Why dark rum is having a quiet comeback in India

Dark rum in India is getting a makeover, moving away from sweetened varieties to using enhanced flavours and added spices involving newer techniques. These six brands are ensuring dark rum remains a favourite in India

Old Monk

This brand offers Old Monk XXX, a vatted rum aged for seven years, known for its vanilla and caramel notes. The Deluxe XXX rum aged slightly longer, Old Monk Coffee Rum and Old Monk Supreme Rum aged for 12 years.

Amrut

The Two Indies has aromas of fruits like blackberries and gives an overall flavour of pepper and licorice. The brand also has The Old Port Rum Deluxe with a sweet vanilla aroma and flavours of pistachio brittle, and Amrut Bella made from 100 per cent jaggery.

Maka Zai

Known for using jaggery and sugarcane to make dark rum, this Indian craft brand has a Dark Jaggery Rum and Gold Rum which has notes of caramel, vanilla, figs, dried dates, and praline, with hints of cinnamon, honey, oak, and subtle spice.

Wild Tiger Rum

Produced in Kerala, this rum is made using American-oak bourbon casks which add to the notes of toffee, vanilla, almond, and honey.

Camikara Rum

This rum brand offers honey, vanilla, and bitter chocolate, with an aftertaste of ripe bananas, orange peel, dark chocolate, and charred wood. It has two variants—one aged for three years and the other for eight years.

Rock Paper Rum

The brand offers triple-distilled rum handcrafted in small batches made using sugarcane, the brand’s Indian Spiced variety has a distinct roasted coffee flavour, besides hints of vanilla.

The next wave of dark rum

India is seeing a resurgence of premium dark rum and craft rum, which has made dark rum more sippable, instead of the extremely popular rum and coke option.