Must-Have Overproof Rums

Goslings 151 Proof Black Seal Rum is the overproof version of the brand's classic Black Seal Rum. Bottled at 75.5% ABV, this is intended to be mixed, ideally in a Dark 'n Stormy, the brand's signature (and trademarked) cocktail.

To coincide with the 150th anniversary of Destilería Serrallés, Don Q relaunched its 151 rum, which had been discontinued for several years. This addition to the Don Q product line is notable for being only the second overproof rum released by a Puerto Rican distillery. The Don Q 151 is a blend of light and dark rums aged a minimum of three years in used American oak barrels.

Pusser's Select Aged 151 Rum is a navy rum aged at least 3 years in Guyana. It's bottled at 151 proof so it's best used as a floater or in concert with other rums in tiki drinks or punches.

Rhum J.M. Blanc is produced from estate-grown cane harvested each spring after a full year's growth. Within an hour of harvest, the brand has fresh-pressed sugarcane juice which is then allowed to undergo a natural fermentation for 36-48 hours. The fermented juice is distilled in a Créole copper column still to 70% ABV after which the rum is rested for at least three months in stainless tanks. It is then reduced to bottle-strength with volcanic, mineral water sourced from the estate. This 110 proof version was released in July 2019 and sold in liter-sized bottles.

Jamaica’s Hampden Estate is a centuries-old distillery famous for making the funkiest, hogo-monster rums on the planet in their entirely pot-still distillery. Although the same color and ABV as the better known Wray & Nephew Overproof, the two rums have fairly different flavor profiles; in this case, “mouth on fire” does not qualify as a flavor profile. You’ll have no problem locating this bottle, as the label looks made by a high school art student with their first color printer and some free clip art. Nonetheless, this rum reaches out of the glass to kick sand in the face of other high-ester rums. Jamaican hogo junkies flock to this rum while more rational people flee.

Jamaica’s Worthy Park is the newest Jamaican distillery, with a modern facility built circa 2005. In addition to exporting bulk rums, they also offer the Rum-Bar brand in the Jamaican market. The distillery is a 100% pot-still operation, and their source molasses comes from their own sugar mill less than a mile away. The Rum-Bar White Overproof is a blend of three unaged rums.

J Wray & Nephew is a renowned overproof rum produced in Kingston, Jamaica weighing in at 126 proof. Wray & Nephew, as it's known behind bars, is not only a very popular spirit in its home country, but is also the top-selling high-strength rum in the world. It is produced from a combination of both pot and column distillations of a 30 hour fermentation of sugarcane molasses wash and proprietary house yeast.

Within the Tiki community, many recipes call for Lemon Hart 151, another rum from the same distillery. When the owners of Lemon Hart 151 ceased production (at least temporarily), demand for it spiked. Fortunately, rum importer Ed Hamilton, who was the U.S. importer of Lemon Hart, stepped in and contracted with DDL to create his own 151 blend. Ed believes this rum equals or exceeds the Lemon Hart 151 and includes older rums up to five years. No sugar or coloring is added. A lower proof version of this rum is available at 86 proof.

One of the most beloved rums in the mixology and Tiki communities, Smith & Cross is revered for bringing back the funky, high-hogo style of rum that had been sadly absent for many years. Distilled at the Hampden distillery in Jamaica, it’s a blend of two styles of pot-stilled rum, Plummer and Wedderburn, which fall at different points on the funkiness scale. Its gold color implies more aging than you might expect – the oldest rum here is three years, and most is far younger.

Plantation O.F.T.D. (Old Fashioned Traditional Dark) Overproof is a group effort. Alexandre Gabriel, Master Blender for Plantation Rum, brought together six rum luminaries--Jeff "Beachbum" Berry from Latitude 29, Martin Cate from Smuggler's Cove, Paul McFadyen from Trailer Happiness, Paul McGee from Lost Lake, Scotty Schuder from Dirty Dick, and Dave Wondrich, cocktail historian extraordinaire. Over many tasting and blending sessions, they formulated a rum ideally suited for use in top-shelf Tiki and tropical cocktails. The O.F.T.D. is a blend of rums from Barbados, Guyana, and Jamaica in the overproof dark style, and replaces Plantation’s Trinidad-sourced Original Dark Overproof Rum.