Rum is making a huge comeback and here are a few bottles worth trying

Aug 03, 2023

Rum has eclipsed whisky sales in the UK for the first time in modern history

Move over gin, there's a new contender for the cocktail crown. Rum is being tipped for a huge comeback on our supermarket shelves this year.

Last year rum sales in the UK outpaced whisky for the first time, becoming a £1billion market – the third largest market for the Caribbean spirit in the world. Not bad, eh?

Bartender, beverage consultant and author of The Tipsy Traveler Tyler Zielinski told Metro: ‘With rum eclipsing whisky sales in the UK for the first time in modern history and prominent retailers – such as The Whisky Exchange and Waitrose – seeing a sales lift in various styles of rum, the proof is in the pudding – so to say.

‘Not only are ultra-premium aged rums selling among enthusiasts and collectors, but general consumers have also turned their heads to the category, embracing cocktail-friendly, lightly aged and botanical rums. I think between the renewed consumer interest in rum cocktails and the collector market growing steadily year over year, rum's rise to the top was only a matter of time.’

Personally, I think rum's return can be traced back to the lockdown sea shanty craze - yes, that really did happen - that got us singing about ' sugar and tea and rum'!

Either way, rum can be great - in a cocktail or plain neat - and so I have picked out a few that are worth a try for the uninitiated on all budgets.

Setting you back almost £60 a bottle, Gosling's Family Reserve tastes luxurious. Family Reserve was once produced exclusively for members of the Gosling family (as the name suggests), but they have since decided to share this top-quality rum from Bermuda. Each bottle is hand labelled, dipped in wax, packed into boxes, stamped, put in the post box, you'll even hand pour it into your glass!

Goslings actually own the trademark for the Dark 'n' Stormy cocktail so they know what they are doing. It's magic stuff but - unless you can afford it - one that you're probably going to keep back for special occasions (or the end of the world).

Rumbullion! is created by carefully blending tinctures of Madagascan vanilla, orange peel, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom into a base of delicious Caribbean rum. This blend of spices makes Ableforth's Rumbullion! a multi-award-winning spiced rum that stands proudly when mixed with cola but equally as good in all manner of cocktails, or neat with a squeeze of orange.

A bottle will set you back £32. The unusual packaging will no doubt make it stand out in your drinks cabinet.

Independent bottlers That Boutique-y Rum Company is embarking once again on a tour of the outback this year with the release of their next batch of limited edition spirits from the best of Australia's distillers - Return to Oz.

Among the Aussie tipples on offer is the Mt Uncle Distillery Pot Still Rum. Made with sugar cane syrup sourced from a local factory, and combined with dunder, this rum then gets distilled on a 1,500 litre Holstein pot still. This rum is then matured for 12 years in a heavily toasted hogshead that previously held red wine. Distillery founder Mark Watkins features on the label, along with a whole range of supersized critters.

There are only a few hundred bottles around so it comes in at almost £80 a pop but it's a real conversation starter. Oh, and be careful with the measures. It comes in at 64.9% vol.

Other rums from the Return to Oz releases, include:

A delightfully warming spiced rum spirit drink from one of the biggest names in the game, Bacardi Spiced comes with a complex blend of spices that should be sure warm your cockles. Enjoy with your favourite mixer or use it in a lip-smacking cocktail... either way it's pretty great - and affordable. SHop around and you might be able to pick up a bottle for around £20.

Uhuru donates 10% of its net profits to charity Tusk, which supports African wildlife conservation in Africa. Uhuru is created and bottled by the team at Youngs Spirits, an Edinburgh-based bottling and spirits company with years of expertise in the drinks industry. This XO Golden Rum herads from the Caribbean. After soaking up the tropical heat, casks are then transported to Scotland for the maturation process at 44%. It's filled with flavours of buttery toffee and fruity sweetness, balanced with unfolding oaky notes. Uhuru Rum costs £39.99 and is available here.

Aldi has been in the rum business for a few years now and its Cassario Black Spiced is not to be sniffed at after winning gold in The Rum and Cachaca Masters back in 2021. If you like dark spiced rums, then this will be right down your alley. And at just £14.99 a bottle, it really stands its own against some of its more pricey competitiors.

Unleashed only in the past week, the Kraken Black Cherry and Madagascan Vanilla Black Spiced Rum has taken the usual Krakken taste and addded deep black cherry notes. It's a fruity and flavourful fusion of the signature black spiced Caribbean rum with rich cherries and an undercurrent of Madagascan vanilla, for a wildly delicious and refreshingly smooth finish.

It is a seasonable and versatile flavour that is most refreshing when served simply with cola over ice, garnished with a lime wedge. Currently, you'll only find this on the high street at Tescos, costing £23.50 a bottle.

Black Cherry & Cola