Best Rum Under $100

X marks the Jackpot. Welcome to Barbados. The Caribbean paradise known for sea, sun and sand is also home to another treasure – Rum. Did you know that Barbados is widely regarded as the birthplace of this delicious golden nectar? Barbados first started making Rum back in the 17th century and remains the place to go if you want the sample the very best the Rum world has to offer. And that’s exactly where we’re taking you. At Bumbu Rum Company, they pride themselves on making their products as authentic and traditional as possible. Their Rum is based on the original recipe created by 17th century sailors of the West Indies, who blended native Caribbean ingredients into their rum and called it "Bumbu" – the original craft Spirit. Using the same natural native spices and no artificial additives, distilled in small batches and blended by hand, their Rum is an authentic revival of this piece of Carribean history. Almost 400 years of experience in the distillation process is no joke and Bumbu Original Rum is a testament to that. The payoff is a work of art in style and substance. What does that mean? Well, the extravagant bottle with a big X on the front is truly stunning. Just look at it. But only once you pop the cork, can the real adventures begin. The Rum is crafted from first-class sugarcane that’s been gathered throughout the West Indies and aged up to 15 years in Kentucky Bourbon barrels. This is a super smooth sipping Spirit with stellar balance as well as complexity and represents everything you could possibly want in an ultra-premium Rum. Every little thing about this product just screams Q-U-A-L-I-T-Y. Except the price. The price is right and then some. Jackpot, baby! Explore more great Rum under $50.

Rum category Winner of the Flaviar Community Awards 2018. Plantation Rum is owned by French Cognac producer Maison Ferrand, who control no less than a dozen major brands premium Spirits and liqueurs. Sometimes that is an iffy proposition, but not in this case because the folks at Ferrand are all about quality… and you can taste it.    Plantation Rum is their top shelf Rum label. And mighty good stuff it is, too. They offer a variety of Rums from the Caribbean. Depending on the plantation and the country of origin, the Rums can vary between soft and aromatic to light and elegant… each one showing the gentle, experienced influence of Maison Ferrand.    We can’t help it… to a large extent, we shop with our eyes. But sometimes Spirits — and people, for that matter — are all packaging and no substance. Plantation Barbados XO is NOT one of those. The bottle is thick, with tapered glass sporting a stunning label and wood stopper with a gold cap, complemented by a net-like wrap of raffia. And the color of the Rum is a deep, warm, cherry-wood hue that screams quality. The total effect is something like "if billionaire Richard Branson were a real pirate, this is what he would be drinking" kind of thing.    But what does it taste like? In a word, "great." And equally important, like all fine aged Rums, it has a perfumey aroma that — pardon the expression — is like sex in the nose. It is double distilled… once in a pot still and again in a column still. It is double aged, first in the Caribbean using ex-Bourbon barrels for eight to fifteen years. Then it is shipped to France for two to ten years of additional "cool-weather" aging in smaller, French oak casks. Magic. Plantation Barbados XO is a rare beauty on the outside and on the inside.  

A Rum Classic. The beginnings of this distillery goes back to the 18th century, when Don Juancho Nieto Meléndez started exploring the sources and processes responsible for the many alluring flavors of traditional beverages. Tirelessly looking for ways to refine his own products, he would study the methods employed in Jamaica, and look for inspiration from the islands of the Antilles as well. Today, Ron Diplomático is one of the most respected producers in the World, with a selection of exciting Rums that have captured the attention of many Rumminados. Diplomático Reserva Exclusiva is their most award-winning Rum. It was produced in the honor of Don Juancho Nieto Meléndez. It's a complex blend of copper pot still Rums made from sugar cane juice, and matured for up to 12 years in ex-Bourbon casks. Diplomático Reserva Exclusiva + Romeo y Julieta Short Churchill:  The Reserva Exclusiva is a staple in every Rum aficionado’s collection. Its caramel and vanilla sweetness with a hint of charredo oak, pairs pleasurably with the RyJ Short Churchill’s rich and creamy, floral notes. The chocolate undertones play nicely off of the Diplomatico’s orange, date and ripe berry notes. Romeo and Juliet aside, this is definitely not a tragic love story.

One drop at-a-time; one of the World’s most awarded Rums. For more than 40 years, Dictador has been creating ultra-premium, aged Rum in the heart of Cartagena, Columbia, although the history of the Dictador brand goes back to 1751 when Severo Arango y Ferro arrived to Cartagena, where he became the most important trader of different exotic and high quality Rums for the Cartagena area – earning him the nickname Dictador. Today, the distillery is in the experienced hands of third generation Rum producer and master blender Hernan Parra who did an amazing job perfecting the manufacturing process yet preserving family recipes and techniques. The distillery's location in Columbia provides ideal conditions for producing award-winning Rum. In fact, Dictador has the world’s largest stock assets of aged Rum, up to 45 years old, which means regularly releasing exceptional and rare drams comes easy (Dictador distributes in more than 80 countries!) and so does creating an entirely new luxury category for Fine Rums. Dictador 20 Year Old Solera System Rum is one of the World's most awarded Rums. It's also the winner of the Flaviar Community Award 2017 - Flaviaristas know a good Rum when they see it. It is made from the fermentation of virgin sugar cane honey and distilled partly in copper alembic and partly in steel continuous column. It's aged in second-fill oak barrels using the solera method. Over a period of 28 days it is brought down to bottling strength by demineralised water. Drop-by-drop as they would say. Smartass Corner: Due to its geographical location, Colombia is one of the three largest sugar cane producers in the world (It was also one of the first sugar cane producers!). This means high quality and large harvests.

Rum from above the Clouds. Ron Zacapa is named after a town in eastern Guatemala. Their plantation is located higher on the volcanic plains of Retalhuleu, 1148ft (350m) above sea level. Most Rums use molasses as their base, Zacapa, however, to impart a sweeter and smoother flavor, uses only the concentrated first press of sugar cane, known as virgin sugar cane honey. When it’s time to start the fermentation, a strain of yeast extracted from pineapples is used, which produces unique ‘Zacapa’ aromatic compounds.  The Rum is then distilled at sea level in continuous column stills and moved higher into the mountains where the maturation takes place. In the highlands of Quetzaltenango, 7544ft (2.300m) above sea level, lies The House Above the Clouds. This stunning location – one of the highest ageing facilities in the World – is where Zacapa slowly develops its complex flavor and character over time. After the initial three years of maturation in a solera system, the Rum is transferred to large American white oak casks for an additional year, before they're finally bottled. Rums between 6 and 23 years old are used in the blend of Ron Zacapa Solera 23. Smartass corner: The lower atmospheric pressure helps intensify the infusion of flavors from the barrels. Barrels previously used for ageing Bourbons, Sherries and Pedro Ximénez wine are used.