The Top Rum Picks for Daiquiris

Engineered with cocktails in mind, Chairman’s Reserve White Rum (formerly Silver) rum is a molasses-based rum. Made at St Lucia Distillers, it is distilled in a combination of copper pot and Coffey column-stills. The rums are aged separately in ex-bourbon barrels for 3-4 years. Then the rums are blended and allowed to mingle for another 6 months in oak vats.

Havana Club was first sold in 1934 by the José Arechabala SA; the company was nationalized by the Cuban government in January of 1960 shortly after the revolution. Aged in oak for three years before being charcoal-filtered for color removal, Havana Club 3-Year is "made for Mojitos" according to its producer, but it has also played the starring role in countless Daiquiris. Note: This is not currently available in the U.S.

This distillery, and its tradition dates back to the mid19th century. A product of the Dominican Republic, Brugal Extra Dry Supremo is distilled from molasses. It is aged in American white oak previously used to age whiskey, and then triple-filtered to remove all color resulting in a clear, clean spirit. In the US, it's bottled at 40% ABV but this may vary in other countries. Note: Formerly known as Brugal Blanco Especial Extra Dry.

Produced in the Dominican Republic, this light rum is distilled from molasses. After aging in a solera, the rum is charcoal-filtered before bottling.

Ten To One Caribbean White Rum is a blended rum made from Dominican column still rum and Jamaican pot still rum. After blending the rums are finished in American oak ex-bourbon barrels. No added sugar, colors, or flavorings added. Bottled at 90 proof, this launched in summer 2019 in the New York market.

Copalli Rum was launched in 2019 by marine conservationist Todd Robinson and Anya Fernald, CEO of restaurant and butcher shop chain Belcampo. An organic rum, it’s made on the grounds of the duo’s Copal Tree Lodge in Belize. The sugarcane used to make the rum is sourced from the surrounding rainforest. Copalli White Rum is a blend of pot and column distilled sugarcane juice. After distillation, it’s rested on stainless steel for a period of time before being bottled at 42% ABV.

The Denizen rum lineup (tagline: Free the Flavor) is offered by New York-based Citizen Spirits and custom-crafted in the Netherlands by highly regarded rum blenders E&A Scheer. Citizen Spirits founder Nick Pelis says that creating the perfect daiquiri rum was his inspiration for the Aged White flavor profile. It’s a blend of Caribbean rums: Eighty percent from Trinidad’s Angostura distillery, the remainder from several Jamaican distilleries. Although labeled a “three-year-old rum,” significantly older rums are found in the blend alongside unaged rum, so “three years” is more accurately an average age. Before bottling it’s lightly charcoal-filtered to remove coloring.

Havana Club Añejo Blanco is aged for 1 year in oak before being blended and filtered. It is then aged a further 2 months in oak for mellowing. This Puerto Rican distilled rum made by Bacardí is based on a recipe from the Arechabala family who created it in Cuba in 1934. The family produced it up until 1960 when they fled Cuba after Fidel Castro nationalized the distilleries there. First available in select Florida markets in June 2016, the rum became available soon after in other markets.

This is a molasses-based rum and formerly had an age statement of 4 years. It is aged, but for an undisclosed amount of time. It is a light, dry ("seco" is dry in Spanish) and clear as the color has been filtered out. It is bottled at 80 proof.

This rum is a unique blend of pot still, column, and batch kettle made rums. Then it is aged for up to 6 years and charcoal filtered for clarity. This is intended to replace the Diplomático Blanco. Bottled at 46% ABV.