Spiced Rum comes in for a lot of flak. It is widely viewed as a cheap party drink and in the US it is widely seen as a Frat House mixer. Drank with the sole purpose of getting very drunk, very quickly.

Here in the UK many peoples views on Spiced Rum have been clouded by Morgan’s Spiced Gold and Sailor Jerry. In the late 00’s Sailor Jerry and Cola was actually the “in” drink for a short period. For reasons which have never been fully explained the Sailor Jerry boom in the UK was cut short, not by changing trends but by the actual producers of the rum.

The makers of Sailor Jerry actually changed the UK blend to one more similar to the US variant. For a while there was an uproar and bottles of “Old Style” Sailor Jerry can still be seen at quite eye watering prices. In the wake of the demise of Sailor Jerry, Captain Morgan duly stepped into the void and Morgan’s Spiced (eventually becoming Spiced Gold) became pretty much the market leader for Spiced Rum in the UK.

With Captain Morgan’s Spiced Gold and The Kraken now dominating the UK market it can be difficult to persuade many rum drinkers to try a Spiced Rum. Despite Spiced Rum’s image problem there are actually a good number of Spiced Rums on the market that would be worth spending some time with.

Here are 5 of the best Spiced Rums which you really should try

5. Pusser’s Spiced

Introduced to the market in 2014 Pusser’s Spiced promised to give the Spiced Rum drinker a more authentic experience.

Spiced with Ginger and Cinnamon Pusser’s Spiced offers a great alternative to the myriad of vanilla flavoured Sailor Jerry copycats, which have flooded the market since the re-formulation of the UK Sailor Jerry.

This Spiced seriously delivers, with a rich and warming profile despite its relatively low ABV (35%). A real eye opener for the Spiced Rum category.

4. Old Amazon No1. Tonka Bean Infused Rum

A Tonka Bean Infused 100% Pot Still Rum won’t be everyone’s cup of rum but for those adventurous enough to try it Old Amazon No1. offers a very pleasant surprise.

Infused with Tonka Beans (a vanilla substitute) which are banned in many countries, including the US this is not a rum for the faint hearted.

Beautifully infused and yet challenging enough to make you feel a little like a pirate when drinking it. (Review will be available soon)

3 Dark Matter Spiced Rum

Superlative packaging and a real heartfelt passion for producing rum. The Ewen brothers have built the first Rum Distillery in the Whisky heartland of Scotland.

With real spices (as pictured) being added to a fiery young rum Dark Matter is another Spiced Rum which is leaving the Vanilla essence behind. Surprisingly this Spiced Rum makes a fantastic Bloody Mary (yes Rum and Tomato Juice!). Try it!

2 Foursquare Spiced

A wonderfully subtle and beautifully aged golden mixing rum from the superb Foursquare Distillery in Barbados.

In many ways probably less “Spiced” than some competitors regular rums. This is a Spiced Rum which enables the Spices to compliment the actual rum rather than overpower it. Makes beautifully smooth mixed drinks.

Another classic from Foursquare and still rummy enough to appeal even to biggest Spiced Rum naysayers.

1 Bristol Black Spiced Rum

Christmas Pudding in a bottle. This beautifully rich and gently warming spiced rum is bursting with both spicy goodness and rich fruit flavours.

Ginger, Cinnamon and Nutmeg combine beautifully with rich plump Raisins, Apple and just enough Orange Zest to give you a fantastic winter warmer of a drink.

Best served on its own, a bottle of this will not last long in many Rum drinker’s cabinet. Best buying two to be safe. John Barrett and Bristol Classic Rum come up trumps again! A must buy.

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