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Top 10 best value for money rums 2017

Available in a wide variety of expressions, with offerings to suit every budget, this round-up is sure to convert even the hardiest spirits traditionalists to the ‘sugar side’.

Last month, The Spirits Business held its annual Rum Masters, where an experienced panel of judges uncovered and recognised some of the category’s best expressions available on the global market.

Looking across multiple categories, from Standard to Super Premium, Gold Rum to Agricole, with entrants from producers of all scales, the competition saw a number of rum brands awarded medals for their superior quality.

While the individual scores of each entrant are not disclosed, these are 10 of the highest ranking medalists recognised in the competition, listed in no particular order.

Readers may notice that not all of these bottlings are standard priced, but have been judged to offer excellent quality to consumers within their respective price categories.

Click through the following pages to view the top 10 best value for money rums of 2017.

Mount Gay 1703 Old Cask Selection

Price: approx £118

Kicking off the Master excellence was Rémy Cointreau’s Mount Gay 1703 Old Cask Selection, named in honour of the year the distillery started production, which found success in the Gold Rum – Ultra Premium flight. “It had a wonderful nose, which I hoped would transfer to the palate – and it didn’t disappoint,” one judge noted. Another agreed: “From start to finish this was a very well-balanced rum,” he said. “It came with a full circle of flavour – sweet to dry and then sweet again on the finish. I can’t say anything bad about it.”

Rhum Clément Select Barrel

Price: approx £45

Described as a contemporary style of Rhum Agricole, Rhum Clément Select Barrel was found to have “a real complexity”, with one panelist declaring it “a really sophisticated rhum”. The rhum is aged in hand-selected oak barrels for a minimum of three years at Habitation Clément under the care of Héritiers H. Clément’s cellar master.

 

Bacardí Limitada

Price: approx £198

Bacardi’s Limitada release scooped a Master medal in the Gold Rum – Ultra Premium flight. Originally sold exclusively at the Bacardi distillery; the liquid combines rums that have been aged for up to 17 years, blended with “a few drops of younger rum for smoothness”, to create a profile of vanilla oak and dry fruit. “It was wonderfully round with an incredibly smooth finish,” one judge observed. “Caramel, tropical fruits – it was very well balanced.”

Rumbullion

Price: approx £35

Rumbullion from the Ableforth’s brand was highly regarded in the Spiced Rum flight, earning a Master medal for its rich and full-bodied profile. The maritime-inspired liquid sees Caribbean rum aged with Madagascan vanilla, orange peel, clove, cinnamon and cardamom. “It was very good all round,” a judge mused. “You wouldn’t get tired of sipping this rum – it’s smooth on every single note.”

Duncan Taylor Single Cask Diamond Distillery

Price: approx £65

Deemed a “connoisseurs’ rum” Duncan Taylor Single Cask Diamond Distillery – a 14-year-old expression from the Diamond Distillery in Guyana – horoughly impressed the panel in the Gold Rum – Aged over 13 years flight, securing a Master.  “There’s such bold flavours on the nose,” one judge said. “The oakiness is very apparent, but it works.”

Chairman’s Reserve Forgotten Cask

Price: approx £38

Another highly-regarded rum was Chairman’s Reserve Forgotten Cask, which secured the coveted Master accolade in the Gold Rum – Aged 8 to 12 years flight. “It’s super, with all the flavours you’re looking for in a rum, plus a pretty long finish,” one panellist praised. Another agreed: “The finish lasts and lasts, which you want if you’re drinking something aged.” Crafted by Saint Lucia Distillers, the rum has been aged in American white oak casks – Jim Beam, Jack Daniels and Buffalo Trace – then blended and reintroduced to oak for a further five years.

Pusser’s Gunpowder Proof Rum

Price: approx £35

“Crammed full of flavour”, Pusser’s Gunpowder Proof Rum too secured a Master medal, this time in the Dark Rum – Overproof round. This traditional Royal Navy-style rum is inspired by the recipe historically used to produce rum for sailors until Black Tot Day in 1970. Presented by wholesaler Cellar Trends, the Pusser’s Rum brand was initially formed in 1979 by company founder Charles Tobias.

Botafogo

Price: approx £25
“Botafogo is a journey from the nose, which is orangey chocolate, to a spiced palate destination,” said one panelist of the Master winner – a runner from the BBC Wines & Spirits stable. “It gives a rounded complexity and the finish doesn’t trick – there’s a gentleness; it’s something different.”

Trois Rivières VSOP Reserve Spéciale

Price: approx £35

Securing a Master medal in the Rhum Agricole – Aged Rhum flight was Trois Rivières VSOP Reserve Spéciale from Groupe BBS. The offering was deemed “very well put together from the nose, and palate through to the finish”.

 

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