The Best Rums To Drink Straight, According To Experts

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Many of us drink rum and Coke or rum cocktails like mojitos or piña coladas, but you might be wondering what the best rums are to drink straight. Whether you like a simple white rum or something dark and spiced, not all of them are sippable. It takes something special to make a rum smooth and flavorful enough to drink neat.

I spent some of my formative years working in bars, so I know a good deal about spirits. But, I wanted to get the lowdown from those still in the game. So, I interviewed four rum experts, including bar owners, bar directors, and mixologists. Each gave me the details about their favorite rums to drink straight and what makes them so great.

We've got a selection of aged rums and younger versions, dark rums and light rums. So, there's something to suit most tastes and a range of budgets — though the best, most drinkable spirits don't come cheap. Whether you're a rum nerd or you're just looking for something that doesn't make you cringe when you shoot it, there's an option here for you.

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Victor Torres, director of food and beverage at Hilton Barbados Resort in Bridgetown, Barbados — and in-house rum expert — counts Mount Gay XO as one of the most drinkable rums around. He notes that it's "Barbados' most iconic rum," and comes from the "oldest commercially operating rum distillery in the world," so it "has always set the bar that all other rums are compared to."

While dark rum and aged rum aren't always the same thing, this one uses a carefully selected blend for rums aged for between five and 17 years. Each iteration is slightly different, since the spirits that go into the blend take on their own qualities as they age in old whiskey, bourbon, and cognac barrels. The resulting liquor has "rich notes of vanilla, toasted oak, and subtle spice," says Torres. Expect to taste fig, clove, dark chocolate, and caramel on the palate.

"It features a velvety texture and perfectly balanced character, making it ideal for sipping neat," Torres tells us. Costing around $60 for a 750 milliliter bottle, it's not the sort of thing you're going to splash into a Mai Tai. This is a rum you want to sip on and savor slowly.

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Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva is a favorite of Brynn Smith, bar director of Bar Next Door on Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles. This is a dark rum with complex flavors, made by blending a selection of high quality Venezuelan reserve rums. It has notes of raisin, vanilla, toffee, and orange peel, and it goes down smooth.

"Not only is it delicious and complex in many forms of cocktails, but it is also a high-quality, affordable premium sipping rum," Smith tells us. This makes it a great option for anyone who wants a smooth, sippable rum without breaking the bank. A 750 milliliter bottle costs around $35, so you're spending enough to get a decent bottle, but not so much that you'll be doing it an injustice if you choose to use it in a hot buttered rum recipe.

We'd recommend this for anyone looking for a versatile bottle. It's good enough to drink straight but isn't so top shelf or pricey that you have to save it for a special occasion. It's also a good choice for cocktails and mixed drinks.

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"Hailing from Barbados, this is a spiced rum that's balanced and natural," says Juyoung Kang, award-winning mixologist and head of beverage at Doberman Drawing Room. "It's additive-free and everything in this bottle is made from traditional techniques," she adds. This goes a long way to making it a sippable choice.

Bumbu, The Original is made using a strain of yeast that dates all the way back to the 1840s. This plays a part in giving it the sweet notes of vanilla, caramel, and chocolate that it's known for, rounding out with a subtle oakiness. It has picked up three gold medals at the Los Angeles International Spirits Competition, which further cements its place as a top-notch rum for sipping.

That said, it's relatively affordable. You can pick up a bottle for under $35. So, if you're looking for something that's not too expensive to be used in cocktails, as well as drinking straight, this one's a winner.

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Not all sippable rums have to be dark and long aged. Havana Club Anejo, a favorite of Bar Next Door's Brynn Smith, is aged for a little over a year, giving it a slight tinge but still putting it in white rum territory. It's lighter than some on this list, with Smith advising that it "has delicious notes of almonds, apricots, vanilla, and pineapple."

It's the kind of rum you could use in a mojito, while still being very drinkable straight. Smith appreciates that it comes "from a 1934 Cuban recipe" and, while it's no longer produced in Cuba due to trade embargoes, it's "still double-aged in barrels and aged under the Caribbean sun."

We love Havana Club Anejo as a versatile choice that proves white rum isn't a lesser spirit, just a different one. It's a nice one to sip on a hot day, as it's lighter and more refreshing than its darker and more intense counterparts.

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"Foursquare Rum 2004 is a small-batch masterpiece that captures the artistry and discipline of Barbados distilling," says Victor Torres of the Hilton Barbados Resort. It's one of his top picks for sippable rums, and we can see why. Aged in bourbon barrels for 11 years, this is a top-shelf rum that you wouldn't want to ruin with a mixer. "Its deep flavors of caramel, tropical fruit, and gentle smokiness unfold slowly in layers on the palate," Torres tells us.

Foursquare is also a favorite of Alexis Soler, owner of cocktail bars Old Glory, ELEVEN11, and The Sun Room. She calls it "a standout distillery" that showcases "the depth and craftsmanship Barbados rum is known for." The 2004 vintage was released back in 2015 and is now hard to come by, and expensive when you can get your mitts on a bottle. So, if you can't find this one, virtually any Foursquare rum will hit the spot.

When you think of rum, you normally imagine the Caribbean. But Kuleana Hōkūlei is a Hawaiian rum that's one of Brynn Smith's favorites. It isn't cheap, at around $85 per bottle but it's delicious and eminently sippable, so we can see it being the kind of bottle you drink through slowly on special occasions when you fancy some neat rum that will go down smoothly.

"It's a blend of seven rums, aged anywhere from 18 months to 18 years," Smith tells us. One of these is the distillery's own aged Hawaiian rum agricole made from heirloom Hawaiian sugarcane. Using a blend of rums from Hawaii, Venezuela, Panama, Barbados, and Nicaragua gives it a complex flavor profile. It uses younger molasses rums for the base notes, the rum agricole, and a 15-year aged rum for body.

This gives it the tasting notes Smith loves so much, including "clove, lime zest, banana, dates, sherry, saltwater taffy, and toasted pineapple." With all these great flavors, she describes it as a "super fun rum to sip on."

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Aged for 12 years, this dark rum is mellow yet complex. "It's a perfect slow sipper," says mixologist and cocktail bar owner Alexis Soler. The aging time El Dorado 12 receives, alongside its production method in wooden and metal stills gives it loads of flavor, making it exciting to drink straight.

Soler describes it as "a rich, full-bodied Guyanese rum layered with tropical fruit notes like banana and mango, complemented by dark honey and warm spice." It's both bright and rich, which many rum fans appreciate. It doesn't sit too heavy on the palate but still has those rich flavors that you'd expect from an aged rum.

It's a perfect rum to sip with a side of chocolate, but you can use it in mixed drinks on those occasions when you don't feel like drinking it straight. It's especially good in spirit-forward cocktails, like a rum old-fashioned, that don't attempt to hide it away but rather bring it to the forefront.

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"Appleton Estate 21-year-old is a rare, long-aged rum that exemplifies the patience and precision of Jamaican rum production," remarks Victor Torres. If you're looking for something special, this might just be the thing. Costing around $180, it's not the kind of bottle you buy on a whim. Its rich flavors are lost on mixed drinks. Instead, it should be reserved for drinking straight. Possibly just on special occasions, depending on your budget.

"With intricate flavors of honey, citrus, and nutmeg, it delivers a premium tasting experience meant for mindful sipping," notes Torres, who also praises "its smoothness and lingering finish." It's made from a blend of rums that have been aged for a minimum of 21 years. That's a bottle that's of legal drinking age itself. Careful selection gives you a spirit that's amazingly flavorful, but with a subtlety and smoothness that some younger versions lack. Made from local sugarcane and limestone-filtered Jamaican water, this is a rum that couldn't be made anywhere else.

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One of Juyoung Kang's picks, Zacapa No. 23 is made from a blend of casks aged between six and 23 years. According to Kang, it's "a sweet-yet-complex, full-bodied sip" that's "great neat or on the rocks." The barrels it's aged in once housed sherry, Pedro Ximénez wine, or American whiskey, which adds to the flavor.

It has a softness on the nose, giving off aromas of caramel, vanilla, and hazelnuts. But, its flavors are slightly deeper and richer, including notes of dried fruit, oak, leather, and nutmeg. It's intense, but it isn't harsh, rounding itself off with some honey and butterscotch notes.

If you're looking for something you might reliably find on a night out, this one "graces most bar shelves," Kang tells us. But, it's also a relatively affordable bottle to buy for home, usually costing somewhere around $45 for a 750 milliliter bottle. It's a good sipper, that's reliably smooth, yet not so top shelf that you couldn't use it in carefully crafted cocktails.

If you're looking for an affordably priced rum that's great for sipping, this is the real deal. You get a lot of bang for your buck with Doorly's XO, which is made at the Foursquare distillery, known for its high-end rums. But, because it doesn't come with the Foursquare name, you'll find the price point more doable for your everyday buyer. At around $45 for a 700 milliliter bottle, it's on the lower end of the mid-range, but it tastes more expensive.

"Its balance between richness and subtle sweetness makes it an excellent introduction to sipping rums while still satisfying seasoned enthusiasts," Hilton Barbados Resort's director of food and beverage, Victor Torres, tells us. Aged in sherry casks, there are lots of big sweet flavors in this rum. It has notes of butterscotch, almond, and dried fruits, all of which combine to make it exceptionally drinkable. Yet, it's not so special that it's wasted on cocktails or other mixed drinks, making it a versatile pick.

Juyoung Kang notes that dark aged rum is usually the most sippable, but there are some outliers. Ten to One Caribbean White Rum is one of them. "For an unaged, white rum, this is a nice one to sip on," she tells us. Kang remarks on the "complex flavors of citrus, floral, and spice." Honeysuckle and jasmine give it some sweet floral flavors, while lemongrass and white pepper up the complexity.

"It has depth and character when drunk neat," says Kang, adding that it's also "crisp and dry in cocktails." Due to this, you can use it in place of gin in cocktails and get a similar effect, which is rare with rum. With a clean, mineral flavor, this is a refreshing spirit that's ideal for drinking straight in the warmer months. At less than $35 a bottle, it's reasonably priced, too. So, if you want a white rum that's sippable but also great in cocktails, this is the one.

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Aged for 18 years in oak bourbon barrels, Flor de Caña 18 is just as drinkable as you'd expect from a rum of this age. Unlike many on this list, it isn't a blend. This is a single estate rum, made from sugarcane grown on the site of the distillery, and aged there, too. This makes its flavors somewhat more subtle than a blended rum, but gives it a unique "terroir." It's produced in a volcanic region, which gives it a particularly smooth finish and nuanced flavor.

Alexis Soler rates this rum for sipping. It's "a really smooth Nicaraguan rum that's both dry and inviting, with comforting notes of light oak, butterscotch, and vanilla," she says. "It drinks light but reveals a delicate complexity as it opens up." At under $50 a bottle, it's affordable for an aged rum. It might not be as punchy as some, but its subtle flavors make it a prime contender for drinking straight.

Planteray Xaymaca is a Jamaican rum that's made in a pot still, a historic production method that gives it an especially intense and particular flavor. "This is the most versatile rum you can have on your shelf," remarks mixologist Juyoung Kang, who rates it as one of her favorite sipping rums.

"It has fruit notes and funk," says Kang. Jamaican rums use a fermented ingredient that makes them different. This is the funky element and one that causes it to stand out against sweeter and more spice-forward dark rums. This is a blend of rums from Long Pond and Clarendon distilleries, so you get the more intense notes of a blend but you know it's carefully selected to represent the flavors of the area.

With tasting notes of flambéed pineapple and black banana, this is a spirit with some punch to it. However, it perfectly walks the line between intense and too much. "It's not too sweet and almost reminds me of a high rye bourbon," Kang adds. While it's delicious neat or on the rocks, you can also use it in cocktails and other mixed drinks.

"Hampden Estate Overproof is a bold sipper designed for rum purists and adventurous tasters alike," says Victor Torres. At 60% alcohol by volume, this isn't a rum for the fainthearted. But, if you like a bit of fire with your drinks, it's the perfect choice.

"Its high proof intensity magnifies the full-bodied notes of tropical fruit and deep molasses," explains Torres. So, being strong doesn't detract from the flavor but rather accentuates it. "Though powerful, it remains authentically structured," he adds.

You get roasted banana, prune, and menthol on the nose, giving way to bitter orange and candied cherries on the palate. It has lots of roasty and smoky notes, as well, which helps keep it complex but balanced. It's all made on a single estate, which is rarer than blended rums. However, this doesn't make it any less complex than those made from blends. If you want something strong but still drinkable, this is your bottle.

Holmes Cay Belize 16 Year Single Cask was distilled back in 2006 in an antique column still, aged for 16 years in Belize, and then bottled by Holmes Cay. It's the kind of bottle that you'd crack out for a special occasion — smooth, balanced, and perfect for drinking neat. In fact, it would be wasted in a cocktail. Use the cheaper blends for that and save this one for sipping straight.

"This one took me by surprise," says Juyoung Kang. She remarks that it's "very complex yet well-balanced," getting some of its flavor from being aged in former bourbon barrels. "It's time and tradition that make this one a best buy," she tells us. All the work that went into it gives it exceptionally fruity flavors of peach and other stone fruit, but balanced by oak notes and rich cocoa.

Costing around $130, this is a rum for serious enthusiasts. It's "a bit on the pricier side, but hands down worth it," notes Kang. It's a limited edition, so if you want to give it a try, don't snooze on it.

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