I love a good rum. I made the switch while at University away from beer and never looked back. Especially after a personal tour of the Takamaka Bay distillery in the Seychelles where I learnt a lot more about what goes into various types of rum, how to drink it, and what to look for. Gone are the days of a Bacardi and coke, or a Captain Morgan's Spiced with lemonade. Oh no, bring on the good stuff!
So, here's all 63 of my rum history:
Rum
Rating
Tobacco Ron Miel
Oh boy, such a delicious rum liqueur. Sweet honey with just enough rum aftertaste to remind you that you aren't drinking pure honey. Great on a warm summer evening
Spain
Ron Abuelo 15y Tawny Port
Lovely smell out the bottle. Delicate first sip that leaves a punch to warm the throat. A sweet note, but not too much - just enough from the tawny cask.
Panama
Takamaka Bay Coconut
Wonderful, light, real coconut taste, Seychellians drink it with a solitary ice cube. Probably the memories of a Seychelles Honeymoon help the rating!
Seychelles
Mark & Diggers Hazelnut Rum
Oh boy, what a smell - I'm not a fan of hazelnuts themselves, but this smelt amazing. Nice and sweet, and so refreshing. Despite it being 40% it's light like a liqueur. Excellent as a summer sipper!
United States of America
Ron Zacapa Centenario Edición Negra
Oh wow, so smooth. Delicious all the way down. It's lovely and dark. Hopefully it's a limited edition that long continues!
Guatemala
Don Papa Masskara
A bit sweet, but not overly so. A nice warming drink to enjoy while playing games. A touch fruity but it treads the line of whether it's real or chemical. Either way, skol!
Philippines
Sticky Toffee Rum Liqueur
So smooth, so sticky, so toffee, and so rum! I have a feeling it's too much of a liqueur to be a proper rum, but that won't stop me taking a sip on a warm summer's eve.
United Kingdom
Wood Stork
Warm spiced tipple. Probably the review is aided by the memories of Black Forest holidays. Easy to drink, and fine with an ice cube on a warm summer's eve.
Germany
Black Tears
Nice and smooth. Slight hint of caramel. Very aromatic even if there is a bit of coffee in there somewhere. Lovely spiced drink.
Cuba
Shack Red Spiced
A lovely warming spice that smells delicious. Not sure how so many countries for involved in making it, but they seem to have got it right.
Barbados
Guatemala
Haiti
Trinidad and Tobago
Compañero Ron Elixir Orange
A very strong taste or orange, but it fits the rum quite well. Not too strong a rum, probably toned down by the orange tones. An ice cube might be useful to take away a small amount of sting, and to go with the summer feel of the sip.
Trinidad and Tobago
Curaçao Rum Raisin Liquer
Lovely and sweet, and not an artificial taste. A good dollop of orange peel to add some flavour and it's a very nice evening digestive. Can definitely relate it to the ice cream flavour, all that's missing is some cold vanilla! After a while, the 25% feels much stronger, so I have to mark it down a tad.
Curaçao
Old Man Rum Project One
Nice sweet vanilla aroma that has a hint of whiskey barrel about it. Not so strong and a very pleasant drink with just the right balance between sweet and smokey
Caribbean
Santa's Spiced Rum
Star Anise, Cinnamon, a delightful Christmas tipple that pairs excellently with a warm mince pie and a raw carrot. At least, that's what Santa tells me...
Germany
Khukri XXX
Nice and smooth and perfect after a curry. Slightly spiced, but with what? Himalayan glacier water, that's what.
Nepal
Dead Man's Fingers Cherry
A sweet tipple that doesn't do much in the way of cherry. Something nice is in there though as it tickles down the back of the throat.
United Kingdom
Discarded Banana Peel
An overwhelming aroma of bananas (to be expected), but not much banana to taste. Smooth and warming, it seems to hold its own - there's no hint of chemical fruit flavouring, and it stays warm in the belly.
United Kingdom
Rumbullion!
Tangy sip, with an aroma of orange (or some citrus-ness) and maybe some other nice spices. I cannot help but shout it's name with the exclamation point! Certainly does earn the punctuation mark. Delicious!
Guyana
Dead Man's Fingers
Vanilla, Cinnamon, Orange, oh my. Lovely little tipple from Cornwall. Wonderfully spiced, and an excellent little tipple. And bonus points for the name!
United Kingdom
Cocal
Honey liqueur so it's sweet, but not too much and just right on a warm summer's eve. Not as good as other honey rums from the islands, but definitely a solid drink.
Canary Islands
Smuggler's Cove
Delightful smell. Tastes like they've even managed to squeeze some maple syrup into it for a truly patriotic sip (although it's probably molasses or caramel of some kind and I'm just think of maple syrup because it's Canadian). Warming, but not too strong so I'll be drinking it again on a sunny patio.
Canada
Bacardi Caribbean Spiced
A lovely mix of spices that goes well with an ice cube on a summer's day, or on its own when it's a bit colder. Could be a good cocktail base, but it more than holds it's own as a sipper.
Puerto Rico
Xmas Pud Rum Liqueur
Does the job of feeling like Christmas - nice and warm, and makes me crave a mince pie! Shame it's only acceptable at Christmas. But great that it's from near my hometown!
United Kingdom
Guajiro
Nice honey taste, something the Canaries do well. Warming taste, and it sticks on your lips well. It gives me a puzzler now for which honey rum to order on my next trip to the isles...
Canary Islands
Captain Cook's Spiced Black
Lovely sip with an ice cube. Not too heavy, and far better than other captains are neat. Very nice aroma too so quality drink from start to finish - doubly so when I find it's Lidl's own brand rum...
Germany
Maman Brigitte
A nice blended rum that probably shouldn't work given the different ages of rums, but it works well. A nice sip that doesn't need an ice cube
Barbados
Jamaica
Dominican Republic
Olivers Maximo
Nice aroma of burnt caramel, followed by very nice dark rum. Ever so slightly smokey.
Dominican Republic
Rum Magec PX
Nothing special about the aroma, but a nice little rum with a hint of caramel in there somewhere. Quite pleasant and maybe worth another shot in the future.
Spain
Dictador 12 year
An excellent starter rum, with a smooth soft oak taste. Warming and tingling on the lips, it is a pleasant balanced flavour. Nice amber colour, and a drop of ice does nothing to water it down as the flavours still hold.
Colombia
New Groove 8 year
Doesn't taste as pungent as other 8 year olds I've had. A pleasant aroma, and nothing too harsh as it goes down, so a very good tipple. Probably similar to others in my cupboard, but it's certainly looking good for Indian Ocean islands
Mauritius
Belingo Honey Rum
The all-inclusive tier of honey rums that found itself in front of me on multiple occasions in Fuerteventura. Nice and sweet, but I fear my original opinions are going to be inflated by the 'holiday vibe' so I'll drop it down a bit to avoid any potential nostalgia points.
Caribbean
Pusser's Gunpowder Proof
Don't be put off by the 54.5% strength, once you are passed the shock it's fairly pleasant to sip. But it does start to catch up with you.
British Virgin Islands
Groom D'or
A first Luxembourgish rum for the cupboard. I'm not a fan of golden rums, but this one isn't too bad. A sweet taste and not as strong as other golden rums. Tipp topp!
Luxembourg
Gun's Bell
A nice vanilla base of a sipping rum that is a pleasant mix of spices. A bit of coconut, a bit of cinnamon maybe? Better with an ice cube. It borders just the right side of a gold rum.
Caribbean
Millonario 15 year
A touch of almond somewhere in there. Nice tipple, but it gets better if I leave it to air a bit first. Could do with an ice cube maybe, but otherwise fine.
Peru
Barceló Añejo
As a gold rum it's obviously a bit sharp and I can already feel its effect after a few sips. But on a warm night with plenty of ice cubes it's not too bad.
Dominican Republic
Hampden Estate 8y
Sharp rum, but a beautiful aroma. Definitely a slow sipping rum though, as the 8 years of matury certainly packs a punch after a while.
Jamaica
Don Papa
At first I thought it was a little too artificial, but adding an ice cube makes it a very pleasant sip. Aged in oak, you can definitely get a hint of that.
Philippines
Sikkim
Nice and warm, and very good after a curry. Strong smell, but if it sits for a while, the aroma dissipates quite quickly. Strong, but not unpleasantly so.
India
Don Q Añejo
Sharp smell but the taste is a bit lighter. Not much though, but proves you shouldn't judge a rum by its nose
Puerto Rico
Pyrat XO
There's a hidden aroma in there somewhere but it's pleasant. A little harsh before it warms the throat, but an ice cube does the trick to calm it down nicely. Not worthy of buying a bottle, but as a shot in the bar, not bad.
Guyana
La Mauny Spiced
I'm struggling to describe this one. It's rum. But there's nothing special about it. It's just "nice".
Martinique
HMS Victory Rum
A lovely smell, but a little too harsh when it enters the mouth. Down the throat it's very warming though. It's navy strength, so that's probably why. But now I know there's rum to be had on the Isle of Wight
England
Ron Esclavo XO
Not bad, but similar to others in my cupboard
Dominican Republic
Ron Malteco 15
A strong aroma, but a subtle taste. Still strong, but the oakyness makes it fairly pleasant. Three hairs added to chest at least!
Panama
Rum Malecon 12 year
Nice aroma, the first sip hinted it would be strong, but it was pleasant in the mouth. By the time it reached the stomach, the warmth had nicely heated my innards.
Panama
Wild Tiger Rum
Lovely aroma, and great looking full sized bottle with tiger stripes, but the taste is distinctly average
India
Ron Jaguar Edicion Poas
Pleasant aroma and a nice warning taste. Nothing special, but if I stumble upon it again I'll give it another go.
Costa Rica
Clement 6y
A little sharp, reminds me of whiskey so if that's more your jam, this would probably be a good introduction to rums. Pleasant though.
Martinique
Black Tot
First sip is a tad too whiskey like. But it settles warmly, despite it's strong punch. A bit too much "peaty"ness I think for me, but probably well suited to those with Scottish whiskey leanings
Caribbean
Compañero Ron Gran Reserva
A powerful smell, but a nice slightly oaky taste accompanies the strong alcohol taste. If it wasn't for the strength it would be quite pleasant
Trinidad and Tobago
Jamaica
Don Pancho Origenes Reserva 18
Pleasant. Nothing spectacular, but a hint of oak in there somewhere?
Panama
Tres Hombres Porto Bayan 2005
I forgot to write a review for this one
Barbados
Ron Esclavo 12
I forgot to write a review for this one
Dominican Republic
Captain Morgan Tiki Mango & Pineapple
I don't really get the mango, but as a pineapple liqueur it's not terrible. The bottle is funky, but I'm not drinking a bottle, I'm drinking a rum. I guess as part of a cocktail it would work better. Wait, it's Italian? Okay..
Italy
Bristol Spirits Reserve
A sharp smell followed by a strong, young, rum. Could probably do with an ice cube to calm it down as it was a bit too strong for me.
Mauritius
Ron 1914 Edicion Gatun
A fairly normal rum smell with nothing of note. The taste is a bit harsh until it gets down to the stomach, could do with some flavour to make it more interesting
Panama
Rum-Bar Gold
Indifferent nose, but a very warming sensation just after it clears the gullet. Probably an excellent choice on a frozen winter's night, but as it's only nippy, it doesn't get the chance to shine or warm the soul.
Jamaica
Séverin XO Rhum Vieux Agricole
Potency itself, there was talk of vanilla, but all I could taste was the 45% alcohol. Too strong for me.
Guadeloupe
Wild Tiger India Spiced Rum
Smells oddly of 'nice dentist', reminding me of how clean and precise their surgeries are. Taste wise, it's pleasant, but a kind of cardamon pod after taste brings it down at the end
India
'By the Dutch' Batavia Arrack
Oh boy, this one's potent. It's a very light coloured rum, and I often find them a bit harsh, but this one was too much, a pleasant warming, but too harsh to enjoy even that
Indonesia
Platino by Atlantico Rum
I've never been a fan of neat white rum, and the aroma suggested this wouldn't change my opinions. But the light taste that doesn't really taste of anything makes it a lot more drinkable. Just a shame that there is next to no taste.
Dominican Republic
Ron Aldea Caña Pura
Oi! Sorry but the Canary Islands should stick to their honey rums, this is far too strong and I'm struggling to drink it without making amusing faces for those watching me
Canary Islands