Ten of the Best Rums to Gift this Christmas
Born from sugarcane in the Caribbean, rum has historically become associated with pirate lore and seafaring tales, yet its warm, sweet, and sometimes spiced profile fits perfectly with the flavours of the festive season, making it a popular spirit during the Christmas holidays.
So, if you’re looking for the perfect rum for a friend, colleague or loved-one, you needn’t look any further. Still Spirit have curated a list of ten of the best rums to gift this Christmas. From white, spiced, dark and aged varieties, there’s something here for everyone to enjoy.
Let’s take a look.
Barra – Island Dark Rum
Award-winning Barra Island Dark Rum is rich and brimming with maritime flavours, thanks to its signature botanical carrageen seaweed, hand-harvested from the Isle of Barra's shores. Further enhanced by coconut, cardamom, cloves, lemon, and orange peel, this rum offers a distinctive and flavourful profile for which this family-owned Scottish brand is renowned.
Don Papa - Rye Aged Rum
Don Papa Rye Aged Rum, crafted on the fertile Negros Island in the Philippines, has a wonderfully lively and fragrant aroma with spicy notes of black pepper, rich salted caramel, cedar wood and a hint of fresh mint. Being aged for four years in American rye barrels produces a deep, intense and velvety smooth taste and a long-lasting finish with hints of warm spice and dark chocolate.
Diplomatico Mantuano Rum
Diplomatico Mantuano is a blend of column and pot still rums crafted from molasses and sugarcane honey, then aged for up to eight years. A rich and rounded Venezuelan rum, it has a smooth sweet fruitiness and a silky-smooth mouthfeel with notes of lightly charred oak, brown sugar and caramel coated dried fruit.
Outlaw Rum Flagship (Cask 1)
Bringing the Caribbean to Scotland, Outlaw Rum Flagship is first distilled in Trinidad & Tobago before being matured in Scotland in carefully selected casks from the Speyside and Highland whisky distilleries. With notes of caramel and vanilla with some toffee and honey, this is a world-class rum with a deeply complex flavour and character.
Ninefold Pure Single Rum
Ninefold Pure Single Rum is an unaged Scottish pot-distilled white rum, made from scratch using sugarcane molasses from Dumfries & Galloway. Understated yet packed with flavour, it offers notes of creamy banana bread, caramel, butterscotch, citrus, and a hint of pepper with a luxurious creamy mouthfeel.
Cargo Cult Dry Spiced Rum
A perfect blend of rums from Australia, Fiji and Papua New Guinea, Cargo Cult Spiced Rum is made from Oceanian sugar cane and is full of enticing notes of cinnamon, ginger, and vanilla bean ice cream. The flavour builds to a finish where the grassy rum base shines through, fading with a baklava-like dryness and a warm, spicy aftertaste.
Santa Teresa 1796 Venezuelan Rum
Crafted using the traditional Spanish solera method, Santa Teresa 1796 is a well-balanced Venezuelan rum that offers a refined profile. Aged for up to 35 years, it reveals layers of dark chocolate, nuts, vanilla, and dried fruit, delivering a rich, smooth palate with a lingering finish, showcasing the craftsmanship and tradition behind its production.
Facundo Neo Rum
Facundo Neo is a premium silver rum which is a luxurious blend of light and aged Cuban rums, aged for up to eight years, then filtered to create a clear, smooth spirit. Neo offers subtle aromas of almond, vanilla, and floral notes, with a clean, slightly sweet taste and a velvety texture, showcasing exemplary elegance and depth.
Eminente 7-Year-Old Reserva Rum
Eminente 7-Year-Old Reserva Rum offers a full-bodied experience, capturing the spirit of a light rum with the depth and complexity of a very old one. Aged for a minimum of seven years in whisky casks, it delivers hints of coffee, cocoa, and fresh vanilla with subtle woody undertones. Its rich mouthfeel is accompanied by a smooth, remarkably long-lasting finish.
MacNair’s 15-Year-Old Exploration Rum (Panama)
MacNair’s 15-Year-Old Exploration Rum, aged in Panama and then blended and further matured in Scotland, combines tropical notes with Highland whisky influences. Rich flavours of peach, caramel, vanilla, and oak balance with a hint of spice, giving this rum a complex, layered profile.
