Rum is a spirit with a history and variety of forms that is tough to beat, but it rarely gets the recognition it deserves. Then again, neither did gin until a few years ago, and look how far gin has come in the past few years. White, golden, dark and spiced might seem like an overwhelming range of options for the rum novice, but the 12 exciting rums we present in our latest spirit supplement serve as an ideal introduction to all things rum.

When it comes to ranging rums, choice and variety of styles is key. Featuring in our limited edition range we have 5 golden rums from across the Caribbean and South America including; Angostura 1919, Bacardi Añejo Cuatro, Chairman’s Reserve, Pampero Especial and Ron Abuela. Moving onto the darker and aged rums we have included; Diplomático Mantuano, El Dorado 15 and Matusalem Gran Reserva 15 – all great sipping rums.

Onto spiced, we have a cracking new rum from the Pembrokeshire coast Barti Ddu (pronounced “Barti Thee”) which has amazing savoury seaweed notes, Chairman’s Reserve Spiced to pair with the original and Dead Man’s Fingers from Cornwall. Finally for the rum range, we couldn’t be without a classic for the summer in Mahiki Coconut – a blend of Caribbean rum and coconut to produce a great tiki-style rum liqueur for the perfect Piña Colada.

With customers asking more and more questions, we wanted to present some insights on rum production through the pages of this edition alongside our carefully chosen selection of rums. We’ve also suggested some cocktail recipes for bartenders, and a few handy anecdotes to help any readers with ambitions of storytelling. Blend it all together and you’ve got a handy one-stop shop about rum to fill a moment before or after your shift. Hopefully it will inspire you to expand and experiment with your rum selection.