Rum maintains a long-standing history with navies around the world that grew out of it, including Britain’s Royal Navy and the US Navy. It is a practice that was inherited from the Royal Navy that was eventually phased out in the mid-19th century.
The Royal Navy’s West Indies squadron in Jamaica began the tradition in 1655, and by 1731, it had spread to the rest of the British fleet. Rum has the advantage of keeping indefinitely and takes up less room on board. It is also cheap to buy. And was being produced in large quantities in the British West Indies then.
Navy Rum also came as a byproduct of the booming sugar industry. Rum was therefore doled out every day for British sailors to prevent scurvy. This practice started well after the adoption of the daily rum ration and continued.
The world of liquors made for slow savoring is far wider than a bottle of whiskey, brandy, or cognac when you think of sipping a nightcap. Smooth, decadent aged rums and Rhum agricoles have long been overlooked but have now been garnering spirit lovers’ attention in recent years.
Best Navy Rum Categories
With the ultra-premium rum category growing more than 6% year after year Rum is said to have accounted for $2.3 billion in sales in 2019. Following along the train of whiskey, Rum is finally going to be the next big spirit. You do not have to look any further than the release of a 25-year-old Pappy Van Winkle bourbon if you need any evidence of luxury dominance of whiskey.
Here are some of the best Navy Rum varieties. So come, and see for yourself why rum is poised to become the next liquor appealing to sippers worldwide.
The Finest Navy Rum Varieties
- Flor de Caña 18 Year Rum: Flor de Caña is translated as “Sugarcane Flower”. Even in its older expressions, it is extremely affordable. Sippers can nevertheless prepare for a rich, lush rum with notes of banana, caramel, and sex. This 18-year-old Nicaraguan rum is truly outstanding and you could sit back to watch the world go by in hues of vanilla, dried fruit & cinnamon.
- Brugal 1888 Rum: Brugal is one of the smoothest rums on the market. In the Dominican Republic, Brugal double-distills and double-matures. This liquid then matures in American white oak ex-bourbon barrels. And then first filled in Spanish sherry oak casks from four to 14 years. The resulting blend of Brugal rums has candied apricot on the nose along with dried fruits and vanilla with a dry, slightly tannic finish. It will definitely appeal to red wine devotees.
- Santa Teresa 1796 Rum: Santa Teresa is a unique Venezuelan rum. It is aged in the solera process made famous by sherry producers in Spain. Blending older and newer expressions for a nuanced and complex liquor, the spirit is systematically rotated through a series of barrels. As a result, Santa Teresa is rich with hints of honey, tobacco, and dried fruits.
- Mount Gay Extra Old Rum: The XO version of Mount Gay is far from standard. It’s famous red hats and a blend of rums from 8 to 15 years old. Add a cube of ice to bring out its “dry banana sweetness, light spice, and complexity.
- Facundo Paraiso: It is a gold medal-winning blended dark rum from the Bacardi spirits family. Made from carefully chosen from 300 options, including some aged as much as 23 years of four different rum varieties, Facundo Paraiso rums are mixed, carbon filtered. It is then rested in French oak casks for a smooth rum. It results in a redolent of vanilla and caramel with just a hint of spice. Excellent if you are looking to switch up your nightly snifter-of-brandy routine.
- Appleton Estate 21 Year Jamaican Rum: A true sipping rum, the Jamaican-based Appleton Estate uses a blend of rums to create this flagship offering. The 21-year-old Jamaican spirit shows its complexity best with a bit of ice or water and has aromas of orange peel, cocoa, and coffee.
- Parce Rum 12-Year-Old Straight Colombian Rum: It is a 12-year-old Colombian rum having a lot of wood right off the nose. And caramel from its bourbon barrel aging. Add some ice to detect a subtle sweetness and spice.
- XO Rum Solera Gran Reserva Especial: Made with virgin sugar cane honey, instead of molasses, like most rums, this rum is a blend of Guatemalan rums from 6 years to 25 years old. French oak barrels that previously held cognac are subsequently used for aging. To bring out flavors of toasted wood, spice, and dried fruits, it is best served neat or over one ice cube.
- Pusser’s British Navy Gunpowder Proof Rum: Open a bottle of this high-proof rum from the British Virgin Islands, if you want to really drink like a sailor. Modelled on the precise recipe that the British Royal Navy used for its sailor’s daily rum ration, it’s a powerful sip at over 100-proof. However, tone it down with an ice cube if you’re not feeling naval. This rum is balanced by notes of brown sugar, vanilla, and citrus rind.
- El Dorado Port Mourant Single Still Rum: Small batches of this rum are made in original double wooden pot stills. It is the only one of its kind still in operation in the whole world. Balanced out by notes of toffee, this rum still imparts a unique aroma of toasty spices and tropical fruits.
Navy Rum & Health
Navy Rum is a blood thinner and can prevent peripheral artery diseases. Consuming rum can increase good cholesterol which is also known as HDL cholesterol. Rum can also help to prevent heart attacks and heart disease by combating artery blockages..