Spiced and Flavoured Rum

Spiced and flavoured rums are enjoying a renaissance as a flavour-filled characterful base for mixed drinks and cocktails. Expect everything from flavours of vanilla, ginger, clove and cinnamon – all exotic spices that conjure up sunny skies and warm climates – to traditional flavours like coconut, caramel and banana, and more leftfield fruits like strawberries and mangoes.

How Should I Drink Spiced Rum?

Spiced rums are rich and robust, so either drink them long with your favourite mixer – they have more than enough flavour to cope with being diluted – or use them as the basis for a rum cocktail, where they'll add a rich spiciness to the final drink. Using spiced rum in a Dark 'n' Stormy, for example, would be a great partner for ginger beer.

Famous brands

There a number of spiced rum brands that have become household names: Sailor Jerry, Captain Morgan and more recently, Kraken. Sailor Jerry toned down its vanilla and lime elements a number of years ago, whereas Kraken has seen a remarkable rise to fame since its 2010 launch.

Did you know?

• Captain Morgan was based on a real person: Sir Henry Morgan, a Welshman who sailed the seas, embarking on daring raids.
• Sailor Jerry was the nickname of noted tattoo artist, Norman Collins, a man who joined the Navy in his teens and was obsessed with sailing.