This year my annual 2016 Rum Countdown is going to be a little different. Rather than building a countdown list of premium aged rums this year, my Rum Howler year-end countdown will feature the best rums in the world which we love to mix in cocktails; in particular, the Rum Old Fashioned, the Cuba Libre, the Mojitos, and the Daiquiri. Not only does my list  feature a completely different selection of rums this year, it is also bigger than ever with 50 spirits included for your cocktail enjoyment.

I began to build this list by going through my Rum Reviews Page, and then pulling all the my Anejo, Amber, White, Spiced, Dark, Flavoured and Over Proof Rum sample bottles off of my rum shelves grouping them first by review score and then by category. Then I double checked each brand to see if it was still in the market-place or whether it had been discontinued. If it appeared that the spirit was no longer available, then I dismissed it such that my list would reflect the current state of rum.

Then the fun began!

With the White Rums, I made Daiquiries and Mojitos; with the Amber and Dark Rums, I made Daiquiries and Cuba Libre’s; with the Anejo Rums, I made Cuba Libre’s and Old Fashioned Cocktails and with the Spiced, Flavoured and Overproof Rums, I made cocktails which I believed suited suit each spirit.

I gave each rum each two ‘Mixing Scores’ based upon the two cocktails I made with them, and then I combined that score with my ‘Review Score’ to arrive at my ‘Rank Score’.

All of the rums on this list (if they were to carry age statements) would be aged 5 years or less. If the rum was blended from spirit of different ages, then I used my best judgement to exclude any rum which would carry and average age of 5 or more years as well as those rums which are marketed as premium sipping rums. It is my intention that this list represents those rums we love to mix. (Just to be clear, although these are all ‘Mixing Rums’, the truth is that many are just fine on their own as sippers giving the rum connoisseur the best of both worlds.)

Of course, some of the rums which I have previously reviewed were no longer upon my rum shelves. In those cases I relied upon my memory and what I could glean from my written review to assign a suitable ‘Rank Score’ and placed the spirit in its proper spot in my countdown. The system wasn’t perfect, but I was happy with the final results.

I trust you will all enjoy the countdown!

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50)  Mount Gay Eclipse Silver  (Rank Score = 239.5 pts)
49)  Blackheart Spiced Rum     (Rank Score = 240 pts)
48)  Tanduay Gold Asian Rum   (Rank Score = 240.5 pts)
47)  El Dorado Superior Dark Rum   (Rank Score = 241.5 pts)
46)  Appleton Estate VX Rum   (Rank Score = 242 pts)
45)  Wray and Nephew White Overproof Rum   (Rank Score = 243.5 pts)
44)  Old Sam Demerara Rum   (Rank Score = 244 pts)
43)  Blue Chair Bay Coconut Rum  (Rank Score = 245 pts)
42)  Travellers 3 Barrel Aged Rum  (Rank Score = 245.5 pts)
41)  El Dorado Spiced    (Rank Score = 245.5 pts)
40)  Cabot Tower 100 Proof Rum   (Rank Score = 246 pts)
39)  Cruzan 9 Spiced Rum     (Rank Score = 247 pts)
38)  Bayou Spiced Rum  (Rank Score = 247 pts)
37)  Last Mountain 306 Original Saskatchewan Rum    (Rank Score = 247.5 pts)
36)  Gosling’s Black Seal (Rank Score = 248.5 pts)
35)  Plantation Original Dark 73 % Overproof Rum   (Rank Score = 248.5 pts)
34)  Rum Nation Demerara Solera N° 14   (Rank Score = 249 pts)
33)  Pusser’s Spiced Rum     (Rank Score = 250 pts)
32)  Smuggler’s Cove Dark Rum    (Rank Score = 250.5 pts)
31)  Blue Chair Bay Coconut Spiced Rum  (Rank Score = 251.5 pts)
30)  Appleton White Jamaican Rum   (Rank Score = 252 pts)
29)  Lemon Hart Navy Spiced Rum    (Rank Score = 252.5 pts)
28)  Brugal Especial Extra Dry Rum    (Rank Score = 253.5 pts)
27)  Screech Spiced 100 (Proof) Rum    (Rank Score = 254 pts)
26)  Captain Morgan Jack-O’Blast Pumpkin Spiced Rum (Rank Score = 254.5)
25)  Captain Morgan Grapefruit Rum    (Rank Score = 255 pts)
24)  Pumpkin Face White Rum    (Rank Score = 256 pts)
23)  Bacardi Oakheart Smooth Spiced Rum   (Rank Score = 257 pts)
22)  Lemon Hart Original One Hundred British Proof Reserve Rum    (Rank Score = 258 pts)
21)   Bermudez Ron Viejo Blanco    (Rank Score = 258.5 pts)
20)  Coruba Imported Dark Jamaican Rum    (Rank Score = 259.5 pts)
19)  Diplomático Añejo     (Rank Score = 260 pts)
18)  Brugal Anejo Superior Rum     (Rank Score = 261 pts)
17)  Screech (Famous Newfoundland Screech Rum)    (Rank Score = 261 pts)
16)  George Street Spiced Rum    (Rank Score = 261.5 pts)
15)  Pusser’s (Blue Label) Rum   (Rank Score = 262 pts)
14)  Flor de Caña 4 Extra Seco    (Rank Score = 262.5 pts)
13)  Myer’s Planters’ Punch (Canadian Bottling)   (Rank Score = 263 pts)
12)  Monymusk Classic Gold Rum  (Rank Score = 263 pts)
11)  Mount Gay Eclipse (Gold)    (Rank Score = 264 pts)
10)  Plantation 3 Stars Silver Rum    (Rank Score = 265 pts)
09) Momento Amber Rum (Highwood Distillers)   (Rank Score = 266 pts)
08) El Dorado 3 Year Cask Aged Demerara Rum   (Rank Score = 266.5 pts)
07) Harbour Rum (Yongehurst Distillery)  (Rank Score = 267.5 pts)
06) Lemon Hart 151 Demerara Rum  (Rank Score = 268 pts)
05) Brugal Titanium Rum    (Rank Score = 268.5 pts)
04) Noxx & Dunn 2-4-5 Rum     (Rank Score = 269.5 pts)
03) Stiggins’ Fancy Plantation Pineapple Rum    (Rank Score = 270 pts)
02) Panama Red 108 Overproof Rum   (Rank Score = 272 pts)
01)  Rum Nation White Pot Still  (Rank Score 273)