14 July 2023
Discover the Best Rums of June 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 June 2023.
Side note: In case you are interested in seeing the full list for June, please open the RumX app, open the Menu, and click on The Best Rums of the Month - you’ll find the extended monthly lists as well as all the historical rankings over there.
Monthly charts
In the month of June 2023, the RumX community shared 5,102 tasting notes (slightly dropping from May’s 5759 tasting notes) and added 4,540 bottles to their collections (also here we noticed a drop from May’s 5598 bottles added). Moreover, with the help of the community, 191 new rums were added to the database (May: 251). This is the second month in a row where we see slightly dropping numbers with regards to the tasting activity in our community - but we still see three-digit numbers of tasting being added per day (wow!) plus we tend to be carefully optimistic that we’ll see some increase in tasting activity in July: Word on the street is there was some fancy event in Berlin that offered some solid rum assortment… In case you have no idea what we are talking about here, please check out our community posts on this year’s German Rum Festival that took place on July 8 and 9 and once more turned into a RumX community get together, including our very own warm-up party. All details can be found here (well, almost all of them):
LIVE @ 12th GRFMost tasted rums of June 2023
Let’s dive into the top-tasted rums of June and celebrate the remarkable variety of the rum world. Remember our April Tasting Lottery with Decadent Drinks and their Rum Sponge range? On June 1st, we had the pleasure of hosting a virtual RumX community tasting session with Angus MacRaild, the man behind the Rum Sponge series, and a mastermind of Decadent Drinks’s spirit selections. Angus shared intriguing details about the bottlings and his personal rum preferences. The samples received glowing feedback from our community winners, and therefore, June's list features several expressions from the Rum Sponge brand - including our top-tasted rum of the month!
On rank 1 is Rum Sponge Release No. 17, a 2004 Long Pond ITP, with 23 tasting notes added. The average score of 8.6 showcases the quality of the release, which many of us found similar to the New Yarmouth 1994 vintage while still having its unique profile. A rather unusual yet fascinating Long Pond vintage, it was one of the pleasant surprises from the tasting. It's no surprise that this rum is already sold out in our In-app shop*. If you missed it, keep an eye out for a sample or a full bottle, and stay tuned for future Long Pond expressions from the 2004 vintage.
* Discover the new RumX MarketplaceOur second most-tasted rum is also from the Rum Sponge series. The NAS 15 release is a blend of two rums from Barbados’ Foursquare distillery, featuring vintages from 2005 and 2007. The 21 tastings added resulted in an average score of 8.4, confirming that this selection was well-received by our community. The quality of Foursquare releases and their popularity in our community is well-known, and this serves as further confirmation. Furthermore, two more Foursquare expressions are tied at rank 3: Both Rum Sponge Edition No. 18, a single cask from 2000, and the latest joint bottling between Foursquare’s Richard Seale and Luca Gargano from Velier called “Raconteur” were tasted 20 times in June.
While the Rum Sponge offered a rather unusual profile for Foursquare rums, combining a touch of medicinal notes with tropical, dried fruits and subtle woody notes, the Raconteur showcases the classic Foursquare profile full of coconut, vanilla and dried fruits. Some tasters were reminded of the finish in casks formerly containing Oloroso wines. The Raconteur scored an average of 8.9, thus slightly outperforming the Rum Sponge at 8.1 points. Both results underline the high quality of Foursquare releases, regardless of their varied styles.
We conclude our top 5 with another Rum Sponge release, Edition No. 13, a 2007 release from Jamaica’s Clarendon distillery with 17 tastings in June. This rum presents a fascinating aromatic profile, with herbal impressions reminiscent of anise, fennel and olives, followed by expected fruity flavors and woody notes. However, it strikes a more balanced note than other expressions of the 2007 vintage, thanks to the slightly reduced ABV.
Ranks 6 to 10 feature Swell de Spirits’s West Indies release from 1996, tasted at the Swell booth at the first German Armagnac Festival in Stuttgart at the end of June. It's followed by Fine Drams’ Clarendon EMB 1997, the most purchased rum of May. Another 13 tastings were recorded, confirming the rum’s impressive average score of 9.1 points. The same number of tastings was added for Spirit of Rum’s Rumclub Private Selection Edition 36, the 2008 Diamond that placed third among the most tasted and purchased rums in May. We round off our June top ten with another expression by Swell de Spirits, a Caroni 1998 release in their Private Garden series, and Rum Artesanal’s 22-year old Fiji 2001 release, which also featured in our most purchased rums list in May.
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Curious which other rums ended up in our Top 10 in June 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 RumX App!
Most added to the collection in June 2023
On to our second category - let's explore which rums were most often added to our community members' collections in the past month. June showcased a delightful mix of rums joining the RumX community, featuring both familiar names and thrilling new releases.
The latest collaboration between Foursquare and Velier, the Raconteur from 2006, led the pack in a remarkable manner, boasting an impressive 78 purchases. This record demonstrates that the amalgamation of Velier's reputation with Foursquare's craftsmanship continues to inspire rum aficionados to reach for their wallets - or credit cards. The Raconteur release has been dominating since its initial launch. Take a glance at our Available Rarities thread in the RumX community to witness how swiftly our members helped various shops sell out their stock within minutes. As a side note: Being part of our community could be beneficial for tracking the availability of these rare releases. You will never miss a bargain again, especially with the new push notifications for Available Rarities in the RumX app. But pscht! :-)
Following at second place, albeit with a significant gap, is Swell de Spirits' Caroni 1998 release, which we also recognized in our top tasted rum list, with 27 purchases.
The third-ranked rum in total purchase numbers is the clear community favorite - June saw another 23 purchases of Saint James' Les Éphémères N°6 from 2006, raising the total number of bottles recorded in our community's collections to 214. These are impressive figures - though not entirely surprising given this bottling's recurring presence in our top lists in May and April.
The Eminente Confrérie du Rhum x Excellence Rhum (Batch 1) from 2012, produced by Cuba Ron S.A. in partnership with LVMH, clinched the fourth position with 22 purchases. Cuban rums don't often grace our monthly top lists, but this was anticipated, given the excitement surrounding the release within our community. Therefore, it is no surprise to also see the second release of Eminente and Excellence Rhum in the top 10. But before we return to Cuba, Swell de Spirits' Private Garden releases take us first to Belize with a Traveller’s 2008 release and then to Jamaica’s Hampden distillery with Swells first anniversary bottling, both boasting 18 purchases. Among the remaining most purchased rums in June were South Pacific's Plantation Fiji One-Time from 2004, the aforementioned Cuba Ron S.A.'s Eminente Confrérie du Rhum x Excellence Rhum (Batch 2) from 2012, Foursquare's newest addition to their Exceptional Cask Selection, called Touchstone, and once more, Swell de Spirit with their Bielle from 2015. Quite an excursion through the world of rums - but also noteworthy to see two relatively new independent bottlers dominating our top lists in June. Kudos to both Decadent Drinks and Swell de Spirits!
As we celebrate the most purchased rums of June, we are reminded of the enduring enthusiasm and passion for rum within our community. The range of choices reflects the diverse and thrilling world of rum, and we eagerly await what the coming months will offer as we continue to explore and share our rum tasting journey together. We remain excited for more discoveries and shared experiences in the rum realm as we embark on the summer season of 2023!
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 June 2023
Let's move on to our final category - the top tasting locations in June. A robust new contender is making its mark as the European rum capital: Nuremberg is leading for the second consecutive month. Notably, Nuremberg isn't the only Franconian hotspot in our June top list - the charming Herzogenaurach has also made it to our top 10. We're quite impressed by the passion and dedication shown by our Franconian rum powerhouse. Through personal conversations and community forum chats, we've learned that the RumX community in and around Nuremberg fosters a lively exchange, which we're thrilled to witness. We're grateful to benefit from the rum-loving vibes emanating from there, both through tasting notes and recurring bottle splits - hats off to you guys!
Moving on to the next ranks in our list - renowned hotspots Berlin and Kolding complete the podium at second and third ranks. Both Nuremberg and Berlin recorded over 120 reviews in the past month, with Kolding falling to almost half that number (68 tastings). Cologne, Stuttgart, and Paris follow with 32, 31, and 28 tastings, respectively.
Rank 7 reinforces our pride in RumX becoming the key community for rum lovers worldwide - we're thrilled to see the beautiful island of Martinique, home to many incredible rum distilleries, on our list again. The list is rounded out by the aforementioned Herzogenaurach and two bars: Oops Bar from Arhus, Denmark, and Boat Drinks in St. Augustine, US. It's exciting to see the RumX vibes entering the American market as well!
Comments
With the close of June, we've also passed the first half of the year. This milestone gives us a good reason to reflect on what's happened in 2023 so far - what have been your highlights of the rum year in 2023 to this point?