12 June 2023
Discover the Best Rums of May 2023 | Monthly Review
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 May 2023.
Side note: In case you are interested in seeing the full list for May, please open the RumX app, open the Explore tab, navigate to the Hot right now section and click on Explore - you’ll find the extended monthly lists as well as all the historical rankings over there.
Monthly charts
In the month of May 2023, the RumX community shared 5,759 tasting notes (quite a drop from April’s 7,382 tasting notes) and added 5,598 bottles to their collections (also here quite a drop from April’s 7,154 bottles added). Moreover, with the help of the community, 251 (April: 279, so more or less on the same level) new rums were added to the database. Back in April we celebrated a spike in our community numbers, May however showed an opposite trend. We hope this will change again in June - and there is definitely good reason to be optimistic: Summer 2023 has finally arrived, the rum festival season is about to get started. Best time to raise a glass or two, don’t you agree? Looking for some extra motivation? Check out our June Tasting Lottery, for which we partnered with Rum Artesanal this time. Rum Artesanal is sharing 30 tasting kits with six yet to be announced new releases. Check out all details here:
Join the lottery nowMost tasted rums of May 2023
Our top-tasted rums in May showed off the diverse palate of our community, with favorites from Martinique, Jamaica, and Guyana making a strong comeback. It was a celebration of both Agricole and molasses-based rums, underlining once more the wide array of flavors the rum world offers in remarkable quality.
The crowd favorite, Saint James Les Éphémères No. 6, retains its position as the most savored rum with a tie of 26 tastings. This exquisite 2006 release further asserts the exceptional allure of the “Les Éphémères” series with its fascinating complexity and depth, retaining an average score of 8.5/10.
Clarendon's Fine Old Clarendon Rum from 1997, bottled by Fine Drams, tied for most tasted this May. This Jamaican standout perfectly embodies the unique spirit of the Clarendon distillery, achieving an impressive average score of 9.1/10 based on the community's ratings. The releases by Fine Drams have garnered considerable positive buzz - and for good reason. The balance of quality and price in these bottlings is truly commendable. Moreover, the introduction of new 35cl bottle sizes has made this rum more accessible to enthusiasts, not only by increasing the number of bottles available but also by providing a more affordable price point. This clever strategy has been a welcome innovation. With such an exceptional price-to-quality ratio, this rum is a must-try for any aficionado of Jamaican rums.
The third spot this May goes to Rumclub Private Selection Edition 36, a Diamond 2008 expression brought to us by our Berlin-based friends at Spirit of Rum, with 23 tastings in total. This rum also boasts a highly appealing price-to-quality ratio and substantiates this with an impressive average score of 8.3 from our community.
The fourth spot was secured by the Jamaican powerhouse Long Pond with its 2001 release under the Wu Dram Clan banner. Garnering 19 tastings, this rum struck a chord for its vibrant tropical flavors and deep, lingering finish, resulting in an average rating of 8.6 points.
In the fifth spot, we see another Clarendon release by Fine Drams, this time from the 1995 vintage with 18 tastings. Similar to its 1997 sibling, this rum shot straight to the top of the list for Clarendons from the 1995 vintage. An impressive community rating of 9.0 underscores the exceptional quality and unique aromatic profile of this tropically aged Clarendon, with its characteristic fresh fruit notes, hints of mint, cask influence, and a touch of spice.
Completing our top ten list, we had the Saint Lucia Distillers cask selection by Kirsch Whisky, another creation from Spirit of Rum Edition, namely the Rumclub Private Selection Edition 34 from Brazil, the New Yarmouth 1994 Ex-Sherry cask finish bottled by Oldman Spirits after 28 years, Foursquare's 2010 vintage from their Exceptional Cask Selection Series, and S.B.S.'s Uitvlugt 2014 bottling featuring the unique combination of the renowned PM-style with the DHE marque (we discussed this in our April monthly recap, do check it out if you need more info). Each of these rums added their unique twists to our collective rum tasting journey. It's an impressive list with some truly excellent drams (pun intended, couldn't resist!) - and while we certainly appreciate the outstanding qualities of vintage releases from familiar distilleries like Clarendon, New Yarmouth or Long Pond, we also embrace new expressions, be it new marques like the DHE from Guyana’s Demerara Distillers or selections from less dominant rum countries like Brazil. It's wonderful to see our community also celebrating this diverse array of rum releases!
Curious which other rums ended up in our Top 10 in May or simply look for more details on the rums mentioned? Just head over to our app and check out the monthly recap history in the “Explore” section!
Most added to the collection in May 2023
On to our second category - let’s find out which rums were added the most to our community member’s collections this past month. May saw an intriguing mix of rums being added to the RumX community's collections, with some names from the most tasted list reappearing.
Sitting at the pinnacle, just like in the most tasted rums, was Fine Drams’s Clarendon 1997 with a whopping 67 purchases - a truly remarkable number for a single month. Our community evidently has a strong affinity for this offering, and rightly so, as reflected in its exceptional ratings.
Following closely in the second position was Saint James' Les Éphémères No. 6 from 2006, securing 45 purchases. Yet another community favorite - not only was this our shared winner in the most tasted list of May, but also the leader of both our most tasted and most purchased category in April. This rum certainly continues to uphold its charm among rum enthusiasts.
The third spot went to Diamond's Rumclub Private Selection Edition 36, released by our Berlin buddies from Spirit of Rum. With 27 purchases and a compelling average score of 8.3, this rum has clearly struck a chord with our community.
Securing the fourth spot was another Clarendon release by Fine Drams from the 1995 vintage, with 25 purchases. Given the number of purchases coupled with high average ratings, it's clear that Fine Drams has showcased their ability to select rum casks that perfectly align with our community's preferences, particularly with their Clarendon releases. Notably, yet another release by Fine Drams, the New Yarmouth 1994 boasting 68.5% ABV, claimed the ninth place with 15 purchases. This release, akin to its Clarendon counterparts, has struck a chord within our community, as indicated by its stellar average score of 8.9 points.
We were wondering - when was the last time a bottler's single release of rums was received with such enthusiasm? It must have been a while. Regardless, Fine Drams' impressive work certainly deserves applause. Chapeau!
We’re closing the top five most purchased rums with then Coronation Reserve 2023 by Pusser’s Rums, which found its way into 20 collections.
If you feel you missed out on any of the rums, maybe you want to check our forum - here the RumX community shares exciting finds every day. And don’t forget to check out our new Buyer's Guide in the app.
Most popular tasting locations in May 2023
In May, the RumX community continued to gather in various corners of the globe to savor their preferred rums, reinforcing the truly international character of our dedicated rum family.
In an unexpected turn of events, the world's unofficial rum capital found a rival. Nuremberg, Germany, claimed the title of the most popular tasting location this month, with a striking number of tastings occurring in this historic city. It seems that Kolding, the long-standing favorite, has some competition!
Yet, don't count Kolding out just yet. Securing the third spot with an impressive number of tastings, Kolding, Denmark remains a rum lover's haven and maintains its place in the top rankings - a testament to its unwavering rum enthusiasm.
Meanwhile, our friends in Berlin claimed the second spot, proving once again that Germany's rum passion is not confined to Nuremberg. Paris, France, demonstrated its ever-growing rum affinity, securing fourth place with a respectable number of tastings.
The changing dynamics of the popular tasting locations list provide an intriguing snapshot of the ebb and flow of the rum tasting culture worldwide. While it's always exciting to see new cities taking the lead, the persistent presence of familiar locations, like Kolding, Berlin, and Paris, underscores the enduring love for rum in these regions.
In any case, we can't help but feel a warm sense of community when we see the wide array of locations where our RumX members gather to indulge their shared passion. It's a delightful reminder of the universality of our love for rum and the bond it fosters among us, regardless of geographical distances. With the rum fair season just around the corner, we eagerly anticipate what the next month will bring. Cheers to more tastings and shared experiences!
Comments
What will be your highlight of the Summer 2023 rum season - are you looking forward to a specific event, release or rum tasting already?