Few spirit categories encompass as much variation as rum.
Produced from sugarcane-derived materials, rum can be light and clean, deeply aged and oak-driven, richly spiced or distinctly grassy and vegetal. Raw material, fermentation, still type, maturation and country of origin all play a role, making production style more useful than colour alone when comparing bottles.
The Kent Street Cellars range spans white rum, spiced rum, mature Caribbean and Latin American expressions, Rhum Agricole and Australian rum.
How Rum Is Made
Most rum begins with either molasses or fresh sugarcane juice, which is fermented and distilled before being bottled unaged or matured in cask.
Molasses is widely used throughout the Caribbean and elsewhere, while fresh sugarcane juice forms the basis of traditions including Rhum Agricole.
Distillation may take place in pot stills, column stills or a combination of the two. Ageing conditions, cask selection and blending further shape the finished spirit, meaning two rums from different producers can have markedly different characters even when they share a similar age or colour.
Aged Rum
Oak maturation can bring additional layers of spice, dried fruit, vanilla and roasted character to rum, although style varies considerably between countries and producers.
The collection includes Diplomático Reserva Exclusiva and Diplomático Ambassador Selection from Venezuela, Ron Zacapa 23 and Zacapa XO from Guatemala, and Ron Matusalem Gran Reserva 15 and Enigma 23.
Dos Maderas 5+5 takes a different approach, combining Caribbean rum with further maturation in Spain, including time in former Pedro Ximénez sherry casks.
Barbados Rum
Barbados holds an important place in Caribbean rum history and remains home to some of the category's most established producers.
Mount Gay is represented through Eclipse, Black Barrel and XO, progressing from a versatile house expression towards richer, more mature styles.
For someone beginning to explore rum by origin rather than simply by colour, Barbados provides a useful reference point.
Rhum Agricole
Rhum Agricole is produced from freshly pressed sugarcane juice rather than molasses and is particularly associated with the French Caribbean.
This can give the spirit a distinctive profile in which fresh cane, vegetal, grassy and earthy notes may be more apparent.
The collection includes HSE Rhum Agricole VSOP, an aged expression from Martinique that combines the character of sugarcane-juice distillation with extended oak maturation.
Spiced Rum
Spiced rum uses rum as a base for additional flavours from spices, botanicals and other ingredients.
The range includes established styles such as The Kraken Black Spiced Rum, Sailor Jerry, Captain Morgan Original Spiced Gold and Captain Morgan Black Spiced, alongside Dark Matter Spiced Rum and Australian Husk Distillers Spiced Bam Bam.
Profiles vary considerably between producers, so spiced rum is worth choosing according to its particular balance of sweetness, spice and base-rum character.
Australian & World Rum
Australia has its own longstanding rum tradition, represented in the collection by Bundaberg Original Underproof, Overproof and Extra Smooth Red.
Further afield, Samai offers a Cambodian perspective through its Gold and Kampot Pepper rums, the latter drawing on one of Cambodia's best-known regional ingredients.
These bottles demonstrate the reach of contemporary rum production well beyond its traditional Caribbean heartlands.
Choosing a Rum
For cocktails such as a Daiquiri or Mojito, a clean white rum such as Bacardi Carta Blanca provides a classic starting point.
For richer sipping styles, look towards mature expressions from Mount Gay, Diplomático, Ron Zacapa, Ron Matusalem or Dos Maderas. For something more distinctive, HSE Rhum Agricole explores fresh sugarcane distillation, while spiced rum offers a more overtly aromatic style suited to mixed drinks and simple serves.
Rather than relying on colour alone, consider origin, raw material, distillation and maturation when choosing between different styles of rum.
Shop Rum at Kent Street Cellars
Explore rum from Mount Gay, Diplomático, Ron Zacapa, Dos Maderas, HSE, Bundaberg, Samai and more, spanning white, spiced and aged rum alongside Rhum Agricole and regional styles.
Delivery is available Australia-wide, with same-day delivery also available across eligible Sydney metropolitan areas.
