If there’s a rum lover in your life or you just fancy treating yourself, take a look at our recommendations for some of the best rum gifts money can buy. Whether it’s a rare bottle of rum or a gift set of miniatures, or even a rum accessory, you’ll find some excellent ideas for rum gifts below.
Black Tot Last Consignment
The last ever daily rum ration was handed out by the Royal Navy on 31 July 1970. Known as ‘Black Tot Day’, it put an end to a 300-year-old tradition. The remaining stocks were stashed away in stone flagons – overseen by HM Customs & Excise – only occasionally dipped into for state occassions and royal weddings, until it was bottled in 2010 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Black Tot Day.
This piece of history is not cheap, but it is the ultimate rum gift. The Black Tot Last Consignment is now a half-century old! This historic rum has scents of fruitcake and treacle, accompanied by a touch of orange zest. Rich, full and spicy, it’s incredibly warming yet well balanced, with flecks of orange and nuts joined by tarry oak and cream, followed by some mocha, spice and cigar on the extremely long finish. Alc 54.3%
Foursquare Exceptional Cask Selection
Foursquare in Barbados is one of the rum world’s most in-vogue distilleries, and with good reason. Master-distiller and master-blender Richard Seale creates his blends from both pot and traditional column stills, and – somewhat infamously in rum circles – refuses to add any sugar or other sweetening agents to his bottles.
The 12 Year Old 2008 has spent 12 years in ex-bourbon American white oak casks before being bottled at cask strength – 60%. Vanilla, a hint of caramel and some dried fruit aromas are overlaid by lime and almond notes. In the mouth it’s super fruity, with caramelised banana, sweet vanilla-infused oak, candied citrus and spice. Beautiful, defined and racy, this is a fantastic gift for those who enjoy the depth of flavour and complexity good Scotch whiskey offers, and is best sipped on the rocks or in an old fashioned. Alc 60%
Riedel Rocks
A pair of beautifully designed crystal tumblers specifically designed to house large-format ice, which is a great solution to avoid diluting your favourite tipple. Perfect for a rum connoisseur who prefers their drinks on the rocks.
Ceramic Tiki Mugs
Anyone looking to pursue the tropical side of rum cocktails needs a tiki mug to complete the look. Gaining popularity following the success of California tiki bars Don the Beachcomber and Trader Vic’s in the 1940s, by the 1960s the tiki craze had spread across the USA. You can find tiki-inspired drinks in almost every cocktail bar these days, and things have come a long way from the super-sweet amalgamations of cheap spirit, concentrated fruit juices and cherry garnish of the 1970s. Ceramic tiki mugs are the final piece of the puzzle in creating authentic tiki cocktails such as the painkiller and zombie.
The Curious Bartender’s Rum Revolution
Master mixologist Tristan Stephenson visited over 50 distilleries during his research for this book, tasting over 400 rums in the process. In The Curious Bartender’s Rum Revolution, learn how rum is made and read about the dark and pirate-infested history of the spirit. There are tasting notes from each distillery Tristan visited on his journey, and cocktail recipes you’ll definitely want to try out. The perfect rum book!
The Whisky Exchange Styles Of Rum Gift Set
With five 30ml sample bottles and a neat little tasting glass, this gift set has all that’s required for a rum fan looking to explore the category in more detail, covering the many different styles rum has to offer. Highlights include the Compagnie Des Indes Latino 5 Year Old – a blend of rums from several distilleries in different countries, offering up slightly grassy notes with some dried citrus peel, a full bodied sturdy character, and tropical pineapple flavours with some almond and orange peel Alc 40% – and Hampden Estate – a funky Jamaican traditional pot-still rum made in collaboration with Velier, offering a tropical fruit nose with some spice followed in the mouth by a clove attack then mashed banana, mango, apple, fenugreek seed and cinnamon on an oily, creamy palate and with a long finish Alc 46%
