Buy rum: 6,400 rums, every shop compared

Each rum-producing region has its own character. Jamaica is famous for high-ester, funky rums with tropical fruit notes. Barbados produces balanced, refined rums perfect for sipping. Martinique specializes in rhum agricole made from fresh sugarcane juice, offering grassy and floral profiles. Guyana delivers rich, complex rums from historic wooden pot stills. Explore our country guides to discover the unique terroir and traditions of each origin.

Different rums suit different occasions. For cocktails like Mojitos, Daiquiris, or Dark ’n’ Stormies, look for white rums or young aged rums under 30€, they provide flavor without overpowering other ingredients. Premium sipping rums (50€+) deserve attention: serve them neat or with a drop of water to open up complex aromas. Single cask rums and long-aged expressions from distilleries like Foursquare showcase the distiller’s craft and are best enjoyed slowly. Use our filters to find the perfect rum for your intended purpose.

Rum production starts with either molasses (the thick, dark syrup left after sugar crystallization) or fresh sugarcane juice. The liquid is fermented with yeast, wild or cultivated, which converts sugars into alcohol. Distillation follows in either pot stills (producing rich, flavorful spirits) or column stills (creating lighter, cleaner rum). Some distilleries like Worthy Park use both methods. After distillation, most rum is aged in oak barrels, where it develops color and complexity. The final step is blending, where master blenders create consistent profiles or unique limited editions.

Barrel aging transforms clear distillate into golden, complex rum. Most rum ages in ex-bourbon American oak barrels, which impart vanilla and caramel notes. Finishing casks, previously used for sherry, port, or wine, add additional layers of flavor. Tropical aging in the Caribbean is intense: high temperatures and humidity cause rum to mature 2-3 times faster than spirits aged in cooler climates. This “angel’s share” (evaporation) can reach 6-10% per year. Age statements on Caribbean rum represent truly mature spirits, a 12-year tropical rum is exceptionally developed compared to similar-aged Scotch.

Rum’s history begins in the 17th century in the Caribbean, where the sugar plantations discovered that molasses, a by-product of sugar production, ferments into a potent distillate. The British Royal Navy made rum familiar through its daily ration and carried it around the world. Today the category runs from industrial bottlings to single casks that hold their own against good whisky and cognac. Our database holds over 400 distilleries, historic houses as well as young ones.