You Should Be Sipping Rum Right Now
For too long now, North Americans have been shortchanged when it comes to rum. It’s been dumped into Coke or swirled into overpriced, sugary cocktails — but there’s so much more to the spirit than that. “Rum is very underrated,” says Ottawa-based whisky historian Davin de Kergommeaux. “It has a distinct molasses sweetness with earthy, herbal, and bitter tones that takes you in a more tropical direction. It’s sunshine in a glass.”
Distilled from fermented sugar cane juice or molasses, rum is most synonymous with the Caribbean, where most of the world’s supply still comes from (though, increasingly, you can find great rum producers in the South Pacific, Japan, India, and yes, Canada). And though, like Tequila before it, we’re mostly accustomed to the sticky-sweet cheap stuff, good rum — that is, well-made and well-aged rum — is actually quite complex. So this fall, instead of warming up with a glass of bourbon, try sipping one of these dark rums — straight — for a tropical escape.
(from L – R)
Eldorado 12 and 15
The Guyana-based El Dorado is the only Caribbean distillery that still uses wooden pot stills, infusing the same kind of woody and floral aromas that you’d get from rums made centuries ago (the ones that El Dorado uses are more than 200 years old). Start with the 12- and 15-year-olds that have caramel and toffee notes before investing in the 21-year-old, which has the dark flavours of a complex whisky. It’s a worthwhile journey. $38
66 Gilead Duck Island Rum
Ontario’s Prince Edward County isn’t the most predictable place you’d expect to find rum, let alone good rum. But 66 Gilead, a small craft distillery that also ages whisky in maple syrup barrels makes a fantastic, dark amber spirit with notes of candied fruit. $64
Aged for five years in American whiskey barrels, this brown Dominican rum is best served neat. “It’s a good entry-level rum that also makes a good cocktail,” says Nicholas Villalon, Brugal brand ambassador. “It’s much drier, similar to a whisky, so it’s a good choice for people making that transition.” $28
Ron Barcelo Imperial Rum
This award-winning amber rum from the Dominican Republic isn’t as intense as some other aged rums, but it’s still full bodied enough to make you feel nice and warm with every sip. Expect a nutty and fruity taste at first, with a woody tobacco finish. $28
How To: Make the Perfect Rum & Coke
According to Jen Agg, owner of Toronto’s Rhum Corner and overall rum afficianado
“The proportions of a great rum and Coke are so basic, yet so often are poorly interpreted. Two parts Coke to one part rum, lots of dense ice, and a squeeze of lime. And use good rum, like Barbancourt or Havana 7.”
