Rum is one of the oldest spirits in the world and one of the most international as well, with an estimated 80+ countries producing their own expressions today. While quality rum can be enjoyed year-round, anytime and anywhere, its tropical notes and flavors can easily transport one to sandy beaches and oceanside cafés.
Vintegrity’s portfolio includes an astonishingly wide range of carefully selected spirits, including numerous award-winning rums from around the world. Rum has seen a great resurgence of popularity in recent years, and distillers have gone to great lengths to uphold centuries-old production techniques that reflect the unique locations in which they are made. Vintegrity has three rums in stock right now that are must-try bottles for 2024!
Foursquare 14 YO Equipoise Rum, 61% ABV
Foursquare Distillery is one of the world’s most highly acclaimed producers of rum. The brand is known for its limited release of unique rums from Barbados that combine tradition and innovation under the astute direction of fourth-generation master distiller Richard Seale. Foursquare’s rums are aged in several types of casks, ranging from ex-Bourbon barrels to those previously used for wines, such as Sherry, Madeira, Zinfandel, or Port.
The Foursquare 14 YO Equipoise Rum was the top-rated rum at the 2024 International Wine and Spirits Competition (IWSC). In addition to the prize won by this exceptional bottle, Foursquare took home two other Double Gold awards, claiming three of seven Double Golds awarded in the rum category. The 14 YO Equipoise is a blend of two rums, both aged 14 years. The first rum spends five years in ex-Bourbon barrels, followed by nine in ex-Cognac casks. The second is aged for 12 years in ex-Bourbon barrels and an additional two in ex-Camus Cognac casks. Fans of this rum appreciate the rich aromas of banana, pineapple, leather, and pipe tobacco, as well as its flavors of chocolate-covered fig, blackberry, caramel, pineapple, and toasted coconuts.
Worthy Park 109 Proof Jamaica Rum
Worthy Park 109 is a dark, high-proof rum with a full-bodied personality. The entire production process, from harvest to bottling, is completed at the Worthy Park Estate with estate-grown sugarcane molasses, and it is aged for three years in ex-Bourbon White American Oak casks. This dark, coppery red rum brims with the powerful flavors of banana, pineapple, and orange, with warm vanilla, cocoa, caramel, and light toffee.
Worthy Park Estate won the IWSC Rum Producer 2023 award, and the Worthy Park 109 was awarded an exceptional rating of 96 points at the IWSC 2024.
Shakara Rum 12-Year
Most rums available today come from the Caribbean, but the spirit is produced globally, and the Shakara Rum 12-Year, recently featured in Imbibe Magazine, is a rare find from Nakhon Pathom, Thailand. This tropically aged rum is formed by Thailand’s high heat and humidity, which concentrates the rum’s intense character as it ages in ex-Bourbon casks. No colorants, sweeteners, or other additives are used. The nose detects aromas of honey, butter, nuts, and toffee, while the palate is robust with tropical flavors, including rich toasted coconut, vanilla, jasmine, and spice, all tied together with a distinct oaky structure.
Transcontinental High Seas Rum
This rum is a multi-island blend consisting of a tropically aged rum from Panama, an unaged high ester Jamaican rum, and an unaged grand arôme rhum, a type of rum, distilled from fresh-pressed sugar cane juice, from Martinique. The rum from Panama gives the blend a dry, slightly spicy base, that from Jamaican adds fruity notes, and the rum from Martinique adds savory complexity. It is light-bodied with ripe banana, toffee, pineapple, bitter orange, honey, butter, and ginger notes and a roasted coffee finish with a hint of lemon.
Probitas Rum
Probitas rum is a joint venture between Foursquare Distillery in Barbados and Hampden Estate in Jamaica. Every step of its production, from distillation to bottling, takes place in the Caribbean, the “gold standard” when it comes to white rums. On the nose, notes of ripe banana, pineapple, toasted coconut, fresh custard, vanilla, and citrus blend seamlessly. The palate is well-textured and complex with flavors of pineapple, guava, marzipan, and coconut with a clean, slightly sweet finish.
