Begin Your Adventure With These Aged Rum Picks

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.

Bacardí Reserva Ocho is a gold rum which matures for a minimum of 8 years. The Reserva Ocho was first created in 1862 and enjoyed by the family for seven generations before it was released to the public. Note: Product repackaged with updated name in spring 2018 from Bacardí 8 Year to Bacardí Reserva Ocho

Botran Rum is a single estate rum which uses two varieties of sugarcane which are harvested on the Pacific south coast of Guatemala. The first press of sugarcane (aka virgin sugar cane honey) is used for distillation rather than traditional molasses. Botran uses “dynamic aging” which is a variation of the solera process. For the No. 8, rums aged 5-8 years are blended that have matured in American whiskey and sherry casks. Notably, Botran has a Protected Denomination of Origin (PDO) and is certified as a Ron de Guatemala. Botran was relaunched in the US in August 2022 with updated packaging. ($19.99/700ml).

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.

Ron Abuelo is produced by Panama's Varela Hermanos, an enterprise that grows its own cane and controls the entire process from hand-harvesting to distillation and ageing. The 7 Años rum is produced from a blend of pressed cane juice in season and cane juice plus molasses during off- season--both aged in used bourbon barrels before assembly. The resulting color is a light amber/gold.

Appleton Estate, founded in 1749 is perhaps Jamaica's most venerable rum and comes from the oldest distillery in continuous operation in Jamaica. Appleton's Master Blender, Joy Spence, is the first woman to be appointed Master Blender in the world. Appleton Estate Reserve Blend is created from 20 select rums aged on average for 6 years.

Highly regarded U.K. independent rum bottler Mezan now exports some of their gems to the U.S. The first wave of releases includes the Jamaica XO, a blend of rums from several distilleries, and with no age statement other than an XO designation. It’s created in batches of 5000, and batches may vary in their source rum ratios. After blending, the Jamaica XO undergoes additional aging in used American oak barrels. There’s no sugar or coloring added to this rum, a hallmark of the Mezan lineup.

Doorly's XO Rum is created by the R.L. Seale company at the Foursquare distillery It's aged in American oak ex-bourbon barrels before going through a second maturation in European oak former oloroso sherry casks.

Hailing from the island of Barbados comes the Real McCoy 5-Year distilled by fifth-generation distiller Richard Seale at Foursquare Rum Distillery among the cane fields of Saint Phillip.

Plantation Barbados 5 Year Rum is a blend of pot still and column still Bajan rums that are aged in bourbon casks for 3-4 years in the Caribbean. The blend is then finished in French oak casks at Maison Ferrand’s Château de Bonbonnet in the heart of the Grande Champagne district for 1-2 years more. Note: Formerly called Plantation Grande Reserve 5 Year.