The Best Gold Rums

Flor de Caña, Spanish for “sugarcane flower,” is the only mass-produced rum line from the Central American country of Nicaragua. Distillation is done in a three-column still, before aging in ex-bourbon, white oak barrels stored in a thermally insulated warehouse to reduce the angel’s share. A close look at the bottle reveals a raised outline of a sugar cane stalk. Although the bottle has a prominent “7” on it, the brand no longer claims a minimum seven years of aging.

Selected and imported by MinistryOfRum.com founder Ed Hamilton, this gold rum is a blend of extra light, light, and heavy pot-still rums. The molasses used is from sugar grown on the Worthy Park Estate where the rum is distilled. Located 1,200 feet above sea level, the distillery is situated in the Vale of Lluidas, and produces mostly bulk rum. The rums for this product are imported in small batches and colored with gold tint sugar-based caramel.

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.

From Plantation Rums comes Plantation Xaymaca Special Dry, an amber 100% Jamaican Pot Still release meant to evoke rums made on the island in the 19th century. It is a blend of rums distilled at Long Pond and Clarendon distilleries using a variety of rum marques -- essentially, different "recipes" each distillery has to produce different styles of rums which range from very light to most intense. The rums are double aged, first in ex-bourbon from 1-3 years in a tropical setting before being sent to France to further age in ex-cognac casks for an additional year. There is zero dosage (no sugar added) before bottling. Xaymaca [za-may-kah] is the original name of Jamaica used by its first inhabitants, the Arawaks.

Papa's Pilar Blonde is a blend of column-still rums from Florida, Central America, and the Caribbean. The rums used in the blend range from three to seven years. The rums were Solera-aged in used bourbon and port barrels. The rum is blended and finished in Spanish sherry casks before bottling. The unique Canteen bottle design is an homage to Ernest “Papa” Hemingway's days as ambulance driver during World War One and his coverage of Normandy in World War Two.

Made from regional sugarcane syrup and molasses, St. Augustine is fermented, aged and pot-distilled on site in the eponymous city. It is bottled at 45% ABV. The resulting color is pale straw.

Look through the pantheon of classic tiki drink recipes, and it will become apparent that many rely upon the unique flavor and strength of overproof Demerara rum from Guyana. Perhaps the most famous of these rums is Lemon Hart 151, made along the banks of the Demerara River.

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.