Top Shelf Rum Picks From The Distiller Community

Malibu Original coconut flavored rum was designed as an all-in-one cocktail, a low-proof liqueur rather than a full proof rum for safe consumption in warm-weather party settings. It was later embraced by a generation of bartenders who used it in Piña Coladas and other tropical cocktails. The flavor is derived from coconut extract.

This rum is distilled from fermented grade A molasses, but on the second distillation, maple syrup is added. The maple syrup is also locally sourced (Cumberland, Wisconsin). Roaring Dan is named after Dan Seavey, a pirate in the Great Lakes who infamously stole a schooner named the Nellie Johnson back in 1908 which was loaded with lumber. He was able to board the ship and got the crew drunk before throwing them overboard. When finally caught, he claimed he won the ship in a poker game.

SelvaRey (translated from Spanish "king of the jungle," hence the gorilla on the label) is created by former Havana Club master blender and ex-Cuban Minister of Rum Francisco “Don Pancho” Fernandez. The rum is a selection of 5 year old rums from copper column-stills, aged in ex-bourbon casks with an infusion of locally sourced chocolate instead of cocoa-flavored syrup.

In May of 2007 Saint Lucia Distillery experienced a major fire. In the chaos that happened during the aftermath, this rum was forgotten for a time by the cellar master. When it was discovered it was decided to make a special blend in commemoration of the event. The rum is a blend of Coffey still and continuous -still distillate; it is aged separately according to still type in former bourbon and Tennessee whiskey barrels before being married together in oak to complete the aging process for an additional 5 years. All told, the rums are aged from 7-12 years.

Kirk and Sweeney Rum is named after a rum-running wooden schooner during the early days of Prohibition. With a cargo full of liquor, Kirk & Sweeney was seized off the New York coast. Kirk and Sweeney is fully-aged 23 Year Rum and is produced by the Bermúdez Rum distillery in the Dominican Republic and imported by 3 Badge in Sanoma, CA.

Released in 2011, and signed with the Bacardi seal 'El Ron del Murciélago' (the rum of the bat), Oakheart rum is Bacardi's latest foray into the spiced rum category. It is aged in heavily charred oak before being filtered. Spices are then added and it is bottled at 70 proof.

The Extra Old was released to mark Alexandre Gabriel’s 20th anniversary at the helm of Cognac Ferrand. The Extra Old showcases Plantation’s oldest Bajan rum reserves, aged for 12-20 years in bourbon casks. The selected rums are blended at Château de Bonbonnet in France and finished in small French oak casks for 12-18 months.

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.

Appleton Estate, located in Nassau Valley in the parish of St. Elizabeth, has been producing rum on the 11,000 acre estate since 1749. The sugarcane varieties are estate-grown and the yeast used in fermentation is a proprietary strain. Both column and pot stills are used in its production. For this bottling, the rums are aged for at least 21 years in American oak. They are blended and bottled at 86 proof.

This is the Venezuelan distillery’s flagship rum, called “exclusiva” as a tribute to their 18th century founder Don Juancho Nieto Meléndez, who was always in search of exclusive flavors for his rums. It’s a blend of 12 year old copper pot-still rums made from both molasses and sugarcane honey, aged in ex-bourbon barrels.