When pirates roamed the high seas, rum put the "yo-ho-ho” in a bottle. Around 1900, it featured in the Cuba Libre—originally Bacardi rum, Coke, and lime juice. Starting in the 1930s, the Tiki craze produced multiple drinks that relied on rum for its potent kick. But, while a few specialty rums existed, the majority were mass-produced, often spiced as a gimmick, artificially flavored, and overly sweet. Today, rum is emerging as a sophisticated, often artisan, spirit with as much cache and variation as other premium categories.
Like other spirits, rum is affected by terroir, the distillation process, and storage techniques. Rum styles—and therefore flavors—vary vastly depending on the type of sugar cane base (including cane syrup, cane juice, or molasses) and the micro-climate from which those sugars are sourced.
Most rum is made from molasses, but even this base is unique depending on location. For instance, the French style known as rhum agricole has a grassy, funky flavor due to the use of fresh-pressed cane juice. Regions like Jamaica and Barbados, which are former British colonies, tend toward more full-flavored spirits with clear molasses character. And Spanish styles, like those from Nicaragua and Cuba, are more influenced by barrel-aging than anything else, and they possess a richer flavor.
One vital way that the newer flock of rum brands are now distinguishing themselves is by emphasizing their ability to compete with premium tequilas and whiskeys. Eric Kaye, founder of Holmes Cay Rum, has strong opinions about this: “Rum absolutely belongs in the same conversation as whiskey and tequila when it comes to complexity, history, and craftsmanship. It’s one of the most diverse spirits in the world, shaped by centuries of tradition across multiple continents. Like whiskey, rum can offer deep, layered flavors from extended aging, different wood influences, and meticulous blending. And like tequila, it has strong regional identities—Jamaican high-ester rums, the refined agricoles of Martinique, the rich Demeraras of Guyana, and beyond.”
Holmes Cay has been producing high-end iterations listing between $100 to $180 range, as well as a 2024 ultra-premium Infinity edition, which lists at $1500, a price that would have been unheard of a decade ago. Still, there is a learning curve for people to accept that rums can cost as much as high-end whiskies and tequilas.
According to Jose Luis Ballesteros, National Brand Ambassador, for Diplomático rum, “Super-Premium and above-price segments still only represent 2.8% of total rum volume and 8.8% of total rum value in the US, providing substantial room for continued double-digit growth as consumers better understand rum’s quality credentials.”
Adding credence to these “credentials” is a new emphasis on sipping rums and high-end styles that have brought rum into the spotlight. Of this trend, Kaye says, “There are rums out there that rival the best single malts or extra añejo tequilas, yet they’re still underappreciated. As more people discover pure, unadulterated rum, they realize it’s not just for cocktails—it’s for sipping, collecting, and celebrating.”
Part of the process is education. At Sorry Charlie’s, Beverage Manager Chase Lanier encourages his bartenders to involve the guest and make recommendations on what to try. When this interchange occurs, “Feedback is positive,” he notes. “There is a rum for everyone. It sometimes takes a little more work to find that rum, but this makes the process more rewarding in the end.”
The plethora of styles is making people seek out rum more frequently because of its diversity. Ballesteros has noticed that “one of the most exciting innovations in rum is the increasing use of diverse barrel types [as well as] secondary cask finishes....These finishing techniques add new layers of flavor, creating rums with deeper, richer profiles that appeal to whiskey drinkers. The versatility of these rums allows the spirit to be enjoyed neat or as a sophisticated cocktail base.”
Indeed, the evolution of cocktail culture—and the attendant demand from the public for innovative products—has offered more opportunities to feature multiple rums in bars and on store shelves. Likewise, the niche, flavored rums today emphasize quality, toning down the sugar and using premium quality flavorings that can range from chocolate to banana and coconut to spice.
Some of the best-known cocktails are rum-based, including the daiquiri, the Dark ‘n Stormy, and Tiki classics like the Zombie, the Mai Tai, and the Painkiller. But bartenders are also substituting rum in classic cocktails, trading out whiskey in drinks like the Manhattan and Old Fashioned or subbing rum for the vodka in the espresso martini and the Moscow mule. The variety of new rums allows for fresh riffs on familiar tipples. By using top-shelf brands and choosing new iterations, bartenders can customize both classic and modern cocktails to their personal specs, as well as the preference of the guest.
No matter what the brand or style of rum, transparency has become a word that is frequently used today. For instance, many of the current crop of whiskies feature everything from the basics like ABV and country of origin to more specific information such as an age statement, the type of barrel used for aging, and even the batch number. Tequilas follow a similar format. Lanier sees this specificity as a vital element for rum’s future success. “Rum has sometimes been misconstrued as an inferior spirit that is overly sweet,” he notes. “To muddy the waters even more, in the past, age statements and sugar content have been vague or even missing on products, but now more and more rum companies are including lots of information about the product in the bottle.”
Today’s rums require real knowledge and forethought in how they are used. Sure, they still make a great piña colada or the rum bomb Scorpion Bowl, which combines light rum, dark rum, and often a 151 overproof style. However, with the ever-expanding number of choices, bartenders and consumers have a vastly larger selection of flavor profiles to chosen from. Information is the key, and questions asked are important: What variety of sugar cane is being used? What’s the rum’s sugar content? What sort of aging has been applied? While the average consumer may not take the time to analyze these elements, connoisseurs and bartenders often obsess about them because each of these specifics offer clues as to a rum’s profile.
Kaye has seen a developing trend toward these inquiries. “More drinkers are learning to read labels, seek out authentic rums, and explore regional styles,” he says. “This shift is pushing producers to be more honest about their processes and to celebrate the true craftsmanship behind fine rum.”
When the consumer is informed, they are likely to step outside their comfort zone and explore. When bartenders are educated, they experiment more, service their guests better, and bring rum into the spotlight. The rum renaissance is in full swing.
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