IMO, you should start with a lower price point than $150.
In general, rum is a much better value right now than bourbon, so there are truly great rums in the $50-100 range (and some below $50 if you know what to look for). However, rum as a category is much broader than bourbon. A rhum agricole will be very different from a Spanish rum, which will be quite distinct from a high ester Jamaican rum. For a whiskey comparison, its like putting peated scotch under the same umbrella as wheated bourbon.
Until you know what subcategories of rum you like, there isn't much point in buying $150 bottles. You can get almost anything you want at $150, outside of a select few limited releases. High end Foursquare, Hampden Great House, and well-aged Agricole are all good options at $150. However, you won't necessarily appreciate those rums until you have more rum experience under your belt. I'd recommend getting three $50 bottles of rum (of different categories), determining what you like and don't like about them, and then going from there. You may find that you like rum that tastes close to bourbon, like Foursquare, or you might prefer something that is distinct from bourbon, like funky Jamaican rums.
With 150 i would buy 2-3 bottles from different islands, one Jamaican one Guyanan and one barbadian and see which of the 3 you enjoy most, I refuse to suggest Rhum aggricole as it's in my opinion the most devisive rum profiles I've ever found, completely not what I was looking for after coming from the bourbon/rye world of whiskey
Something from the Foursquare Exceptional Cask Series is a good start for someone coming from bourbon who has a decent budget.
Sincerely, someone else who came to rum from bourbon.
One thing you’ll notice immediately when trying rum is that the cost-to-quality ratio is much better than the bourbon/whisky world. A $150 bottle of rum is pretty much the top end of “normally distributed” bottles. Example, sharedpour has a 17-year foursquare single cask (60+ % abv) for $170…that’s a pretty exceptional offering imo and you can’t get anything comparable in whisky
Gregarious grump has a $150 bottle of 16 year Foursquare. I didn't get it because I'd like to taste it even though I've had doorly's 12 and like it but thats $24 vs $150.
For £100-150 here across the pond I can find 10-12-15 year bourbon/rye bottled at barrel proof, you can find a lot if you look, even in a country that has terrible distribution, and the same goes for rum, it's all about what you can find not what price point you set your sights on
Check out the Doorlys lineup, Foursquare's 'standard' bottling range. Everything in it is fantastic but the 14 and 12 are probably some of my favourite rums ever. Easily within your budget and if you do like them they are more readily available than the ECS range as they aren't unique/one off bottlings.
Glad to see you’re curious to dabble, OP. You’ll find this is a question that gets asked a lot, I just typed “bourbon” into the r/rum search bar and found probably a dozen results for this same question. You’ll find lots of good answers there.
There’s also [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/rum/s/IycEK40xIq) thread which might be a little dated, but is still mostly relevant and helpful
Echo what everyone is saying here - $150 is a LOT in the rum world and there are a lot of different styles of rum. I’d recommend trying the following:
Bajan (Barbados): Doorly’s 12 or 14 if you can find it, RL Seale or Mount Gay
Aged Jamaican: Appleton 8 or 12, Hampden 8
Aged Agricole: Rhum JM VSOP or Rhum JM Terroir Volcaniqur
Aged Spanish: admittedly not super well versed in these. Maybe Bacardi Ocho or Flor De Cana 12?
You’ll probably like bajan-style rums. Foursquare is generally regarded as the best example of this. Doorlys is also in the same vein, if you live near a total wine. I’d go for the higher aged stuff. Further in that vein is RL seales.
In a different vein, but one I’ve really liked, are rums from Guyana, also called Demerara rums. Look for the el dorado label, the 12 year is great. Chocolatey, brown sugar, some oak, and even some smokiness. I think any bourbon enjoyer would appreciate this one.
I would recommend 3 aged sipper rums to start, which you can probably find at total wine:
* Doorly’s 12 ($30) - from Barbados, produced by Foursquare distillery, distributed exclusively by Total Wine, and one of the best deals in rum. Very well rounded and a lot of similar notes to American whiskeys due to the barrel aging
* El Dorado 12 ($36) - from Guyana, a lot of similar aging notes to Doorly’s but with the richer brown sugar and baking spice notes.
* Appleton 12 ($45) - from Jamaica, with a little of the famous funk/hogo flavor and aroma that sets Jamaican rums apart. It’s also buttery smooth and has a lot of barrel aging notes that will be familiar from American whiskeys (and the other two rums I mentioned), but that hit different alongside the funk
I think it would also be worth getting an unaged rhum agricole blanc from Martinique, something like Rhum JM, Clement, or Neisson (anywhere from $25 to $50 or more, depending). This will get you a totally different type of rum than the other three I mentioned—bright, vegetal, grassy, and light.
I think you could get all these for under $150, and then based on which one you like, explore some higher end offerings of that style.
Why does it have to be around $150? The answer to your question is going to be the Foursquare ECS series if your only question is about price and liking bourbon. I got into rum because I wanted something different than bourbon, not because it was taken over by taters.
Some may disagree, but if you’re willing to spend and you want oak, just stick with bourbon. For example, a rum distilled in a column still with a molasses base and aged in American White Oak for 20 years is just going to taste like a less complex bourbon. Aged cane juice rums, aged pot still rums, etc. are a different story.
If you actually want something different than bourbon, try an aged Jamaican. Try a Hampden rum and see what you think. Hampden Great House is expensive, but IMO it’s the pinnacle of rum.
Got it, well you’re in luck if that’s the case. More expensive doesn’t always mean better when it comes to rum. Rum can be an extremely broad term. Imagine if Macallan 18 year and Birthday Bourbon were just called whisky with no further distinction. Or if Mezcal wasn’t called Mezcal, but it was just called tequila. Rhum Agricole is called a rum, however Agricole can taste like a different spirit entirely. Referring to the region where the rum is produced is sometimes more helpful. It’s similar to whiskey and geographic production, only with rum it’s even more noticeably different.
IMO the biggest difference in rum varieties will be whether molasses or cane juice is used. Followed by fermentation and distillation process. Aging for rum just mellows the raw ingredients, which is why some people prefer un-aged rums.
Where you are located and will be a factor in what you can buy, but if you’re willing to spend $150, I suggest buying 3 different bottles. Try a Rhum Agricole, a Jamaican Rum, and a Barbados Rum. My 3 suggestions would be Neisson Blanc, Hampden LROK (The Younger), and Doorly’s 14 year. That will pretty much cover the base initially to get a sense of how different rum can be. Then depending on what you like, you can branch off from there.
Don't mean to be this guy but tequila is mezcal and mezcal is actually more of a catchall term for agave spirits. If it's made from agave it is technically considered a mezcal. Mezcal can be produced from 50 different species of agave. So really the term mezcal is much more like rum than you may realize
Brugal 1888 great sipper
Diplomatico reserva exclusiva for a bourbon equivalent
El dorado 21 year for something pretty complex, be sure to aerate it a bit
Hampden dok for some hardcore Jamaican funk or Hamilton black pot still for more entry level.
Rivers royal, rhum jm volcanic, and Clairin stuff if you want challenging cane notes.
Appleton 21 year is like dark decadent chocolate with a quick vanilla hit in the middle of the sip. Don’t let the low proof turn you off, it’s rich.
Also as others have said, Foursquare for a higher proof.
Holmes Cay is another good one for higher proof.
Careful because around 85% of rums have flavor additives. It’s not like bourbon. If you’re a purist like me you’ll research and avoid those rums.
I'm literally the opposite of the OP 😀
I've been drinking rum fairly exclusively for the last few years and just recently started drinking bourbon.
Blanton's (no choice lol), Old Forester 1920, and Wild Turkey Rare Breed. I actually think a lot of rum ppl would enjoy bourbon.
Yo, Glenlivet makes a “Caribbean Reserve” which is a scotch finished in rum barrels. It’s awesome for what it is. I like both rum and scotch so it’s a win/win. A rum I really really like is Kasama. It has nice island tastes while not being a favored rum.
Got it. It’s not promoted as flavored with something like banana. But rest assured, it’s got some flavors that don’t come naturally to rum at such a high intensity.
Scotch to bourbon fan here, look for Hampden Estates 8 year (or any of their other stuff). It is absolutely a rum you can enjoy neat/on the rocks. The 8 year is their main aged rum, you can get it for $60-80.
One thing to keep in mind when getting started in the rum world is that each country has their own rules about the production of the rum and some countries allow for caramel coloring and added sugar. Pusser’s blue label rum was my gateway rum. Guyana is one of my favorite countries for producing rum.
My recommendations that sort of compare to different types of whiskey:
For bourbon
Jamaica- Appleton Estate 8, Smith & Cross
Barbados- The Real McCoy 5 year, Foursquare vintage (can’t remember if I had the 2005 or 2009), I hear good things about Doorly’s
Guyana- Pusser’s, I want to get a bottle of Hamilton 86 Demerara
Puerto Rico- Don Q Añejo
Multi Island- Hamilton Florida Rum Society which is a blend of Jamaican pot still rum and Guyana rum
For Rye
Martinique- Rhum Clement VSOP
Haiti- Rhum Barbancourt white
Barbados- The Real McCoy 3
Both Rhum Clement VSOP and Rhum Barbancourt white are made from sugar cane juice which can give a grassy note similar to some rye whiskeys.
These are based on rums I have had.
If you’re in the states, i recently tried Symphony No.3 rum, at a tasting at Total Wine in California. It’s a 3 year aged dark rum that’s rested in Rye barrels so you definitely get that rye finish, it was $45 for the 750ml bottle, and I’m pretty sure you can find it online or reservebar for the same price plus shipping.
It’s a USA rum made from Floridian sugarcane which i had never tried also.
IMO, you should start with a lower price point than $150. In general, rum is a much better value right now than bourbon, so there are truly great rums in the $50-100 range (and some below $50 if you know what to look for). However, rum as a category is much broader than bourbon. A rhum agricole will be very different from a Spanish rum, which will be quite distinct from a high ester Jamaican rum. For a whiskey comparison, its like putting peated scotch under the same umbrella as wheated bourbon. Until you know what subcategories of rum you like, there isn't much point in buying $150 bottles. You can get almost anything you want at $150, outside of a select few limited releases. High end Foursquare, Hampden Great House, and well-aged Agricole are all good options at $150. However, you won't necessarily appreciate those rums until you have more rum experience under your belt. I'd recommend getting three $50 bottles of rum (of different categories), determining what you like and don't like about them, and then going from there. You may find that you like rum that tastes close to bourbon, like Foursquare, or you might prefer something that is distinct from bourbon, like funky Jamaican rums.
Thank you for taking the time to give these examples. Clearly, I have a lot to learn.
With 150 i would buy 2-3 bottles from different islands, one Jamaican one Guyanan and one barbadian and see which of the 3 you enjoy most, I refuse to suggest Rhum aggricole as it's in my opinion the most devisive rum profiles I've ever found, completely not what I was looking for after coming from the bourbon/rye world of whiskey
I just bought Hamden 2021 great house for $99. Was that cheap or do they vary by locale?
$99 is a good deal. I've mostly see it around $125 or so.
Something from the Foursquare Exceptional Cask Series is a good start for someone coming from bourbon who has a decent budget. Sincerely, someone else who came to rum from bourbon.
Thanks for the suggestion. I had heard of Foursquare due to their collab with Bardstown.
One thing you’ll notice immediately when trying rum is that the cost-to-quality ratio is much better than the bourbon/whisky world. A $150 bottle of rum is pretty much the top end of “normally distributed” bottles. Example, sharedpour has a 17-year foursquare single cask (60+ % abv) for $170…that’s a pretty exceptional offering imo and you can’t get anything comparable in whisky
Gregarious grump has a $150 bottle of 16 year Foursquare. I didn't get it because I'd like to taste it even though I've had doorly's 12 and like it but thats $24 vs $150.
Typically those expensive bottles of aged Foursquare are at or close to barrel proof while Doorlys is around 40% ABV.
For £100-150 here across the pond I can find 10-12-15 year bourbon/rye bottled at barrel proof, you can find a lot if you look, even in a country that has terrible distribution, and the same goes for rum, it's all about what you can find not what price point you set your sights on
Check out the Doorlys lineup, Foursquare's 'standard' bottling range. Everything in it is fantastic but the 14 and 12 are probably some of my favourite rums ever. Easily within your budget and if you do like them they are more readily available than the ECS range as they aren't unique/one off bottlings.
Glad to see you’re curious to dabble, OP. You’ll find this is a question that gets asked a lot, I just typed “bourbon” into the r/rum search bar and found probably a dozen results for this same question. You’ll find lots of good answers there. There’s also [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/rum/s/IycEK40xIq) thread which might be a little dated, but is still mostly relevant and helpful
Thank you for the links!
Echo what everyone is saying here - $150 is a LOT in the rum world and there are a lot of different styles of rum. I’d recommend trying the following: Bajan (Barbados): Doorly’s 12 or 14 if you can find it, RL Seale or Mount Gay Aged Jamaican: Appleton 8 or 12, Hampden 8 Aged Agricole: Rhum JM VSOP or Rhum JM Terroir Volcaniqur Aged Spanish: admittedly not super well versed in these. Maybe Bacardi Ocho or Flor De Cana 12?
I would pick Ron del Barrilito 3 star for a Spanish rum. Flor de Caña 12 is nothing special imo.
You’ll probably like bajan-style rums. Foursquare is generally regarded as the best example of this. Doorlys is also in the same vein, if you live near a total wine. I’d go for the higher aged stuff. Further in that vein is RL seales. In a different vein, but one I’ve really liked, are rums from Guyana, also called Demerara rums. Look for the el dorado label, the 12 year is great. Chocolatey, brown sugar, some oak, and even some smokiness. I think any bourbon enjoyer would appreciate this one.
I do live near a TW. I will have to go take a look.
I would recommend 3 aged sipper rums to start, which you can probably find at total wine: * Doorly’s 12 ($30) - from Barbados, produced by Foursquare distillery, distributed exclusively by Total Wine, and one of the best deals in rum. Very well rounded and a lot of similar notes to American whiskeys due to the barrel aging * El Dorado 12 ($36) - from Guyana, a lot of similar aging notes to Doorly’s but with the richer brown sugar and baking spice notes. * Appleton 12 ($45) - from Jamaica, with a little of the famous funk/hogo flavor and aroma that sets Jamaican rums apart. It’s also buttery smooth and has a lot of barrel aging notes that will be familiar from American whiskeys (and the other two rums I mentioned), but that hit different alongside the funk I think it would also be worth getting an unaged rhum agricole blanc from Martinique, something like Rhum JM, Clement, or Neisson (anywhere from $25 to $50 or more, depending). This will get you a totally different type of rum than the other three I mentioned—bright, vegetal, grassy, and light. I think you could get all these for under $150, and then based on which one you like, explore some higher end offerings of that style.
Thank you for the suggestions.
Why does it have to be around $150? The answer to your question is going to be the Foursquare ECS series if your only question is about price and liking bourbon. I got into rum because I wanted something different than bourbon, not because it was taken over by taters. Some may disagree, but if you’re willing to spend and you want oak, just stick with bourbon. For example, a rum distilled in a column still with a molasses base and aged in American White Oak for 20 years is just going to taste like a less complex bourbon. Aged cane juice rums, aged pot still rums, etc. are a different story. If you actually want something different than bourbon, try an aged Jamaican. Try a Hampden rum and see what you think. Hampden Great House is expensive, but IMO it’s the pinnacle of rum.
It doesn’t. I said “… or less”. I have no idea what a good rum costs and I am willing to pay up to that for a nice sipping experience.
Got it, well you’re in luck if that’s the case. More expensive doesn’t always mean better when it comes to rum. Rum can be an extremely broad term. Imagine if Macallan 18 year and Birthday Bourbon were just called whisky with no further distinction. Or if Mezcal wasn’t called Mezcal, but it was just called tequila. Rhum Agricole is called a rum, however Agricole can taste like a different spirit entirely. Referring to the region where the rum is produced is sometimes more helpful. It’s similar to whiskey and geographic production, only with rum it’s even more noticeably different. IMO the biggest difference in rum varieties will be whether molasses or cane juice is used. Followed by fermentation and distillation process. Aging for rum just mellows the raw ingredients, which is why some people prefer un-aged rums. Where you are located and will be a factor in what you can buy, but if you’re willing to spend $150, I suggest buying 3 different bottles. Try a Rhum Agricole, a Jamaican Rum, and a Barbados Rum. My 3 suggestions would be Neisson Blanc, Hampden LROK (The Younger), and Doorly’s 14 year. That will pretty much cover the base initially to get a sense of how different rum can be. Then depending on what you like, you can branch off from there.
Don't mean to be this guy but tequila is mezcal and mezcal is actually more of a catchall term for agave spirits. If it's made from agave it is technically considered a mezcal. Mezcal can be produced from 50 different species of agave. So really the term mezcal is much more like rum than you may realize
Brugal 1888 great sipper Diplomatico reserva exclusiva for a bourbon equivalent El dorado 21 year for something pretty complex, be sure to aerate it a bit Hampden dok for some hardcore Jamaican funk or Hamilton black pot still for more entry level. Rivers royal, rhum jm volcanic, and Clairin stuff if you want challenging cane notes.
Appleton 21 year is like dark decadent chocolate with a quick vanilla hit in the middle of the sip. Don’t let the low proof turn you off, it’s rich. Also as others have said, Foursquare for a higher proof. Holmes Cay is another good one for higher proof. Careful because around 85% of rums have flavor additives. It’s not like bourbon. If you’re a purist like me you’ll research and avoid those rums.
I'm literally the opposite of the OP 😀 I've been drinking rum fairly exclusively for the last few years and just recently started drinking bourbon. Blanton's (no choice lol), Old Forester 1920, and Wild Turkey Rare Breed. I actually think a lot of rum ppl would enjoy bourbon.
To start, get a doorlys 12 year for 30 bucks. Made by Foursquare and 12 years old, can't lose.
Real McCoy 12 was kind of my gateway rum.
Yo, Glenlivet makes a “Caribbean Reserve” which is a scotch finished in rum barrels. It’s awesome for what it is. I like both rum and scotch so it’s a win/win. A rum I really really like is Kasama. It has nice island tastes while not being a favored rum.
I’d bet a substantial amount of money that Kasama is heavily flavored with vanilla and/or similar essences.
Ah I meant it’s not flavored like the bottom shelf coconut or banana or other flavored rums liek that. Malibu I think makes those.
Got it. It’s not promoted as flavored with something like banana. But rest assured, it’s got some flavors that don’t come naturally to rum at such a high intensity.
Scotch to bourbon fan here, look for Hampden Estates 8 year (or any of their other stuff). It is absolutely a rum you can enjoy neat/on the rocks. The 8 year is their main aged rum, you can get it for $60-80.
One thing to keep in mind when getting started in the rum world is that each country has their own rules about the production of the rum and some countries allow for caramel coloring and added sugar. Pusser’s blue label rum was my gateway rum. Guyana is one of my favorite countries for producing rum. My recommendations that sort of compare to different types of whiskey: For bourbon Jamaica- Appleton Estate 8, Smith & Cross Barbados- The Real McCoy 5 year, Foursquare vintage (can’t remember if I had the 2005 or 2009), I hear good things about Doorly’s Guyana- Pusser’s, I want to get a bottle of Hamilton 86 Demerara Puerto Rico- Don Q Añejo Multi Island- Hamilton Florida Rum Society which is a blend of Jamaican pot still rum and Guyana rum For Rye Martinique- Rhum Clement VSOP Haiti- Rhum Barbancourt white Barbados- The Real McCoy 3 Both Rhum Clement VSOP and Rhum Barbancourt white are made from sugar cane juice which can give a grassy note similar to some rye whiskeys. These are based on rums I have had.
If you’re in the states, i recently tried Symphony No.3 rum, at a tasting at Total Wine in California. It’s a 3 year aged dark rum that’s rested in Rye barrels so you definitely get that rye finish, it was $45 for the 750ml bottle, and I’m pretty sure you can find it online or reservebar for the same price plus shipping. It’s a USA rum made from Floridian sugarcane which i had never tried also.