The 5 Best Rums We Tasted in March 2023
There is an abundance of rums on the market with newcomers and established ones alike, it can become an overwhelming selection. Here at RumRaiders we taste and rate rums and give a standard easy-to-digest score to help with your path to the discovery of rums. So, at the end of each month, we like to take time to reflect and highlight the best rums we tried recently. Of all of the rums we tasted in March 2023, these were our five favorites.
Hampden Estate Great House 2022
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Hampden Estate has been distilling rum for around 256 years on the island of Jamaica, which has given the distillery the knowledge and skills to make spectacular rum. The Great House line exemplifies the distillery’s talent. The first Great House was first released in 2019 and 2022 is the fourth iteration of this series.
The Great House 2022 is a blend of marques bottled at 55% ABV. The blend features different marks and vintages, evolving with every annual edition. This rum is a blissful concoction that highlights funk with the flavors of papaya, pineapple and sweet cream. “Great House remains great, and 2022 is no exception,” stated our resident spirit critic, Jay West.
Holmes Cay Jamaican C<>H 2007 Single Cask
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Holmes Cay is an independent bottler focusing on single-origin rums from all over the world. The single cask 2007 comes from the renowned Hampden Estate Distillery in Jamaica.
With a 65.9% ABV, this rum doesn’t hold back, with a punch of ethanol on the palette that mellows into rich tropical fruit. This bottling has the funk element that is typical of Jamaican rums but is rounded out with notes of honey and lime. Rum Raiders spirits critic, Jay West described this rum as “A funky daiquiri in a glass”
Oxbow Barrel Aged
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Oxbow Rum Distillery out of Louisiana uses single-origin cane from the family-owned estate to produce high-quality molasses and fresh cane juice rums. The distillery showcases a unique flavor profile that can be directly linked to the land where it is made in the Mississippi delta.
The Barrel Aged rum is aged for a minimum of two years in new American oak barrels similar to the style of bourbon. The 95-proof rum has a nice viscosity that sits well on the palette. It presents flavors of maple and tropical fruits mingling together with char to create an extremely sippable rum.
Two James Doctor Bird Pineapple Rum
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Two James Distillery may be located in Detroit, but that hasn’t stopped them from sourcing Jamaican rum that it ages at their facilities in Michigan. The Doctor Bird rums are imported from several different Jamaican sources and shipped back to Detroit where they are artfully blended and aged in special Moscatel barrique.
The 57% pineapple rum competes with even the most well-known of Pineapple rums, Plantation’s Stiggin’s Fancy. It packs a punch of pineapple without feeling artificial and features notes of apples with a creamy sweetness of light brown sugar and faint pepper. If you are looking for a flavored rum that won’t disappoint then look no further than the Doctor Bird Pineapple.
Hampden Estate Overproof
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Another hit from cult-favorite Hampden Estate further shows the distilleries diversity of spectacular rums. This overproof is like nothing that has come before. It is aged for a number of years in tropical climates giving it a strong character developed by the barrels.
Standing with a 60% ABV it is still surprisingly drinkable. Jay West, Rum Raiders critic said that “the heat on the palate is shockingly mild,” and that it is “an easy sipper.” Notes of the wood and char come through from the length of aging but combine with tastes of fruit like mango and pineapple. This is an amazing overproof that won’t disappoint adventurous drinkers who are willing to try the higher proof rums.
Read Next:
Monthly Roundup: Top Whiskeys Released in March 2023
6 Superb Women-Owned Rum Brands To Discover This Women’s History Month – And All Year!
The 5 Best Rums for Bourbon Drinkers in 2023
The 3 Best Cocktails Made for an Aries
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