3 Delicious Winter-Warming Rums

When I was young and naïve Rum for me meant Bacardi and I didn't particularly like it. How wrong I was. Rum has become something much more exciting, something interesting, something worth drinking, something worth savouring. Like a lot of drinks, I think the everyday drinker can sometimes misunderstand Rum; drinking it with sickly-sweet colas in some kind of syrupy cocktail is doing this lovely Molasses-based drink a huge dis-service. I think it is best drunk on its own. It is possible to put an ice cube in, if you'd like to turn down the heat; but I like to drink it neat, much like a whisky, as you get to taste all the lovely flavours and warmth this way. 

Over the last few months I have accumulated a few different bottles of Rum*, all of Caribbean extraction and with the cold winter nights closing in I thought that it would be a good idea to tell you about them. After all, what is better than pouring yourself a nice tot of Rum when the wind is blowing a gale outside and the temperature has plummeted below zero?

The first Rum that I want to talk about is something of a Milford-family institution: Angostura 1824 (available on Master of Malt at £55). My father, my brother and I usually work through a bottle of this on Christmas Evening with a cigar after the cheese and port (although this year we went Nepalese with the Rum...) In the glass there is a light orange hue to the drink. When smelling it there is no burn of harsh alcohol, instead there is a lightly spiced aroma with notes of orange peel and a hint of vanilla. On drinking there is a mellowness to the Rum, with a chocolatey warmth. This really is the good stuff.

Picture courtesy of Duppy Share

Next up is a new one for me, The Duppy Share; an independent and premium golden Caribbean rum crafted from a blend of oak aged spirits from Jamaica and Barbados (available on Master of Malt at £29.45). The name of this drink is a reference to Caribbean folklore which told of dark spirits called "Duppies" who would visit distilleries during the night and steal a portion of the rum being distilled. Whisky drinkers amongst you will recognise this as the Rum equivalent of  "the Angels' Share". This is a lovely light orange in the glass and on the nose has a slightly sweet bouquet with tropical fruit and caster sugar notes. On the palate it is very smooth. I would suggest that this Rum would be excellent for mixing into cocktails or punches.

Last up on my little Rum tour was Kraken Black Spiced Rum (available on Master of Malt at £22). This is a deep orange/brown colour in the glass and has an absolutely monstorous nose (get it?? The Kraken is a legendary beast? Never mind...) with huge vanilla aromas and sweet spices - clove and nutmeg, with a touch of aniseed at the end. On the palate, it is somewhat sweeter than the other two Rums I tried, with coffee and caramel notes and a slightly thicker, more viscous body. This really is a pleasing drink; perfect to have on its own, but also goes rather splendidly in a nice hot chocolate.

So, there you have it. Three excellent Rums all perfect at this time of year for giving you a little warmth.

What are your favourite Rums? Anything similar to the above that I really should be trying out?
 
* DISCLAIMER: The bottle of Duppy Share was sent to me as a sample by Duppy Share. The other two Rums are from my personal collection. All thoughts/opinions contained within this post are my own.