The clue’s in the name with this one: dark rum is, rather unsurprisingly, characterised by its dark colour and deep flavour.
It’s distilled from a source of sugarcane, and the best are aged for longer than some of their lighter counterparts in oak barrels. As with all rum, from white to gold and spiced, the spirit is enjoying something of a renaissance as discerning drinkers explore alternatives to gin and vodka.
According to research led by Paragon Brands, home of rums such as Pusser’s Blue Label British Navy Rum, Gen Z is the driving force behind the spirit’s increasing popularity with almost four in 10 (38 per cent) young adults drinking the tipple at least once a week. Meanwhile, Pinterest has seen searches for ‘rum cocktails’ increase by more than 15 per cent in the last six months.
Nicholas King DipWSET, spirits educator at WSET, the Wine & Spirit Education Trust, gives us the lowdown. “The main differentiation for dark rum is one of colour, but this on its own is not that helpful for people when they need to choose between two rums of the same colour,” he explains.
“Essentially, it comes down to how these rums are made. Most inexpensive dark rums are crafted using spirit that has either seen no ageing or has been aged for a very short period in oak. It’s then coloured using E150a to achieve the dark colour. Therefore, such spirits are typically simple and lack the aromas and textures of maturation.”
King continues: “Other rums that are more expensive but also have a dark colour will have achieved this through an extended period of oak maturation. This not only affects the price but also the complexity of the aromas (vanilla, coconut, clove) as well as textures (a thicker, richer mouthfeel).
The base spirit is typically more complex before it’s matured, too. This complexity in the base spirit is achieved by taking different approaches to fermentation and distillation.
However, notable differences exist between different distilleries and countries. For example, Foursquare in Barbados makes a very different style of long-aged dark rum to Appleton Estate in Jamaica. This is due to a variety of reasons that relate to choices made by the distillers throughout the production process.”
Of rum’s increasing popularity, Nicholas concludes: “A lot of time and effort has been invested by many people into promoting the diversity and exciting quality that exists among the sugarcane spirits of the Caribbean and beyond.
Across categories, consumers are turning to more premium products and are looking for brands that uphold provenance and transparency of production, instead of simple marketing gimmicks. Consumers are not helped by how rum is described or talked about, though. Colour is particularly unhelpful on all three points of the scale from white to amber and dark.”
You heard the man. The only way to discover the dark rum for you is to make your way through our list. Discerning palates only please…
Barra Distillers Island Dark Rum
Hailing from the super-remote Island of Barra Distillers Co., found on the far western edge of Scotland, Island Dark Rum joins an already-impressive line-up of Hebridean Vodka and Atlantic Gin.
Aromas of coconut and clove are complemented by clean and dry flavours of coconut and brown sugar finished with warming cardamom. Spicy and sweet, the spirit is infused with the brand’s signature botanical – Carrageen seaweed – and presented in a recyclable glass bottle that’s 100 per cent plastic-free.
A typical dark rum that’s perfect as the base of a classic dark ‘n’ stormy.
Buy now £35.00, Amazon
Kraken Black Spiced Rum Dark Caramel and Cornish Sea Salt Limited-Edition
This new limited-edition dark rum by The Kraken – inspired by its namesake contraband said to have been hidden by smugglers on the Cornish coast – infuses black spiced Caribbean rum with dark caramel, a hint of Cornish sea salt and a hush-hush blend of spices.
Bold, rich and smooth, it serves up moreish toffee notes and a buttery vanilla finish. Serve over ice or, for an autumnal tipple, topped up with warming hot chocolate. Toe-curlingly good.
Buy now £26.00, Amazon
Takamaka Extra Noir Rum
This dark rum from the Seychelles is aged in a combination of new French oak and bourbon barrels for 60 days to deliver a rich yet elegant spirit with high ester funk – the distinctive and potent aromas formed during fermentation – and notes of vanilla and wood spice.
Named after a local bay on the island of Mahe and made by the family-run Trois Freres distillery, the rum is a blend of pot- and column-distilled molasses rum. It’s full-bodied, punchy and deliciously spicy.
Buy now £35.98, Amazon
Ron Santiago de Cuba Extra Añejo 12 Years Old
With aromas of dark chocolate, rich caramel and sweet fruit complemented by nutty flavours of dried fruit, burnt sugar and a touch of banana, Ron Santiago de Cuba Extra Añejo 12 Years Old is a treat for the senses.
It’s made from molasses using sugarcane grown in south-east Cuba, distilled before the rum is allowed to rest in white-oak barrels. The result is a rich, dense, smooth and dry rum with a subtle heat.
Serve on the rocks garnished with an orange twist or black cherry.
Buy now £48.47, Master of Malt
Gosling’s Spirited Seas Volume II Ocean-Aged Bermuda Rum
This exceptional spirit has been ‘ocean-aged’ – an underwater maturation process that enhances its depth and complexity – and blends the finest dark Bermuda rums.
The liquid is placed in first-fill bourbon barrels before travelling regularly between New Jersey and Bermuda for more than 40 weeks to allow the rum to interact with the American white-oak barrels and feel every wave that hits the vessel to enrich it with a truly unique maritime flavour.
A conversation starter on any home bar.
Buy now £56.95, House of Malt
Pusser’s Blue Label British Navy Rum
Dark amber in colour, this lower-strength rum is inspired by the blending recipe last used when the Royal Navy discontinued its daily ration back in 1970, and is made with Demerara sugar, molasses, dried fruits, island spices and, of course, plenty of caramel. It’s full and round on the palate with a long finish and spicy burn.
Buy now £29.95, Amazon
Ruta Maya Ouro Rum
Recently-launched in the UK is Ruta Maya Ouro, a sustainably-crafted Belizean spirit made from a natural blend of rums aged up to five years in former Kentucky casks to provide a caramelised finish.
The toasty tipple serves up delicate notes of charred oak, butterscotch and vanilla with an elegant and fruity sweetness. It’s like a warm hug in a glass.
Buy now £29.50, Amazon
That Boutique-y Rum Company Signature Blend #2
Perfect as the star ingredient in a killer mai-tai cocktail, this dark rum is made from a particularly rich blend of Guyanese and Jamaican rums.
The result? Aromas of oily walnuts, rich molasses, dark chocolate and spicy nutmeg with flavours of wood spice, sweet tomato and roasted apricot. A salted-caramel finish and dark colour wrap up a truly special bottle.
Buy now £32.95, Amazon
Diplomático Rum Reserva Exclusive
Billed as a ‘sipping rum’, which means its flavour is best savoured by itself rather than diluted in a cocktail, Diplomático Rum Reserva Exclusive is made at the foot of the Andes in Venezuela.
It blends a combination of rum reserves that are aged for up to 12 years in a variety of cask types and has rich notes of dark chocolate, coffee, orange peel, spiced fruit cake and liquorice.
Better still, its distillery is family-owned and sustainably run, making this a rum with real spirit.
Buy now £35.00, Amazon
Project 173 Pumpkin Spice Rum
We adore Project 173, a truly experimental drinks brand that offers a range of easy-drinking rums in seriously creative flavours, from pineapple and gingerbread to black cherry and smoked chilli.
The suitably autumnal pumpkin spice is our favourite, layering a medley of warming spices over a quality Dominican rum. Expect notes of cinnamon rolls, apple pie and cooked pineapple on the nose and gingerbread cookies, zesty orange and brown sugar on the palate with hints of clove and cinnamon on the finish.
It’s deliciously warning and gets extra brownie points for the cute apothecary-style bottle the rum comes in (complete with a flake of 23 karat gold, no less). Fancy.
Buy now £22.40, Amazon
Mount Gay XO Triple Cask Blend
A round and complex liquid, this 2020 release of Mount Gay XO Rum from Barbados in the Caribbean comprises a small blend of carefully-selected mature rums aged in a winning combination of American whiskey, ex-bourbon and ex-Cognac casks for up to 17 years. It’s a spicy and fruity rum with a creamy and smooth palate. Just what the doctor ordered.
Buy now £60.50, The Whisky Exchange
Discarded Banana Peel Rum
Talk about sustainable sipping! Discarded Banana Peel Rum blends Caribbean rum – previously used to flavour whisky barrels – with an extract made from banana peel (otherwise destined for landfill) to provide an eco-friendly, zero-waste, feel-good drink.
It tastes damn good, too; fruity and sweet with flavours of banoffee pie and sticky toffee pudding all contained in 100 per cent recycled and recyclable packaging, from the sugarcane waste label to the discarded cork stopper.
It’s fabulous mixed with ginger ale or used as the base for a banana daiquiri made by combining 50ml rum with 24ml citrus cordial and 12.5ml sugar syrup. Simply shake over ice, double-strain into a chilled coupe glass and garnish with lime zest. Delish.
Buy now £26.50, Amazon
Don Papa Rum
This premium-aged, single-island, small-batch rum from the Philippines is crafted on the fertile foothills of an active volcano where the finest blades of sugarcane are expertly-milled to produce sweet and rich molasses.
After being aged for over seven years in American oak barrels, the rum is charcoal-filtered to remove tannins and then blended to produce a rich and smooth dark rum with honey, candied fruits and just a touch of vanilla on the palate. We love this one in a classic old-fashioned.
Buy now £30.00, Amazon
Hattiers Resolute Navy Strength Rum
Blending a clutch of aged rums – including Barbadian, Australian, Guyanese and Jamaican – Hattiers is all brown sugar, charred oak and warm banana on the nose and intense pineapple, apple, mango and pastry on the palate with distinctive notes of liquorice. The branding is seriously cool to boot.
Buy now £54.00, Hattiers
Rump@blic Sicilian Legacy Rum
For best results, serve this small-batch dark rum with a fiery ginger beer and a wedge of fresh lime. It’s made with a blend of Jamaica’s finest rums matured in Marsala Florio casks for at least six months to give the spirit a smooth and well-founded finish. It’s warm and woody on the nose with sweet caramel and dried fruit; and mellow on the palate with vanilla and a long, lingering finish.
Buy now £37.05, Craft Gin Club
Black Tot Finest Caribbean Rum
Head blender Oliver Chilton has combined some of the world’s finest rums, from Barbados and Guyana to Jamaica and Trinidad, to create an innovative new style in the form of Black Tot.
Inspired by the navy rum of the past and aged entirely in the tropics, it’s characterised by bold notes of exotic fruits, coffee, chocolate and baking spices. With a decadent texture, it's perfect for sipping as well as mixing into cocktails. Rich and oh-so indulgent.
Buy now £40.99, Amazon
