The Best Rum For Big Spenders

The British Royal Navy's 300-year tradition of issuing daily rum rations to sailors ended on July 31, 1970, known as Black Tot Day. The remaining stock of rum was to be used only for Royal Weddings and other special state occasions. Forty years later, Specialty Drinks Ltd acquired the entire stock and bottled it as Black Tot Lost Consignment. It's a blend of various aged rums distilled and imported from the Caribbean.

Always seeking out new challenges and pushing the limits of his skills, distiller Gianni Vittorio Capovilla found himself collaborating with Luca Gargano of the Velier importing company and the Bielle Distillery on the island of Marie Galante to bring us Capovilla Liberation Rhum. Using a rare, heirloom variety of sugarcane and stringent distillation practices Capovilla created one of the most lauded Rhums ever created. After distillation, he aged this rhum in various once-used French wine cask from such historic estates as Château d’Yquem.

Flor de Caña rum is aged using the distillery’s patented Slow-Aging process. The natural temperature, ventilation and duration of the aging process of the rum ensures that no excessive flavors or aromas are added to the final product. The Centenario 25 is aged for 25 years in charred, white oak barrels previously used to mature American bourbon whiskies.

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.

El Dorado is produced at Demerara Distillers Limited, which was originally part of the Diamond Estate collective on Guyana and is now the sole producer of rums in the region. El Dorado is a blend of rums produced in different types of stills, both old and modern. The 25 Year was created to mark the turn of the millennium, using rums aged in ex-bourbon casks. Note: packaged in a fetching glass decanter.

Bacardi has been keeping a secret. Scouring through the warehouses of their distilleries in Puerto Rico, Mexico and The Bahamas they collected the oldest and the best barrels they had and created the “Facundo” line named after their founder, Facundo Bacardí Massó. Paraíso is a blend of rums aged 17-32 years and is almost completely devoid of Bacardi branding.

Developed by Brugal Master Blender, Jassil Villanueva Quintana, this is the second release of what has long been the Brugal family's private reserve rum, blended from 36 old casks stashed away for safekeeping in Brugal's warehouses. Papá Andrés is named in honor of Brugal's founder, Don Andrés Brugal Montaner, while this edition, "Alegría", translates to joy. The accompanying crystal decanter, set inside a brightly adorned presentation box with an illustrated collector's' book, were all created by Spanish designer Javier Mariscal. Only 1,000 decanters were released, with all profits going to the Brugal Foundation.

From the French Caribbean island of Martinique, this rhum agricole was distilled from freshly pressed sugarcane juice from Rhum J.M's own fields in July of 2001. It was then aged in 200 liter barrels before being bottled in October 2011.

Founded in 1703, Mount Gay is the oldest rum distillery in the world. Mount Gay 1703 Old Cask Selection Rum pays tribute to the founding of this distillery in Barbados with this blend of selected rums aged between 10 and 30 years. Mount Gay has a reputation as the "sailor’s rum", due to the frequent stopovers of ships at Barbados from the Atlantic Ocean on their way to trade in the Caribbean.

Ambassador, named in tribute to 18th century distiller Don Juancho Nieto Meléndez, who was known as El Ambassador, strays a bit from Rum Diplomático’s usual style. They typically blend both column and pot still rums, but this one is a blend of 12 year-old 100% pot-still rums bottled at a slightly higher proof. On top of the usual ex-bourbon barrel aging, this one is given an extra 2 years in Pedro Ximenez sherry casks. Note: It is presented in a swank wooden cask.