Rum’s increasing popularity is due in part to its extreme diversity of styles and each brand’s production methods and preferred flavor profile. Here, five bottles of rum to buy.
Plantation 3 Stars Rum
Sourced from Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad and blended by Cognac Ferrand in France, this white rum is full of tropical fruit, buttery caramel and light baking spice. $25. Randall’s Wine and Spirits, 1910 S. Jefferson Ave., St.Louis, 314.865.0199, shoprandalls.com
Caña Brava Rum
This Cuban-style, dry white rum is sourced from Panama. Aged for three years in uncharred oak barrels, it’s loaded with floral, honey, cinnamon and citrus notes. $33. Parker’s Table, 7118 Oakland Ave., Richmond Heights, 314.645.2050, parkerstable.com
Hamilton Jamaican Pot Still Black Rum
This robust rum amps up the typical Jamaican funkiness. It has vegetal and ripe banana notes and is colored with double-strength black-sugar caramel. $22. The Wine & Cheese Place, 7435 Forsyth Blvd., Clayton, 314.727.8788,wineandcheeseplace.com
El Dorado 5-year Rum
El Dorado blends this rum from Guyana using multiple stills. It imparts complex caramel, butterscotch, vanilla and dried fruit flavor. $17. The Wine & Cheese Place, 7435 Forsyth Blvd., Clayton, 314.727.8788, wineandcheeseplace.com
Rhum J.M. V.S.O.P.
Showcasing estate-grown sugarcane from Martinique, this rhum’s complex flavor comes from aging four-plus years in re-charred bourbon barrels and new, lightly charred oak barrels. Banana, floral, honey, nougat, spice, citrus and toffee notes abound. $37. Parker’s Table, 7118 Oakland Ave., Richmond Heights, 314.645.2050, parkerstable.com
This article appears in September 2015.