Rums

A relaunch of Havana Club's Cuban Barrel Proof edition, Selección de Maestros has benefited from an eye-catching packaging upgrade and is bottled at 45% for extra oomph. The Gold Medal-winning liquid inside Havana Club Selección de Maestros remains the same as for the old Cuban Barrel Proof - as the name suggests, the casks have been hand-picked by the maestros roneros from the company's finest aged stocks. The rums selected by the maestros roneros are finished in special casks chosen for their aromatic properties before being bottled at a higher strength than the standard range for a more intense, immediate flavour on the palate.

Honeyed single estate rum from Venezuela with elements of bitter chocolate, nuts and buttery biscuits. It is made, unusually for a rum, through the solera process: casks of different aged rums are stacked vertically, the oldest (aged around 35 years) at the bottom, and as the distiller draws rum from one cask they top it up with younger liquid from the blend. Santa Teresa 1796 was awarded Best in Category (Aged Rums 15+) at the International Cane Spirits Festival 2007 and is best enjoyed over ice or mixed with mineral water.

The Duppy Share Rum is a blend of three-year-old Jamaican rum and five-year-old Barbadian rum, which is aged in ex-bourbon barrels. A tasty mix of tropical fruit and subtle oak flavours.

A fabulous Venezuelan dark golden rum, distilled from molasses in a copper potstill before 12 years of ageing. Rich, sweet and fruity, just how we like 'em. Fantastic quality for the money, Diplomatico was awarded a Gold Medal at the 2007 Ministry of Rum Tasting Competition.

A blend of 12-year-old rums from Foursquare distillery in Barbados, matured in ex-bourbon and ex-Madeira casks. This single traditional blended rum (a blend of pot- and column-distilled rums from the same distillery) is part of the wildly – and deservedly – popular Exceptional Cask Selection series, which also includes notable bottles such as Foursquare 2005, Dominus, and Empery.

A truly superb dark golden rum made in Bermuda by Goslings, who are of course much more famous for their Black Seal rum of Dark 'N' Stormy fame. To overlook this complex sipper would be a mistake, however - we think it's a hidden gem.

Matured for a decade under the Caribbean sun, Bacardi Diez Gran Reserva is a rich, fruity rum with notes of peaches, plums, overripe banana, pear and caramelised vanilla.

Released by independent bottler Velier in 2018, this 12-year-old rum from Jamaica's Long Pond distillery bears a reproduction of the ester classification used by the Vale Royal Distillery to denote rums with 150/250 gr/hlpa. This is the most accessible of the four Long Pond rums released by Velier in 2018 and has intensely fruity notes alongside damp earth, flowers, caramel and hazelnuts.

The world’s first exclusively-bottled Mount Gay rum: cask-strength and blended from both pot- and column-still spirit from the Mount Gay distillery. This is a big and bold Barbadian rum, the island’s tropical Caribbean climate dialling Mount Gay's classic, naturally-sweet butterscotch and tropical fruit flavours up to 11, and adding layers of complexity and nuance. Aged for seven years and blended from carefully selected casks, it balances fruity spirit against sweet and spicy oak for a rum sure to appeal to whisky connoisseurs just as much as rum fans. Available only at The Whisky Exchange.

This white rum from Velier's Habitation range has been fermented for an incredible three months, which has led to an extremely aromatic and powerful spirit with notes of clove, ginger and coconut milk.