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Best rum in Australia

We went through hundreds of customer reviews to find the 6 best rums in Australia.

Hayley Williams
Hayley Williams

Updated

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The best rum in Australia

How did we pick this list?

Our editorial team selected the rum products on this list based on extensive research, personal experience and real customer reviews. For each category, we identified the products with the highest review score within those categories.

Read more detail on our methodology below.

Best rum overall: Diplomatico Rum Reserva Exclusiva

Pros

  • Sweet, smooth-tasting rum
  • A good introduction to sipping rum

Cons

  • Not the best option for cocktails
  • Premium price range

Price (RRP): $105

Buy at Amazon
Buy at First Choice Liquor
Buy at Dan Murphy's

Why we chose it

The Diplomatico is a premium Venezuelan rum with an impressive reputation. It boasts an average rating of 4.8 stars out of 5 on Amazon out of over 5,000 customer reviews. For a dark, elegant and complex sipping rum, customers near unanimously agree on the quality of Diplomatico's Reserva Exclusiva dark rum.

Customers agree that this rum, blended from rums aged up to 12 years from American and Spanish oak casks, easily stands against similar products at higher price points. The rum is mixed with a touch of extra sugar cane, leaving the Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva with a unique, subtle sweetness.

This premium rum is designed for sipping, meaning it's best served neat or over ice to appreciate the quality of its blend. It can be mixed into cocktails where quality is prioritised over budget, but ultimately is best enjoyed on its own merits.

What users say

Smooth, rich and full bodied makes it hard to resist waiting between sips. The very slight sweet aftertaste makes it a great pleasure enjoyed neat.

Best spiced rum: Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum

Pros

  • Smooth but strong spiced rum
  • Collectable stickers on bottle label

Cons

  • More expensive than main competitors
  • Too strong for sipping

Price (RRP): $55

Buy at Amazon
Buy at First Choice Liquor
Buy at Dan Murphy's

Why we chose it

While there are plenty of new, boutique spiced rum blends popping up all the time, you can't beat an old favourite in this category. Sailor Jerry's classic spiced rum is the clear winner in this category, with a 4.8 out of 5 rating from almost 800 reviews on Amazon and a 4.7 out of 5 average rating from Dan Murphy's customers.

Sailor Jerry's is one of the most well-known spiced rums for a reason and it performs well above its price point in flavour and drinkability, though this rum is more preferred for mixing and in cocktails than it is for sipping.

At 40% ABV, Sailor Jerry's packs a kick, though it's smoothed off by sweet vanilla and subtle spices. Customers also love the collectable aspect of Sailor Jerry – if you peel the label off the bottle, you'll find a collectable sticker featuring art from the rum's namesake, tattooist Sailor Jerry.

What users say

This rum is smooth and tastes amazing. Subtle hints of cinnamon and lime.

Best dark rum: Gosling's Black Seal Rum

Pros

  • More complex flavour than most dark rums
  • Get a taste of the original dark and stormy

Cons

  • Taste may be too strong for some people
  • Can be overpriced in Australian stores

Price (RRP): $70

Buy at Amazon
Buy at Dan Murphy's

Why we chose it

Gosling's Black Seal Rum is a classic dark rum, with the company going back to 1806 and the rum itself to 1860. It's one of the most popular dark rums on Amazon, with an average rating of 4.8 stars out of 5 across more than 700 reviews.

As a historic brand, Gosling's boasts include being Bermuda's biggest export, as well as being the rum that made the "dark and stormy" cocktail famous. A smooth, sweet flavour makes Gosling's easily drinkable, without verging into the sickly sweetness of some dark rums.

Unlike other dark rums Gosling's is lightly spiced, with hints of liquorice and vanilla. While this may not be ideal for those looking for a more straight-up dark rum, this trait makes it perfect for mixing with ginger beer, with its unique flavours strong enough to stand out against its mixers.

What users say

This rum is so smooth and full of flavour. I like my rum neat but tried this with some ginger beer and it is simply amazing.

Best white rum: Plantation 3 Stars White Rum

Pros

  • Smooth enough to drink neat
  • Will elevate your favourite cocktails

Cons

  • More expensive than main competitors
  • Harder to source than alternatives

Price (RRP): $62

Buy at Dan Murphy's

Why we chose it

Plantation 3 Stars is a white rum with a difference. It's actually a dark rum that has been filtered to maintain its clear colour. This means that Plantation's white rum has a stronger rum character when compared to others in the category. While it's only newly listed on Amazon and has no reviews yet, Plantation is the white rum of choice for speciality rating site, RumRatings.

The three stars in the rum's name refer to the three rums blended to create it: a matured rum from Trinidad and unaged rums from Barbados and Jamaica. The finished product is then filtered to retain its clarity. It's this process that sets Plantation's white rum apart from its competitors.

Unlike many white rums, Plantation is smooth and sweet enough to be drunk neat, though it's also the perfect step up for your white rum cocktails.

What users say

Goes down very smooth, not much bite. You can taste the slight honey-like sweetness with hints of vanilla.

Best cheap rum: Bacardi White Rum

Pros

  • Easily available, often on sale
  • Sweeter than other cheap spirits

Cons

  • Not a good option for drinking neat
  • Taste not as complex or interesting as other options

Price (RRP): $45

Buy at Amazon
Buy at Dan Murphy's
Buy at First Choice Liquor

Why we chose it

For when a budget option is needed, you can't go past the big names. In this case, Bacardi's classic white rum is the clear winner for rum drinkers on a budget. It boasts an average review score of 4.7 out of 5 on Amazon from over 150 ratings and is also a clear winner on Dan Murphy's with an average review score of 4.6 out of 5 from 60 reviews.

While you shouldn't expect artisanal flavour from Bacardi's standard drop, it's good quality for the price and can often be snagged for under $40, or for even more of a bargain in a litre bottle.

When volume is needed or just a cheap bottle for mixing, punch, cocktails or cooking, you can't beat Bacardi's white rum at its price point. Don't expect to drink it neat, but as far as mixers go, you won't find much better.

What users say

Very smooth and not as overpowering as the dark rums on the market.

Best Australian rum: Illegal Tender Rum Co Bushtucker Spiced

Pros

  • Good sipping rum with unique flavours
  • Small Australian distillery

Cons

  • Price makes it more of a splurge
  • Less traditional rum

Price (RRP): $75

Buy at Amazon
Buy at Dan Murphy's

Why we chose it

Illegal Tender's Bushtucker rum isn't just Australian in origin, but also in character, with a spiced flavour profile made up of native Australian ingredients. It has an average review of 5 stars on Dan Murphy's, where it's the highest-rated Australian-made rum.

While the Australian rum market is still small, beyond Bundaberg's dominance, Illegal Tender Rum Co is just one of the small distilleries creating interesting local rums. The Bushtucker Spiced rum includes native flavours from wattleseed, quandong, lemon myrtle, wild rosella and Kakadu plum, with plum making up the dominant flavour.

The Bushtucker rum is far from a traditional rum, but that makes it perfect for someone looking for something different, or for a rum with a uniquely Australian character.

What users say

This rum is amazing, the smell when you open the bottle is simply delicious, and it just gets better from there. It's very smooth and tasty, with the flavours coming through nicely.

Methodology

18
Brands considered
25
Products compared
6
Best products chosen
  • We compared the full range of rums available in Australia, from big-name brands to smaller producers.
  • We based our ratings on real customer reviews from retailers including Amazon and Dan Murphy's, with supplemental ratings from RumRatings and consideration given to industry awards.
  • The products on this list are chosen by our editorial team and are not selected based on commercial relationships.

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