If you bought a pair of pants on sale and later realized there was a hole in a less-than-desirable place, you wouldn’t consider that much of a bargain, right? The same goes for alcohol. You wouldn’t buy a bottle of bottom-shelf, hangover-inducing, harsh-tasting rum for less than the price of a three-cheese burrito and consider it a “deal.”
Who cares how cheap trash is? What’s the right price for swill?
When it comes to bargain bottles of rum (or any spirit for that matter), we aren’t in the “it’s all good as long as it’s cheap” lane. We’re talking about value-per-dollar — reasonably priced expressions that are complex, flavorful, and well-made. And to find these balanced, sometimes even award-winning rums, we often turn to the professionals behind the bar for guidance.
We asked a few of our favorite bartenders to tell us the best bargain rums under $30 that are truly worth buying. Keep scrolling to see all of their sugarcane-centric choices.
Flor de Caña 4 Añejo Oro
Alex Fitzgerald, beverage director at Paseo in Louisville
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $22
The Rum:
Flor de Caña 4 Añejo Oro is a great aged rum for a very affordable price. This is especially great if you want to pair it with coffee in an espresso martini. The rum stands up to mixed ingredients and expresses its smooth character in cocktails.
Tasting Notes:
It has a lovely demerara sweetness, the spice notes I look for in a sipping and cocktailing rum, and it doesn’t break the bank.
Brugal Extra Viejo
Federico Doldi, food and beverage director at Gansevoort Meatpacking in New York City
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $28
The Rum:
I recommend Brugal Extra Viejo Rum for an affordable sipping or mixing option. Brugal Extra Viejo is blended using the distillery’s older reserves, aged white American oak casks that previously held bourbon.
Tasting Notes:
It has notes of wood, spice, orange, and vanilla, offering a full flavor profile and balanced finish at the end of each sip, and can also be appreciated in a mixed drink.
Ten To One Caribbean White Rum
Tsuru Goto, food and beverage manager at Society Cafe in New York City
ABV: 45%
Average Price: $25
The Rum:
I love Ten To One Caribbean White Rum. It might seem like a lesser-known sleeper pick but it has won enough awards that it really should be more highly regarded. First of all, it is additive-free. You should definitely use this rum to make a classic daiquiri. It’s delicious.
Tasting Notes:
It is really easy to work with, given its inviting nose, complexity, that touch of sweetness, and some really nice tight flavors that make it taste great alone or paired with anything you want to mix a cocktail with.
Appleton Estate Signature Blend
Hunter Douglas, bar lead at L’Ardente in Washington, DC
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $20
The Rum:
Appleton Estate Signature Blend is a great rum to have on hand at all times. It can be served on the rocks and works well in both spirit-forward cocktails like an old fashioned or in something refreshing, like a daiquiri.
Tasting Notes:
For the price, it’s surprisingly complex. Notes of maple and nuttiness bring depth of flavor to either style of cocktail.
Mount Gay Eclipse
Daniele Flumiani, restaurant manager at The St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort in Miami
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $22
The Rum:
Mount Gay Eclipse is a popular and versatile Barbadian rum that can be enjoyed neat, on the rocks or mixed in various cocktails.
Tasting Notes:
Mount Gay Eclipse is a complex rum. It is very balanced and has an approachable flavor profile with fruit and floral notes and a hint of vanilla.
Plantation Xaymaca Special Dry Rum
Jazz Craft, beverage director at Proxi in Chicago
ABV: 43%
Average Price: $28
The Rum:
A great bargain rum for sipping is any of Plantation Single Origin rums. Each one is a beautiful representation of distillation methods used in each country and is all finished in French Oak to help round out any aggressive flavors. The one I really enjoy is Plantation Xaymaca Special Dry Rum. It was created to pay homage to the traditional pot still Jamaican rums of the 1800s.
Tasting Notes:
This award-winning rum has a nice floral, fruity rum with a ton of coconut, pineapple, vanilla, and gentle island spices.
Bacardi Reserva Ocho
Josue Mancero, beverage director and bar manager at Jook Sing in Chicago
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $29
The Rum:
My favorite bargain rum is Bacardi Reserva Ocho, which comes right around under $30, and it’s perfect for shaking daiquiris, drinking neat, or even an old-fashioned. It’s balanced and well-rounded.
Tasting Notes:
Flavors of ripe banana, dried fruits, vanilla beans, caramel, and rich oak make for an exceptional bargain rum.
Plantation 3 Stars White Rum
Mark Gallagher, bartender at Talbott Cucina in Chicago
ABV: 41.2%
Average Price: $20
The Rum:
Plantation 3 Stars White Rum. Made with rums from Trinidad, Jamaica, and Barbados, it’s crafted at the same high level as their whole estimable line. This is even though it’s a bargain-priced white rum
Tasting Notes:
Given that it’s blended by a master cognac maker, it’s well worth sipping as well as mixing. The delicate grassiness and fresh citrus distinguish the blend.
Foursquare Probitas
Kevin Beary, beverage director at Three Dots and a Dash in Chicago
ABV: 47%
Average Price: $28
The Rum:
$30 is a bit of an in-between spot for rum. Once you get into the mid-thirties you can really get some incredible rums. In the budget category, there are a few rums that represent a very good value. A very versatile option is Foursquare Probitas which is a blend of aged Foursquare Rum from Barbados and full-bodied Pot Still Rum from the Hampden Estate distillery in Jamaica. It is aged, but charcoal-filtered which makes for what some consider a white rum.
Tasting Notes:
It has more flavor and depth than the typical white rums you find in the budget category, so it makes great sour cocktails like Daiquiris. There are flavors of banana, vanilla, and a pleasant note of oak.
Havana Club Añejo Clasico
Wilmer Reyes, USBG bartender at Raines Law Room in New York City
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $21
The Rum:
Havana Club Añejo has those great properties in a rum that make you want to sip it or stir it into a stiff cocktail. It has enough body to stand on its own, but it can also be mixed with some sherry or an amaro to make something truly complex.
Tasting Notes:
For the price, you’d have a hard time finding a more complex, easy-drinking rum. Notes of candied almonds, vanilla beans, molasses, oak, floral flavor, and light spices make for a truly enjoyable rum.
