National Rum Day is August 16th — and rum is the most underappreciated major spirits category in the United States. Crystal and Roger have made the case for premium rum in every review they've done. Here's how to pour it properly. The Pour That Converts People Mount Gay Black Barrel. Barbados rum finished in bourbon barrels — vanilla, caramel, tropical fruit. If someone in your life thinks they don't like rum, this is the bottle you hand them. They'll be wrong within one sip.

Crystal and Roger have reviewed rum from Barbados, Nicaragua, the Caribbean, New Jersey, and beyond. This is the definitive ranked list of every rum reviewed on The Liquor Connoisseur® — from everyday bottles to rare finds. 🥇 #1 — Ten to One Caribbean White Rum | The Rum That Permanently Changes How You Think About White Rum A multi-island Caribbean blend from Marc Farrell's Black-owned brand. This is not a mixer — it's a sipping rum. Complex, layered, and legitimately one o

The most-asked rum questions — answered by Crystal and Roger of The Liquor Connoisseur®. What is the difference between white rum, dark rum, and aged rum? White (or silver) rum is typically unaged or lightly filtered after aging — clean, light, and ideal for cocktails. Dark rum is heavily aged and often colored with caramel, producing rich molasses and dried fruit notes. Aged rum is simply rum that has spent significant time in oak barrels, developing complexity regardless of

MurMur Rum starts with a question most distillers wouldn't ask: what happens when you ferment mango alongside sugarcane? Crystal and Roger find out, and the answer is a rum that tastes genuinely unlike anything else in the category. Bottle Specs Spirit: MurMur Rum Category: Craft Rum — mango fermentation Key ingredient: Mango fermented alongside sugarcane ABV: ~40–43% Price: ~$30–40 Innovation: Mango introduced during fermentation, not added after distillation The Innovation:

What happens when you pair a Caribbean rum with purpose-designed glassware? Crystal and Roger team up Planteray Originalé Rum with the Glasvin glass to find out how container shape changes the experience of a spirit that's already worth paying attention to. Bottle Specs Spirit: Planteray Originalé Rum (formerly Banks Rum) Distillery: Planteray (Plantation) — multi-country blend Category: Blended Premium Rum Blend: Caribbean and South American rums ABV: ~41.2% Price: ~$30 Glas

Don't Buy Any Rum Until You Watch This Ten to One Caribbean White Rum arrived on the scene with a bold promise: to change the way people think about white rum. Crystal and Roger took that challenge seriously, bringing the bottle to their tasting table to find out whether this Black-owned spirit brand has the goods to back up the claim. About Ten to One Rum Founded by Marc Farrell, Ten to One sources rum from Trinidad, Jamaica, Barbados, and the Dominican Republic — and blends

Flor de Caña's sustainability story is one of the most compelling in the spirits industry — carbon neutral, fair trade certified, and aged at the base of an active volcano in Nicaragua. Crystal and Roger evaluate whether the story improves the rum or if the rum improves the story. Bottle Specs Spirit: Flor de Caña 7 Year Rum Distillery: Compañía Licorera de Nicaragua, Chichigalpa Category: Aged Caribbean/Central American Rum Age: 7 years Aging: Volcano base — unique temperatu

Mount Gay Black Barrel is positioned as the rum for whiskey drinkers — a Caribbean rum finished in American whiskey barrels to bridge the two categories. Crystal and Roger evaluate whether the bridge works. Bottle Specs Spirit: Mount Gay Black Barrel Rum Distillery: Mount Gay Distilleries, Barbados (est. 1703 — oldest rum distillery in continuous operation) Category: Premium Aged Rum — whiskey barrel finish Aging: Pot and column still blend, finished in charred American whisk

⚓ SPIRIT 101: RUM Rum is one of the oldest, most diverse, and most misunderstood spirits in the world. It spans everything from the light white rums in your summer cocktail to ancient, complex aged expressions that rival the finest cognacs. This guide will change how you think about rum. What Makes It Rum? Rum is distilled from sugarcane byproducts — most commonly molasses, the dark syrup left after sugar is extracted from cane juice. Some rums, called rhum agricole or cane j

If you think rum is just for mai tais and mojitos, Flor de Caña is about to change your mind. On this episode of The Liquor Connoisseur, Crystal and Roger review this legendary Nicaraguan rum aged at the base of a volcano — yes, really. Flor de Caña is a 5th-generation, family-owned company with centuries of distilling tradition. The rum is made from naturally fermented virgin sugar cane and aged without added sugar or artificial flavors. If Scotch whisky can age for decades