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I Did a Blind Taste Test With 16 Aged Jamaican Rums; These Were My Favorites

I Did a Blind Taste Test With 16 Aged Jamaican Rums; These Were My Favorites

I Did a Blind Taste Test With 16 Aged Jamaican Rums; These Were My Favorites

A horizontal roundup of all the zero proof rums we tried.

The Premise

There may be no rum origin more quintessential than Jamaica. Known for the fresh, fruity and funky flavors produced by long fermentations and pot still distillation, Jamaican rum holds a special place in many spirit enthusiasts’ hearts, including my own. In fact, the plurality of rum in my liquor cabinet is from Jamaica. There’s something about the complex, ester forward profile that makes many Jamaican rums not only indispensable cocktail ingredients, but also compelling tipples to be sipped neat.

While there are a number of limited run vintage bottlings that are easy to swoon over, (Appleton Hearts, Hampden Great House, Jamaican installments of Habitation Velier, I could go on) here I was interested in lining up all the standard release aged Jamaican rums I could get my hands on, and seeing how they stack up. Specifically, I limited myself to rums that have some, but no more than 8 years of age. Functionally this excluded Appleton 12, 15 and 21, but not much else.

The System

You can read more about our review system here, but the general idea is that we (my partner and I) tasted all of these rums blind, both neat in a Glencairn, then mixed as a daiquiri. We recorded tasting notes and ratings without knowing what the rum was, then later I rated each expression on its presentation (a nice looking bottle isn’t everything, but it certainly is, well, nice) and transparency, culminating in an unblind review where I get to consider all these factors, as well as how the rum stacks up to the field. The final ranking is determined by an average of the blind neat rating, blind mixed rating, presentation, transparency, and the unblinded review. If that all sounds a bit convoluted, it is; but it’s fun : ) Without further ado, here are all the rums we tasted, in order:

Coruba Jamaica Rum

This pot column blend from J. Wray & Nephew gave us strong notes molasses and chocolate, with hints of banana, grape, wood, brown sugar, and baking spice. We thought it was decent as a neat sipper (6.4/10) and pretty good as a mixer (7.5/10).

Overall Score

6.2/10

Navy Bay Rum

This molasses pot column blend from an unknown Jamaican distillery gave us notes of solvent and pineapple, with hints of banana, brown sugar, tea, and oak. We thought it was pretty good as a neat sipper (7.2/10) and great as a mixer (8.5/10).

Overall Score

6.3/10

Myers’s Original Dark Rum

This pot column blend from multiple Jamaican distilleries gave us notes of banana and baking spice, with hints of chocolate, pie crust, coffee, and rubber. We thought it was okay as a neat sipper (6.7/10) but great as a mixer (8.6/10).

Overall Score

6.6/10

Smuggler’s Reserve Jamaica

This pot column blend from multiple Jamaican distilleries gave us notes of tropical fruit and butterscotch, with subtler hints of solvent, strawberry, pineapple, coconut, and baking spice. We thought it was pretty good as a neat sipper (7.0/10) and great as a mixer (8.1/10).

Overall Score

6.7/10

Blackwell Fine Jamaican Rum

This pot column blend from Appleton Estate in Jamaica gave us strong notes of caramel and chocolate, with hints of vanilla, brown sugar, ethanol, bitterness, and molasses. We thought it was okay as a neat sipper (6.8/10) and pretty good as a mixer (7.8/10).

Overall Score

6.8/10

Hamilton Jamaican Pot Still Blonde Rum

This young, pot still rum distilled by Worthy Park gave us notes of overripe banana with hints of butter, pear, flower shop, cinnamon, and ginger. We thought it was okay as a neat sipper (6.7/10) and pretty good as a mixer (7.4/10).

Overall Score

6.8/10

Appleton Estate Signature

This pot column blend from Appleton Estate in Jamaican gave us strong notes of brown sugar and wood, with subtler hints of caramel, cinnamon, pineapple, orange peel and glue. We thought it was okay as a neat sipper (6.5/10) and great as a mixer (8.5/10).

Overall Score

6.9/10

Cane Island Jamaica Rum

This pot column blend from multiple distilleries in Jamaica gave us notes of molasses and solvent, with subtler hints of pineapple, green apple, caramel, banana bread and vanilla. We thought it was okay as a neat sipper (6.9/10) and great as a mixer (8.0/10).

Overall Score

6.9/10

Myers’s Rum Single Barrel

This molasses based pot column blend from multiple Jamaican distilleries gave us notes of spices and toasted sugar, with hints of cola, banana, maple, pepper and coffee. We thought it was pretty good as a neat sipper (7.3/10) and great as a mixer (8.3/10).

Overall Score

7.0/10

Plantation Jamaican Rum Xaymaca Special Dry

This pot still rum from multiple Jamaican distilleries gave us strong notes of solvent and smoke, with hints of caramel, banana, brine, ginger and medicine. We thought it was pretty good as a neat sipper (7.3/10) and pretty good as a mixer (7.7/10).

Overall Score

7.2/10

RumBar Gold

This pot still rum from Worthy Park in Jamaica gave us strong notes of banana, with subtler hints of cereal, apple, varnish, allspice, coconut, toffee, and oak. We thought it was good as a neat sipper (7.3/10) and great as a mixer (8.1/10).

Overall Score

7.3/10

Doctor Bird

This pot still rum distilled at Worthy Park in Jamaica and finished in Moscatel casks in Michigan gave us note of overripe banana and pineapple. We thought it was good as a neat sipper (7.0/10) and even better as a mixer (7.9/10).

Overall Score

7.4/10

Appleton Estate Reserve 8

This molasses based pot column blend from Appleton Estate gave us notes of oak and toasted sugar, with notes of caramel, molasses, botanicals, orange peel, cinnamon, and vanilla. This was one of our favorites, and we thought it was pretty good as a neat sipper (7.3/10) and great as a mixer (8.4/10).

Overall Score

7.5/10

Smith & Cross Traditional Jamaica Rum

This iconic pot still rum from multiple Jamaican distilleries gave us strong notes of pineapple and solvent, with subtler hints of acetic acid, berry, smoke, banana, rubber, flower, and ginger. We thought it was pretty good as a neat sipper (7.8/10) and great as a mixer (8.9/10).

Overall Score

7.8/10

Worthy Park 109

This pot still rum from Worthy Park Estate in Jamaica gave us strong notes of toasted sugar and banana, with subtler hints of oak, orange, pineapple, allspice, and vanilla. We thought it was good as a neat sipper (7.8/10) and great as a mixer (8.1/10).

Overall Score

7.9/10

Hampden Estate Single Jamaican Rum 8

This molasses based pot still rum from Hampden Estate gave us notes of pineapple, oak and solvent, with hints of coconut, banana, pepper, ginger, mango and dried stone fruit. We thought it was great as a neat sipper (8.1/10) and even better as a mixer (8.6/10).

Overall Score

8.1/10

By the Numbers

Because of course we need a little data analysis. Our average bottle cost around $31, our average rating was 7.0, and our average minimum age was 1.6 years (though this is pulled down by rums without an age statement). Our most expensive rum, Hampden 8, clocked in at $59.99, and our least expensive, Navy Bay cost only $19.99. Unsurprisingly there’s a positive relationship between price and overall rating, but what is interesting is how weak the correlation is at the very high end of the quality spectrum; while our highest rated rum, Hampden 8, was also our most expensive, our second highest rated rum, Worthy Park 109 was, at $27.99, cheaper than our average bottle.

I was also curious to see how our blind ratings stacked up to the aggregated community rating on RumX. In general our ratings were pretty similar; the average Rum X score was 7.1, and the average blind neat score we assigned was 7.0. Our scores were positively correlated, with an R2 of 0.48. The most “underrated rum” (i.e., the rum where our blind score exceeded the RumX rating the most) was Myers’s Original Dark Rum, and the most “overrated rum” was Doctor Bird (this kind of hurts to see, because I think Doctor Bird is a really delightful rum and don’t think it’s overrated consciously, but hey, the blind data is what it is).

Standouts and Recommendations

In all honesty, there are very few rums on this list you could go wrong with. Most of them are both flavorful and approachable. Some provide better value for money, and many serve particular roles, but I’d particularly recommend everything that clocked in at 7.5 and above.

Appleton Estate Reserve 8 is an overall great expression from Appleton, and a really gentle introduction to Jamaican Rum. While it may not fully deliver Jamaican fruity-funkiness, it’s a great rum to sip neat, or an all-around team player in a cocktail.

Smith & Cross Traditional Jamaica Rum is an icon of the rum world, and for good reason. It’s insanely flavorful, and while it may be a bit aggressive to sip neat for some, any cocktail recipe that calls for “Aged Jamaican Rum” or “Gold Jamaican Rum” should be honored to be instantiated with Smith & Cross.

Worthy Park 109 may have been the rum that, out of the entire lineup, delighted me the most. It’s simultaneously deeply rich and boldly fruity. It’s not really positioned as an “elevated” sipping spirit, but specifically in the “black rum” category where you’re looking for deep color and a bit of chewiness, WP 109 is 100% the way to go. The cherry on top is that it’s an incredibly good deal.

Hampden Estate Single Jamaican Rum 8 has all of the flavor of Smith & Cross, and all of the refinement and gentility of Appleton Estate Reserve 8. The main drawback is that (at least in my market in Seattle) it’s pretty damn expensive, but beyond that I have no notes. It’s bold, fruity, complex, and a stellar guest in any snifter or cocktail.

Coruba Jamaica Rum

Coruba Jamaica Rum

Coruba Jamaica Rum

6.4/10

6.4/10

Neat Rating

7.5/10

Mixer Rating

Good

Value at $24.99

Given it’s ubiquity it rum cocktail lore, Coruba can be surprisingly hard to find. The lineage of this dark Jamaican rum dates back to the 1889 founding of Swiss based “Compagnie Rhumière de Bâle”—which portmanteaus to CoRuBa. Bottled at 40% in a bottle that Aaron Goldfarb aptly observed looks like suntan oil, Coruba is known equally for it’s heavy use in tiki drinks, and an insane level of added coloring. While hard facts are scarce, it’s generally believed to be a blend of pot and column still rums—it certainly tastes like it. There also seems to be consensus it’s produced by J. Wray and Nephew, which would narrow it down to Appleton and New Yarmouth,

In the lab we measured a density of 0.949g/cc; if you assume the only additive is sugar, this could indicate around 5g/L of dosage, but given the non-negligible amounts of coloring and glycerin it’s generally assumed it includes, it’s hard to make and specific claims. We can, however, be confident Coruba is not “additive free”.

On the nose it’s pretty mild; molasses and chocolate with a hint of banana and a bit of an aggressive ethyl note. On the palate a little bit of spice and wood join the mild molasses and chocolate. There’s some brown sugar notes, but more than any of that you notice the heavy mouth feel (glycerin confirmed?). The finish is bordering on nonexistent, but it does leave a little bitter after taste.

In our blind taste test we thought it wasn’t great as a neat sipper (6.4/10) but at least a decent mixer (7.5/10). I don’t think anyone has ever thought of Coruba as a tipple to sip neat, so we won’t judge it so harshly for it’s shortcomings there, but even in the presence of simple syrup and lime juice it failed to stick out. A fair criticism here would be that, perhaps, no one said Coruba was a good daiquiri rum, however if you’re in the market for something Jamaican and darkly colored to round out a cocktail (and I do feel like I may get crucified for saying so), I would recommend something like Worthy Park 109 over Coruba.

Distillery

Appleton Estate

Minimum Age

0 years

ABV

40%

Volume

750mL

Refractometer

Estimated Additives

0g/L

Price Acquired

$24.99
Community Reviews: 7.1
Neat Rating: 6.4
Mixer Rating:7.5
Transparency Rating:4.0
Presentation Rating:5
Personal Rating:6.5

Overall Rating:

6.4/10
Rating Notes:
Doctor Bird

Doctor Bird

Doctor Bird

7.4/10

7.0/10

Neat Rating

7.9/10

Mixer Rating

Great

Value at $32.99

Doctor Bird is a rum with an interesting resume: distilled in Jamaica at Worthy Park on pot stills, aged a bit in the tropics, transported to the Two James distillery in Detroit, where its finished in moscatel (moscato) casks before going into a great looking, premium feeling bottle. At 50% ABV and being 100% pot stills, its definitely targeted towards those looking for intense, fruity, funky flavor. For a rum that seems to be doing everything it can to make rum nerds fall in love, its surprising that its missing information like the time spent in primary and finishing casks, or a declaration of no additives. By our count it could certainly make that claim; clocking in at 0.928g/cc, there’s no indication of any dosage.

The nose is quite pungent; overripe banana, but also a host of other fruits: mango, pineapple, green apple. There’s a bit of coconut, and something jammy. The palate is sweet. Banana bread leads into cinnamon, a medley of dried fruity, mango and butter. The finish is strong, with hints of banana, licorice, ginger and a sulfur-adjacent depth that almost reminds me of a Port Mourant.

In our blind taste test Doctor Bird scored well as a neat sipper (7.0/10); a little aggressive on the palate, but interesting and flavorful. It scored even better as a mixer (7.9/10) where it brought a ton of character to a daiquiri while still maintaining balance and drinkability.

While it may be too high-ester to serve as an introduction to Jamaican rum, Doctor Bird has tons of flavor and character for seasoned rum drinkers and mixologists to play with. The moscatel casks finish isn’t totally lost, but it plays a minor supporting role to the pot stills. Overall a great addition to most rum shelves.

Distillery

Worthy Park

Minimum Age

0 years

ABV

50%

Volume

750mL

Refractometer

Estimated Additives

0g/L

Price Acquired

$32.99
Community Reviews: 7.5
Neat Rating: 7.0
Mixer Rating:7.9
Transparency Rating:5.6
Presentation Rating:8.0
Personal Rating:7.5

Overall Rating:

7.4/10
Rating Notes:
Hamilton Jamaican Pot Still Blonde Rum

Hamilton Jamaican Pot Still Blonde Rum

Hamilton Jamaican Pot Still Blonde Rum

6.8/10

6.7/10

Neat Rating

7.4/10

Mixer Rating

Great

Value at $27.99

Hamilton Jamaican Pot Still Blonde Rum is a lightly aged pot still rum distilled by Worthy Park in Jamaica, and bottled by Ed Hamilton’s Ministry of Rum. Along with interesting limited cask picks, Hamilton is known for solid quality rums that tend to check a box (e.g. if you don’t get Lemon Hart 151 where you live, Hamilton Demerara 151 fits the bill). If the box is “lightly aged, funk-forward Jamaica” Pot Still Blonde certainly checks that box. Bottled at 45% ABV, the back label informs you this rum was “aged at least six months in Westfield, NY”. 6 months is a relatively short time to spend in a cask, and especially in a non-tropical climate, you get the sense the goal was to technically have an aged rum, with minimal cask interference (perhaps with a stern eye towards minimizing costs). While it’s a little clunky, the website linked on the back of the bottle is a master class in transparency.

Among the included information is the statement “There was no caramel or sugar added to this rum after distillation.” which checks out in our tests; we recorded a density of 0.936g/cc, not indicative of any added sugar.

The nose leans into a funky pungency; overripe banana esters (I see you Worthy Park), some floral notes, some butter, a little BO, an maybe some pear. The palate is light; more overripe banana and just enough baking spice to let you know it saw the inside of a cask (primarily cinnamon and ginger). If there’s any more fruitiness it’s probably in the form of grape must or raisin The finish is moderate but solid; notes of ginger and (you guessed it) overripe banana dominate.

In our blind taste test it performed decently as a neat sipper (6.9/10) and pretty well as a mixer (7.4/10). In a daiquiri it was flavorful and had plenty of personality, but lacked something in cohesion. It’s tempting to compare the Pot Still Blonde to something like Smith & Cross as see a list of deficits: it’s got a little less age, quite a bit lower ABV, not as nice a bottle. But I’m inclined to say that comparison hides as much as it reveals. This rum is unlikely to be a successful first introduction into Jamaica, but if you’re looking for something that is more approachable than Rum Fire or Wray and Nephew, but a little wilder than Smith and Cross, Hamilton Jamaican Pot Still Blonde certainly has a niche.

Distillery

Worthy Park

Minimum Age

0.5 years

ABV

45%

Volume

750mL

Refractometer

Estimated Additives

0g/L

Price Acquired

$27.99
Community Reviews: 6.8
Neat Rating: 6.7
Mixer Rating:7.4
Transparency Rating:7.6
Presentation Rating:4.0
Personal Rating:7.0

Overall Rating:

6.8/10
Rating Notes:
Hampden Estate Single Jamaican Rum 8

Hampden Estate Single Jamaican Rum 8

Hampden Estate Single Jamaican Rum 8

8.1/10

8.1/10

Neat Rating

8.6/10

Mixer Rating

Okay

Value at $59.99

According to their website, this 8 year old pot still expression is part of Hampden’s “Core Range” (interestingly, along with the HLCF Classic, Pagos, and Great House releases), but besides Rum Fire it’s probably the proper Hampden bottling you’re most likely to see in the wild. To my knowledge it kicked off Hampden’s aesthetic hallmark of plastering the front of their bottles in text which, while a bit visually busy, gets across how much they care about the specifics of their distillate. That wall of text calls out that the rum is entirely tropically aged, 100% pot still, fermented with natural yeasts, and free of additives. And free of additives it is; we measured a density of 0.938g/cc indicating no added sugar.

On the nose the main notes are fruits, solvents and wood. While pineapple and banana are both certainly present, I find the pineapple to be a bit stronger, particularly when compared alongside banana-bombs like Rum-Bar Gold. The oak is pretty moderate for eight years, but really pleasant and balanced. The nose is rounded out by some vanilla, and hints of other dried fruits (apricot, apple). On the palate the rum develops a more spice-forward profile: ginger, cinnamon and pepper, which accents the strong ester-y pineapple base. It punches above its 46% ABV flavor-wise. For the proof the finish is reasonably satisfying, leaning into dry oak.

In our blind taste test Hampden 8 performed great as a neat pour (8.1/10) and even better mixed in a daiquiri (8.6/10). As a mixer it walked the line of being interesting, without throwing the drink our of balaance. To me, perhaps counter intuitively, the most impressive thing about Hampden 8 is not punchy ester profile, but how effortlessly and substantially the cask shows up without overpowering or disagreeing with the funk.

Distillery

Hampden

Minimum Age

8 years

ABV

46%

Volume

750mL

Refractometer

Estimated Additives

0g/L

Price Acquired

$59.99
Community Reviews: 8.1
Neat Rating: 8.1
Mixer Rating:8.6
Transparency Rating:8.4
Presentation Rating:8.0
Personal Rating:8.0

Overall Rating:

8.1/10
Rating Notes: