JM, produced at an exceptional distillery in the Macouba area of Martinique, is one of the island’s most legendary rums, and the XO is one of its standard bearers, with rum aged for at least six years in bourbon barrels (indeed, they even char their own barrels).
Mount Gay 1703, Barbados
This was the big winner in last year’s Rum Awards, taking home the crown as the global Rum of the Year. The 1703, which was recently rebranded as Mount Gay 1703 Master Select, is Mount Gay’s halo rum, with a clean but robust taste and a remarkable delicateness.
Foursquare Rum Distillery Port Cask Finish, Barbados
Mount Gay may be the most famous rum brand from Barbados, but it’s far from the island’s only distillery. Indeed, the Foursquare Rum Distillery, which produces a host of eponymous and private-label rums, has quietly been gathering a significant following in the rum world in recent years, thanks to its emphasis on authenticity and purity. Its Port Cask Finish is a unique rum that spends a total of nine years in a combination of bourbon and then former port wine casks, making for a light but complex expression.
Afrohead Rum, Trinidad
This increasingly popular rum was born as a house rum at a hotel on Harbour Island, but expert blender Toby Tyler has created a rum aimed at whisky lovers, with a unique dry finish married with the classic floral and vanilla sweetness of Trinidadian rum. There are two blends; the Briland seven-year and the XO 15-year, both of which are eminently sippable.
Rhum Clement Canne Bleue, Martinique
Most white rums are, well, not good. It’s something we’ve long bemoaned in the pages of Rum Journal. But that’s not the case for rhum agricole. Because these floral, vegetal varieties are something else entirely — they’re white rum with a terroir. Because you’re making rum from sugar cane juice, not molasses, you can taste the sugar cane — and where it’s grown actually matters, with a slightly different taste each year depending on the harvest. Among our favorite rhums blancs is the blue-cane expression by Martinique’s Rhum Clement, which is distilled using the juice pressed from the rarer “blue” sugar cane variety. While it’s perfect in a ti’ punch, the French Caribbean’s classic cocktail, it can, unlike the vast majority of white rums in the world, be enjoyed neat.
Papa’s Pilar Rum, Caribbean and Central America
This rum’s success comes from blending, thanks to a special mix of rums (some as old as 24 years) from Florida, Central America and the Caribbean, with a mix of aging in port casks and bourbon barrels before a brief finishing in sherry casks (the company recently launched its own distillery in Key West, the distillate of which will soon find its way into the blend). This is a delicious, decidedly drinkable rum, which has been converting a number of bourbon and whisky drinkers into rum lovers — thereby making a significant contribution the rum market. The Hemingway connection — it’s named for the novelist and adventurer’s boat, the Pilar (and owned in part by the Hemingway family, which donates its profits to conservation charities) — doesn’t hurt, either.