Katherine and Harry started off by experimenting with creating different flavours in their kitchen. They realised that they had found “something pretty amazing” after using apples to produce a smoked rum. They use a French Savalle still, a Wooden Coffey still and a Double Wooden Pot still, known as the Port Mourant. The rum is then matured in the Caribbean heat for two to three years in American oak casks that once held Bourbon whisky. Burning Barn’s hero product is its Smoked rum, which is made using apple wood harvested from the farm’s old orchards. The brand’s Spiced rum is made by infusing hand roasted vanilla, coconut, all spice, ginger and chilli. Flavouring, filtering and bottling is all done by Katherine and Harry on the farm in Eastcote. Aged for seven years, this Cuban rum is evocative of its homeland – notes of coffee, tobacco, dark chocolate, spices, cherry and florals abound to create a deep, rich flavour. It’s made with 100% Cuban sugar cane for authenticity and makes a super Old Fashioned. Eminente is perfect when paired with a cigar – you’ll feel like you’ve been transported to 1930s Havana. Since rum is not subject to any form of appellation of origin, it can, like gin, be made anywhere in the world. And now it is beginning to be distilled in dear old Blighty, with some surprisingly excellent results. This makes perfect sense, what with the centuries-old association between rum and the Royal Navy, which, until 1970, issued every one of its crew members with a daily tot of rum. Ironically, the very brands that were served on board, such as Pusser’s and Captain Morgan, were never distilled in Britain in the first place and their popularity in the taverns was purely based on their association with Naval swigging. We often associate the smell of smoke with wood, and due to the aging process, whiskeys tend to have a sort of oak aroma to them. Dividing the realm into two distinguished categories, the unaged white rum and the complex dark rum, the latter cherished by discerning connoisseurs, luxury rum is the embodiment of craftsmanship and sophistication. Acting as the cornerstone of timeless concoctions like mojitos, daiquiris, punches, and pina coladas, it also commands attention when savoured neat. Join us on a journey to unearth the most captivating luxury rums available, each a testament to the art of distillation and a celebration of unparalleled taste. Vapoura Rum

As was stated, the aging process that whiskey goes through can often leave it with a smokey, woody aroma, one that is similar to actual smoke.

Goslings Gold Seal Rum

Presented in a striking decanter, the multi-award-winning Plantation XO makes for an attractive gift. The spirit is aged in bourbon barrels, then matured for a second time in French Cognac casks from the Ferrand house. Drink this if you prefer a rum that’s well balanced, with a long finish and a slightly spicy, oaky, tropical taste. You can use a heavy Jamaican rum instead of scotch, a medium-bodied Barbados rum instead of Irish whiskey, a Venezuelan rum instead of cognac, or a light Puerto Rican rum instead of vodka." What is the best rum?

It combines Banhez Mezcal Artesanal, with some Cointreau along with refreshing watermelon juice, lime juice, and hibiscus syrup.Gustav Temple nosedives into rums that don’t come from where they used to come from, because they are either made or refined right here on these craggy shores. A drink that is very commonly served smoked is whiskey. Whiskeys such as rye and bourbon usually go through an aging process, and this is done in charred oak barrels. Over the last decade or so, rum has been slowly shaking off its old reputation as something to swill in discotheques mixed with Coca-Cola. But only recently has rum begun to be seen as a ‘serious’ drink such as single malt whisky, bearing the unique imprint of the distillery and year of production. Unfortunately, the very brands that first exported rum to Britain from countries like Cuba and Jamaica are proving rather sluggish in catching up with the new vogue for ‘sipping’ rums, to be drunk after swirling the glass, plunging one’s nose into it and declaring how powerful the cinnamon notes are. Brands like Captain Morgan, and more recently Sailor Jerry, have been shoved along the shelves in most pubs and bars by Kraken, a heavily marketed brew that declares its bottling origins as simply ‘The Caribbean’. We deliver to a number of international destinations including the USA. Please use the 'Change Location' link above for an estimate in your local currency or find out more about international delivery Each was tried neat and blind, to avoid brand bias, allowing the full flavours to shine through. They were on the lookout for smooth, easy-drinking styles, with well-balanced sweetness and an exotic array of fruit.