NEAT SIPPING RUMS
THE BEST RUMS TO START
YOUR RUM JOURNEY
WHERE TO START
Are you looking to upgrade your Spiced Rums and
start sipping some proper Rums? Well, hopefully this
PDF will help you on your journey.
None of these Rums should break the bank, nor
should they be too challenging. I think this list of 10 is
a great journey, starting with the slightly sweeter
ones to ease you in, going up to the really
accessible sippers.
You can try each of these Rums in turn, working up
to the Doorlys 12 or the Appleton 12, or you can skip
a few. But I will say, if you are used to the sweeter
Spiced stuff, going straight in to say Plantation XO
or El Dorado 12 may be a bit of a shock. But saying
this, I don't think any are out of reach to the average
Rum Fan.
STEVETHEBARMAN
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01 DON PAPA
I think this is the perfect step up
from Spiced Rums, albeit I would
actually class this as a Spiced
Rum. Heavily Vanilla forward and
Sweet, but does have more Rum
to it than many Spiced Rums.
02
DIPLOMATICO
Probably the sweetest of all the "Proper
Rums" on the market. No Spices or
Flavourings, just Sugar added and this is
why it's widely loved. It's just a decent
unflavoured, sweeter Rum. The Perfect
gateway Rum.
03
RON ABUELO 12
Yeah, it might look like we're going
right up to the 12yo Rums really
quickly, but this is a really good Aged
Rum, but still with that Sweet hit.
Nowhere near as sweet as
Diplomatico, but again a great
stepping stone to the less sweet.
Kind of easing you in.
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04 BACARDI 8
A really easy-going Rum, from a
great brand. A big fan of many
people. Even though the
sweetness is really stripped back,
it really is a great Rum that stands
up to sipping neat, as well as it
does Cocktails and Mixed Drinks.
05
FLOR DE CANA 12
This is such great value for money.
Unsweetened, but really
approachable. Many peoples early
Sipping Rum. And many peoples
favourite even after a few years of
drinking Rum. No harsh bite, or heavy
alcohol kick. Just sit back and enjoy.
Also cheap enough for Cocktails too.
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06 PLANTATION XO
While we are going back up the
Sweetness scales with this in
terms of added Sugar, I actually
think this is a great Sipping Rum.
It's not actually that sweet But
does have bags of flavour. At the
price, it's deffo is not a Mixing or
Cocktail Rum. But it really has so
many loyal fans.
07
EL DORADO 12
The first distinctive style of Rum. Guyana
Rums are something different. Rich
Demerara and Caramel notes. Less Sugar
added. Very approachable. And El Dorado
12yo is regarded by many as the pinnacle
of the brand. You'll start to pick up Coffee,
Chocolate and rich Dried Fruit notes from
this Rum, instead of the lighter, Tropical
Fruit vibes.
08
HAVANA SELECCION DE
MAESTROS
Havana & Cuba's sipping Rum is an
absolute belter. So different from the 7yo.
It's totally different style from El Dorado,
with more Woody, Tobacco notes and
more Spice. But still with plenty of Dried
Fruit. There's also a lovely punch of Vanilla
which makes this a great Neat Sipper!
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09 DOORLY'S 12
Now we're getting to the real Rum
fans, entry-level sippers. Doorly's is
the basic Foursquare Rums. No Sugar
Added. Plenty of Wood & Oak. Plenty
of Dried Fruit. But also lovely Tropical
fruit notes of Coconut. Despite the
zero added Sugar, you do get a lovely
element of sweetness from the rum.
10
APPLETON 12
Many people may disagree with me here,
but when it comes to Accessible, under
£50 Rums, that really won't be a step too
far for a relatively new Rum Drinker, I
really don't think you can beat Appleton
12yo. I mean there's a strong case for
having the Appleton 8yo in here too.
Maybe around the Bacardi 8yo level.
IS THIS THE BEST LIST ?
With this list, I wanted to give you a variety of Styles without going too OTT. For
example a pure Jamaica Pot Still, even a young one, I think would still be one to try
AFTER you've gone down this route. So this list comprises mainly of Molasses Rums
made via Column Still, or a Blend of Column & Pot. We'll save Cane Juice Rum and
100% Pot Still Rum for another day!
Of course, there are 100s of other Rums that could EASILY make this list. Literally 100s.
Everyone would give you a different list including their favourites. But I wanted to give
to as much of an unbiased list as possible, all with a mind that potentially most of you
reading and embarking on this journey will probably come from the Spiced Rum world!
if you embar on this journey, I'd love to hear from you, so let me know what you think as
you try the Rums.
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