The Best Floral Rums

The Duquesne rhum lineup hails from the Caribbean island of Martinique, at the La Mauny distillery. This agricole-style rhum starts as freshly pressed sugarcane juice which is fermented and then distilled via a single copper-column still. It rests in steel tanks for four to six months before bottling. It’s imported to the United States by Ed Hamilton’s Caribbean Spirits, the same importer for the well-regarded Neisson, La Favorite, and Ministry of Rum bottlings. A nice bonus is the 1-liter bottle size.

Produced in São Paolo at the IRB Tatuzhinho 3 Fazendas Distillery, this is their Tradicional expression. It is double-distilled and aged for an unspecified amount of time in large oak vats before bottling.

Twenty Boat Cape Cod Amber is handcrafted at the site of Truro Vineyards and is produced at the first legal distillery on Cape Cod since Prohibition. It consists of American organic sugarcane and a blend of spiced sourced from a local Cape Cod spice supplier. Among others, it includes cardamom, vanilla bean, cinnamon, rosehip, anise, lemon and orange peels, allspice, nutmeg, and chai.

Portland, Oregon, is a hotbed of startup distilleries. Eastside Distilling, launched in 2008, was an early pioneer, making a wide variety of spirits, including traditional and flavored whiskies and rums, as well as seasonal liqueurs, e.g. Eggnog and Peppermint Bark. The spirit basis of their flavored rums (ginger, coffee, spiced) is their unaged Silver Rum, pot distilled to 130 proof before bottling at 80 proof. The minimalist packaging gives no hint that this isn't yet another taste-free, column-distilled white rum.

If you see a bottle of Rhum Clément X.O., buy it without hesitation. This gem from Martinique is no longer being produced, and will soon be replaced with another marque. Why? Because the 1952 vintage that is so key to its flavor profile has finally run out (It also includes rhums from 1970 and 1976). A beautiful example of the French style.

In the northwest region of Martinique is the home of Depaz family estate close to the city of Saint-Pierre. There the family cultivates the blue sugarcane used to make their rhum. The estate was founded in 1651, and after being destroyed by a volcanic eruption of Mount Pelée in 1902, it was rebuilt by the Depaz family in 1915. The family produces their products at such a high standard that they have earned the coveted Appelation d’Origine Controlee (AOC) designation for excellence. The Rhum is aged in custom oak casks and blended using no additives, a condition of their AOC award. Depaz Blue Cane Rhum Agricole is released in limited batches at 90-proof for the U.S. market.

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.

Cuvée Homère represents the top marque in Clément's Cellar Master’s Selection Series. While it does not carry an age statement, it is a blend of the Cellar Master's favorite rhums from the previous fifteen years. The blend includes rhums aged in both French Limousin barriques and re-charred Bourbon barrels.

Registered as the first distillery licensed in New Jersey since Prohibition, Jersey Artisan Distilling was founded in 2010 by engineer Brant Braue and attorney Krista Haley with a desire to craft a truly exceptional rum in the heart of North New Jersey, and thus Busted Barrel was born. They create their dark rum from 100% Louisiana molasses the rum is aged 12-18 months in new American oak barrels.

Balcones Rumble is a spirit all its own. Made from Turbinado sugar, wildflower honey and Mission figs, this spirit continues the Balcones tradition of releasing forward-thinking products. Note: This technically does not qualify as a "rum" as it isn't made from sugarcane or its by-products alone.