Best Rums of August 2023

What were the hottest new rum releases in the past month? Which rums received the highest scores from our community? And where did most of the tasting take place? We are back with our Monthly Recap and will give you the key stats on what happened in the RumX world in August 2023.

Side note: In case you are interested in seeing the full rankings for August or any of the previous months, please jump to the RumX app, open the Explore tab, navigate to the “Hot right now” section and click on “Discover latest charts” - you’ll find the extended monthly lists as well as all the historical rankings over there.

Monthly charts

In August 2023, our RumX aficionados contributed 4,652 tasting notes , a slight dip from July 's 5,298 entries. On the flip side, 4,297 bottles joined personal collections, reversing July's dwindling trend of 4,080 acquisitions. Impressively, our database swelled with 330 new rums - double the 164 additions we saw in July. A hearty cheers to our vibrant community! Now, let's raise a glass to this month's top rums!

Most tasted rums of August 2023

As the summer wanes, the excitement in the rum world continues to wax. Last month, Foursquare took the lead with their “Raconteur” , a collaborative effort with Velier . This month, however, we see a surprising tie for the top spot with Foursquare sharing the limelight with a new entry: Spirit of Rum's Rumclub Private Selection Ed. 38 Belize Rum from 2006 ( RX16712 ). Both rums were tasted 23 times, creating a delightful duel for the top spot.

At the third rank, we encounter The Rum Cask's latest bottling: a 2018 Worthy Park rum aged in a cask formerly holding DOK-marque rum ( RX16625 ). This release commemorates The Rum Cask's ten years anniversary (hearty congrats from us; eager to see what the next decade holds!) and instantly debuted in the top three with 14 tastings. It serves as a magnificent display of Jamaican artistry and, priced at 50€, remains a fairly accessible rum.

Back in July , Rum Artesanal ( Heinz Eggert Gmbh's famous brand for single cask releases which turned into a household name for all German and probably even European rum lovers) dominated the scene with three offerings. They still maintain a strong presence in August, as their 2001 T.D.L Trinidad Rum ( RX15401 ) received 12 tastings, landing in the fourth spot. Rum Artesanal’s second single cask release from July, the 32 years old Enmore 1990 MEV ( RX15400 ), also retains its allure with 7 tastings, even as it takes a step back from July's higher rank.

Speaking of Enmore , we find another aged release from the distillery in our top list. The Flensburg Rum Company 1994 REV release ( RX16488 ), which landed on the podium in July, has now slipped to the fifth position with another 9 tastings added this month.

On the subsequent ranks, four rums each garnered 8 additional tasting notes: Kicking things off is Flensburg Rum Company's second listed release, their exclusive bottling for the 12th German Rumfest, which spotlights a Thai rum ( RX16506 ) . This bottling once again clinched a spot in our top ten, mirroring its position in July's ranking. Sharing this rank are two T.D.L. releases from the early 2000s - the 21 years old T.D.L. 2001 release by Asta Morris ( RX15322 ), and the 2002 T.D.L. release Romdeluxe's Wild Series ( RX15565 ). Thailand and Trinidad are then accompanied by Barbados, represented by a second entry from Foursquare distillery with the 22nd installment in their Exceptional Cask Selection, named Touchstone ( RX15284 ), each with 8 tastings as well.

In summary, our top 10 rums this month represent rums from seven different countries—showing that, similar to July , our collective curiosity remains as robust as ever. As always, the unchanging constant in this monthly carousel of rum is the passionate zeal with which our community samples and savors these fantastic spirits.

Cheers to another month of exploration and discovery! We can't wait to see what September holds in its cask.

Most added to the collection in August 2023

While last month we explored potential reasons for the general decline in bottle acquisitions - ranging from economic concerns to rising cask costs - August has furnished us with new data to mull over. So, without further ado, let's get into the nitty-gritty of the most coveted rums for August 2023.

And August is hattrick-time again: The undisputed champ from June and July , the Foursquare and Velier collaboration, the 2006 Raconteur (RX15940), continues to command attention but with a subtle drop in purchases. From June’s 78 to July's 112, it now dwindled to 34 purchases in August. Still impressive, but the newcomer, Foursquare's Exceptional Cask Selection XXII Touchstone (RX15284), has swiftly claimed the throne with 35 purchases. Yet another proof that the combination of Velier and Foursquare succeeds to create a real buzz. 

Savanna , a double feature in last month's roundup, made a triumphant return this August with not two, but three "Unshared Cask" editions. The first, a 2006 vintage bottled exclusively for Germany ( RX16505 ) , amassed 25 purchases. The second, a 2016 vintage designed for France ( RX16303 ), also netted 25 purchases. Rounding out the trio is the "Reunion Island" edition from 2012, double-aged initially in French Oak and subsequently in ex-Calvados casks ( RX16615 ). Savanna's rapid ascension in recent years is noteworthy - they moved from languishing bottles on store shelves to instantaneous sellouts of new releases in just a year or two. While the quality of the spirit was never in question, this trajectory highlights how swiftly new darlings can be anointed within the rum world. We raise a glass to our friends in La Reunion!  

In the wake of Savanna, we see Hampden maintaining its footing with 18 purchases via the Burke’s Elements bottling by Rum Artesanal ( RX16512 ). While slightly down from last month's 21, the bottling sustains its status as a community favorite. 

The list continues with two white rums: On rank seven we find Neisson making a fresh appearance with their Rhum Agricole Blanc, Dekolaj 2023, notching 11 purchases ( RX16682 ). Bielle , another constant from July , returned but in a reduced capacity, recording 10 purchases for their recent release by Swell de Spirits ( RX16236 ). 

August also saw the first rum from an unnamed (or even unknown?) distillery in Thailand released by Oldman Spirits GmbH under their Flensburg Rum Company brand for the 12th German Rumfest entering our community's collections, accumulating 9 purchases - probably not a major surprise given that it landed in our most tasted rums in July and comes with a fairly competitive price point of below 80 Euros. Our top ten are completed by Velier’s latest release of an Australian rum, a 2013 vintage hailing from Beenleigh distillery ( RX15956 ), also scoring 9 recorded purchases by our community. 

So, is there a rebound in bottle purchases within our community after July's slump ? We're definitely seeing an uptick. Notably, our most tasted and most purchased rums continue to align, suggesting that community tasting feedback directly influences buying choices. Observing phenomena like Savanna's triple entry in this month's top ten, it seems that rum aficionados might have been holding out for fresh releases from their preferred brands and distilleries. As for what the future holds, only time will tell. Rest assured, we're committed to monitoring the forces shaping the rum landscape and will keep you in the loop!

Most popular tasting locations in August 2023

Taking a pivot to our next category of interest, let's unfurl the list of premier tasting locations for August. The statistics reveal some intriguing shifts. Berlin keeps up the top spot they took already last month - as was to be expected back then since the Berlin-based German Festival took place in July . But obviously our local community in town is capable of celebrating rum all by themselves as the 132 tastings recorded in August show. 

The gap to our second-ranked location, St. Gallen in Switzerland, was razor-thin: With 125 tastings, St. Gallen was hot on Berlin's heels for the top position. It's an astonishing rise, considering it had just 37 tastings in July - essentially quadrupling its numbers. Nuremberg , despite a modest decline to 120 tastings from 132 in July, continues to be a cornerstone in our rum-tasting geography. The undiminished passion for rum was palpable when we met our Franconian Tasting Gang earlier this month. We can confirm: There is lots of rum love in the Franconian air!

Danish shop Whisky Watcher , a new entrant, recorded 52 tastings at its facilities, maintaining Denmark's prominence in the rum universe (by the way: Whisky Watcher is about to launch in the new RumX marketplace ) . It is followed by Herzogenaurach which also maintains its love for rum (once more, kudos to the Franconian Tasting Gang!), recording 40 tastings this time around. Täby , previously at 28 tastings, has slightly eased to 35 and continues to offer strong representation from Sweden. 

Taking a dip to the lower ranks, we find Stuttgart at 21 tastings, down from its July performance but still holding firm. Kolding and Münster share the next spot with 15 tastings each. While Kolding makes a comeback after missing out in July, Münster makes its first appearance, enriching the geographic diversity of our list.

Comments

As summer draws to a close and autumn awaits us, the season for rum festivals is just around the corner. What rum events are you most looking forward to in the weeks and months ahead? And which ones will you personally attend?