Rum is a highly versatile alcoholic beverage distilled from sugar obtained from sources like molasses, sugar cane syrup, and pure sugar cane sugar. The clear spirit is usually left to age in bourbon or oak barrels to enhance its flavor.
While most people regard rum as strictly a party alcoholic drink, it serves as a critical ingredient in tropical cocktails. It can also be taken “neat” on its own.
Since rum is made in different countries in different styles with unique taste profiles, its price can differ significantly. So, how much does rum cost? And what informs its price? Let’s go on an exploration of this topic.
Factors Affecting The Price Of Rum
These are the factors that are the main determinants in rum pricing.
Ingredients
All rum is based on a byproduct of sugarcane, but not all rum ingredients have the same quality across different brands. If the sugarcane is produced for a specific rum distillery rather than en masse, the cost of the rum is higher.
The cost of rum also increases if the ingredients are hard to find in a given country.
Brand
Rum brands are usually grouped into budget, standard, and premium categories.
Premium Rum Brands
Most premium rum brands make rum that is traditionally enjoyed neat, such as Bumbu. You can also enjoy the rum on the rocks.
Being a premium brand gives the company an edge over the others—it possibly has accolades from international spirits competitions, which it can tout in its marketing.
Premium rum brands are also able to use premium ingredients. For example, Bumbu takes pride in using hand-picked ingredients and high-quality, naturally filtered water. Lesser brands do not have this advantage.
Premium brands like Facundo and Zacapa make some of the most expensive rums in the world, which retail at $42-$80 for a 750ml bottle.
Standard Rum Brands
Standard rum brands are the middle ground between premium and budget brands. They use higher-quality ingredients, and their pricing is higher than budget brands.
RumChata and Mount Gay are pretty popular in this category. Mount Gay has over 300 years of experience making original rums in Barbados.
RumChata rum features a Caribbean rum base, cream, and spices. You can use it on its own, mix it with other spirits, or use it in creamy cocktails.
Budget Rum Brands
You can expect to find the products of budget rum brands in different flavors in many bars globally.
The two primary flavors are pineapple and vanilla. Bacardi has a range of ten fruit flavors for rum, including citrus and coconut rum. Captain Morgan has interesting flavors like apple and watermelon.
Even though budget brands sell their rum at great prices that most people gladly pay, it doesn’t mean that it is poor quality or has been made with inferior ingredients. The same pricing goes for premium brands; they may be premium, but they are reasonably priced.
Budget rums usually feature in rum-based cocktails, with Captain Morgan and Bacardi being the two most popular budget brands.
Rum Aging
The age of the rum influences the cost of the rum. Firstly, the rum has to be stored in a wooden oak or bourbon barrel, which is expensive for distilleries because they are usually in short supply.
Secondly, aging is a lot about time. Rum ages faster in the tropics but suffers evaporation, driving the cost up further.
Also, aged rum prices vary depending on the aging duration. Rum that has aged for a decade or more will cost much more than rum that has aged for only a few months or years.
Rum Evaporation
The aging process for rum in wooden barrels involves the unavoidable natural process of evaporation. For example, manufacturers lose up to 10% of rum aging in wooden barrels to evaporation in warm climates like the Caribbean.
The amount of rum lost to evaporation during aging is called the angels’ share, which influences the cost of the rum.
Types Of Rum
Rum is mainly classified into seven categories. Different categories or types command different prices on the market, depending on the production process and aging method.
Dark Rum
Dark rum is made from molasses or caramelized sugar and can be red, black, or brown because of the molasses and the time spent aging in charred oak barrels.
The flavor of dark rum improves as it stays longer in the wooden barrels. The spiced taste increases.
Light Rum
Light rum is characteristically tasteless but features sugar in small amounts. The manufacturer filters the rum to remove the coloring from the aging barrels.
Light rum is also called white rum or silver rum. Bacardi produces excellent white rum in Puerto Rico, and its rum is one of the best in the world.
Gold Rum
Also called amber rum in some places, gold rum owes its unique color to the time it stays in aging barrels, usually bourbon barrels.
Premium Rum
Premium rums are expensive to produce. They command higher prices on the market. Flor de Caña and Facundo are well-known premium rums for their quality blend and premium taste.
Flavored Rum
Tropical flavors like vanilla, passion fruit, and pineapple are infused in rum to make it more appealing. The manufacturer adds some chemicals after the rum is distilled to stimulate the tropical fruit flavors.
Overproof Rum
Overproof rum is a favorite of many bartenders—they use it in cocktails and strong blended drinks.
Do you want rum with a higher alcohol-by-volume rating? Overproof rum is the best bet for you. It goes beyond the usual 40% ABV to 80% ABV with a proof range of 150-160.
Spiced Rum
For extra flavor, spiced rum is made with additional spices like cloves and cinnamon. It is basically spice-flavored gold rum and it has a dark color.
Comparing Rum Prices
The tables below compare the prices of different rum types from various manufacturers, brand categories, countries of origin, and alcohol by volume content.
Budget Category
| Brand | Country | Type | Alcohol by Volume (ABV) | Price Range |
| Admiral Nelson | United States | Spiced | 35% | $8 – $11 |
| Bacardi | Puerto Rico | White | 40% | $15 – $20 |
| Blue Chair Bay | Barbados | Spiced | 26.5% | $17 – $19 |
| Captain Morgan | Virgin Islands (US) | Spiced | 35% | $18 – $25 |
| Cruzan | Virgin Islands (US) | Spiced | 27.5% | $11 – $19 |
| Don Q | Puerto Rico | White | 75.5% | $13 – $22 |
| Foursquare | Barbados | Dark | 56% | $13 – $15 |
| Santa Teresa | Venezuela | Dark | 40% | $20 – $38 |
Standard Category
| Brand | Country | Type | Alcohol by Volume (ABV) | Price Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bayou | United States | Dark | 40% | $20 – $30 |
| Brinley Gold Shipwreck | Caribbean | Flavored | 36% | $19 – $24 |
| Brugal | Dominican Republic | White | 40% | $27 – $33 |
| Goslings | Bermuda | Dark | 75.5% | $18 – $21 |
| Havana Club | Cuba | White | 40% | $17 – $20 |
| Kraken | Trinidad and Tobago | Dark | 35% | $19 – $21 |
| Malibu | United States | Flavored | 21% | $15 – $17 |
| Mount Gay | Barbados | Dark | 40% | $21 – $39 |
| Myers | Jamaica | Dark | 40% | $18 – $23 |
| Privateer | United States | White | 8% | $26 – $39 |
| Pyrat | Anguilla | Dark | 40% | $25 – $30 |
| Richland | Georgia | Flavored | 43% | $23 – $49 |
| Rumchata | United States | Flavored | 13.75% | $20 – $24 |
| Sailor Jerry | United States | Spiced | 40% | $20 – $28 |
Premium Category
| Brand | Country | Type | Alcohol by Volume (ABV) | Price Range |
| Appleton | Jamaica | Spiced | 40% | $30 – $40 |
| Banks | Netherlands | White | 43% | $29 – $36 |
| Bumbu | Barbados | Spiced | 35% | $35 – $55 |
| Diplomatico | Venezuela | Dark | 40% | $30 – $32 |
| Facundo | Cuba | Flavored | 40% | $52 – $80 |
| Zacapa | Guatemala | Dark | 40% | $42 – $69 |
| Zaya | Trinidad and Tobago | Dark | 40% | $24 – $30 |
Now that you have a list of several rum brands and their price ranges for different types of rum, you can find liquor stores near you and buy your favorite rum for your home bar or upcoming party.
