Affordable Aged Rums To Try This Week

Want a high quality aged spirit without the crazy prices? Give one of these affordable aged rums a try!
Apr 13, 2017
  • 10
    82
    Sweet & Fruity
    Chairman's Reserve, born in 1999, is named for St. Lucia Distillers' then chairman Laurie Barnard, who created a blend made from both pot and continuous still rums. The rums are first matured for 9 months in new American oak, then aged separately in ex-bourbon casks hailing from Jim Beam and Buffalo Trace as well as ex-Tennessee whiskey casks from Jack Daniels. They are then blended together and given an additional 6 months to mingle in cask before bottling. There is no official age statement, though the youngest rums are at least 5 years old. Note: Formerly called Chairman's Reserve Finest Blended Rum.
  • 9
    80
    Woody
    Brugal Extra Viejo remains the traditional backbone of the Brugal lineup. It features rum aged for between three and eight years entirely in ex-bourbon casks. Brugal has been shifting their profile a bit in the lighter direction, and playing with Oloroso sherry casks, while preferring to skew to a younger, international market. This, though, is a more classic expression for them.
  • 8
    86
    Fruity & Rich
    Brugal XV is a blend of three to eight year old rums. It was launched in 2012 and replaces the Brugal Extra Viejo. It's made with a combination of rum aged in ex-bourbon casks, and rum aged in ex-Pedro Ximenez sherry casks. The casks are the same which The Macallan uses, showcasing some synergy within The Edrington Group, after its 2008 acquisition of Brugal.
  • 7
    83
    Oily & Rich
    This is a non-age statement rum produced in Venezuela with the original distillery dating back to 1938. Originally produced in 1963 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Industrias Pampero, Pampero Aniversario Reserva Exclusiva is distilled on a continuous column still from fermented sugarcane molasses and is comprised of rums aged 2-8 years.
  • 6
    82
    Spicy & Oily
    During Prohibition, there was a wooden schooner known for smuggling rum from the Caribbean to the U.S; its name was Kirk & Sweeney and was finally seized in 1924 by the Coast Guard with its cargo full of rum. Kirk & Sweeney rum is produced at the Bermúdez Distillery in the Dominican Republic, a family-owned and operated distillery since 1857. The rum is aged for 12 years in new, lightly-charred, American oak.
  • 5
    82
    Sweet & Fruity
    “Añejo” is actually somewhat of a misnomer for this rum. Though it has the appearance of an older marque, it’s actually the youngest in the brand’s range, using rums averaging 2 - 4 years old, slightly younger than their Blanco. It’s predominantly made from light rum made from molasses and produced in continuous column stills blended with heavy rum made from sugar cane honey (a dark syrup made by filtering and then boiling the water out of the sugar cane juice).. That is distilled in copper pot stills, then aged in used bourbon barrels.
  • 4
    88
    Sweet & Rich
    This rum bottling previously had no age statement, but was widely known to have been aged at least 10 years. This Bajan rum is distilled at the Foursquare Distillery and adds no sugar pre-bottling. The packaging must be noted as it is black glass and appears to be melting.
  • 3
    80
    Woody
    This Bajan rum is distilled at the Foursquare Distillery, an independent distillery owned by the Seale family. Doorly's was a rum brand that had been established on the island in the 1920's. In the 1990's the Seale family acquired the brand. The rum is made from a combination of pot and column-still rums and is aged in refill bourbon barrels.
  • 2
    80
    Sweet
    Distilled in the Dominican Republic, this rum is then aged in a solera system. Ron Matusalem was founded in Cuba, but the family that owned the brand fled in the 1950's due to the Castro regime. It has been made in the Domincan Republic ever since. Note: The Solera 7 is not currently available in the US.
  • 1
    89
    Fruity & Sweet
    The El Dorado rums are distilled at the Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) in Guyana from molasses sourced from 100% Demerara sugar. They have acquired quite a few different stills from closed distilleries on the island and use a combination of them for each marque. The 8 year uses four different types of stills including an Enmore wooden column-still and a two column-metal-Coffey still. The rum is blended and aged in ex-whiskey barrels.