Forbes: Ho Ho Ho And A Bottle Of Rum

These fine aged rums from all over the Caribbean are perfect to... well, you COULD gift them for the holidays, but it’s more fun to sip them yourself.

It’s holiday time, and that means it’s time to light the tree, deck the halls, fire up the menorah... and also time to put lots of bottles of alcohol into gaily decorated gift bags to hand off to assorted loved ones, friends, business associates, doormen, and so on. But here’s a little secret — while you’re picking up bottles of Johnnie Walker Blue Label or Tanqueray or Veuve Cliquot or any of the usual gifty standbys, you can also pick up a bottle of delicious rum and — wait for it – take it home to drink yourself. What’s stopping you? And I don’t know about where you live, but here in New York City, a day of navigating around slow-walking tourists and harried, half-sprinting natives at holiday time calls for a little liquid reward.

Rum, even the fanciest of fancy bottles, isn’t necessarily the ideal gift. People think of it as sweet stuff, fit only for mixing into frozen daiquiris and the like. That implicit bias prevents a lot of folks from sitting down with good aged rums and really giving them a chance. If they did, they’d find they aren’t only not sweet, but they’re as complex and multi-layered as the finest whiskies or cognacs. But since you already know that, why not save the good stuff for yourself? And the best part is, since rum is so misunderstood, most of the really good ones, even rare bottles, can be had for a fraction of the cost of a rare bourbon or single malt. So you’ll be splurging on yourself without blowing up your bank account. Win-win!

Here are a few of my favorite rums that have hit store shelves in the last few months, all of which are worth your time. Some will be harder to find than others — and a couple will be all but impossible to track down. But I hope you’ll see that as a challenge rather than an impediment.

Hampden Estate's Great House has been standing since 1779; the rums in the blend are slightly younger.

Hampden Estate Great House 2024 (57% ABV, $130). The GOAT of Jamaican rum distilleries? That’s a tall order, but Hampden Estate is certainly in the running for greatest rum distillery you’ve (probably) never heard of. Operating since 1753, the estate’s pot-still rums were used exclusively in blends until 2018, when the world could finally sample its estate-aged rums unadulterated. The Great House series, launched in 2019, is an annual limited edition using different blends of the distillery’s eight marques, or recipes, of rum. 2024’s blend skews a little younger than usual, with the vast majority of it aged four years or less. But aging in Jamaica’s tropical heat makes things move quickly, and this is a terrific, fully mature rum. The nose is redolent of overripe banana, sweet apple, and a hint of tar; on the palate, sweet notes of pineapple, coconut and vanilla are met by a dry, peppery spice. The finish is lingering and warm, with notes of tobacco and dark chocolate. A fine introduction to Hampden if you haven’t tried it before, and a snazzy addition to the collection if you have.

Ten Outstanding Cognacs That You Have Probably Never Heard Of

Cognac is one of the world’s great spirits. Its history dates back almost four centuries. Its presence in the U.S. goes back almost as long. It has been intimately intertwined with American history. George Washington was a fan. He drank it in his camp during the Revolutionary War and served it to his guests at the first Presidential Inauguration.

Cognac was the basis of most cocktails in the U.S. long before bourbon became the quintessential American spirit. Cherry Bounce and Fish House Punch, two popular drinks during colonial times, both featured Cognac. The original recipe for that classic American drink, the mint julep, was also Cognac based. The bourbon version did not appear till the late 19th century. The first American book of cocktail recipes The Bartender's Guide, by Jerry Thomas in 1862, mostly featured Cognac based drinks…

…France has hundreds of Cognac producers. The four largest producers, however, account for 90% of the U.S. market—Courvoisier (Beam Suntory), Hennessy (LVMH), Martell (Pernod Ricard) and Rémy Martin (Rémy Cointreau).

Most Cognac producers do not export to the U.S. market. Bottling Cognac to meet U.S. bottling requirements, 750 ml versus 700 ml bottles, is expensive and burdensome. Finding a U.S. distributor is difficult, especially given the relatively small volumes that they produce. That’s a pity, because most Cognac enthusiasts have little opportunity to taste the wide range of Cognacs produced in France.

Recently, I asked Max von Olfers for his recommendations of outstanding Cognacs that are relatively unknown in the U.S. Max, along with his sister Sophie, runs Cognac-Expert.com, a Cognac based mail order supplier of Cognac to consumers worldwide. The website features more than 1,000 Cognac expressions, that’s easily 10 times more than even the best stocked U.S. retailer would carry.

Below are 10 recommendations from Max, plus a couple of my own, of outstanding Cognacs. They range from relatively common, at least in Cognac, to quite rare. Price wise they range from under $100 to over $5,000 a bottle. All bottles are 700 ml. Max’s comments are below (in italics), followed by my comments.

Navarre Cravache d’Or - $110
Cognac Navarre Cravache D'Or

Cognac Navarre Cravache D'Or

I love this cask strength Cognac. Non-chill filtered, not colored or boiséd. No water is used during the aging process, and all the grapes are hand-harvested—this is the ultimate in artisan production. This Cognac explodes with aroma and has an evolving floral palate that’s so typical of a Grande Champagne eau-de-vie, 45% ABV, 90° proof/cask strength.

Boisé is a syrup produced from a mixture of Cognac, sugar and wood chips. It’s made by macerating, and sometimes boiling, oak chips with lower-proof spirit. The process extracts color from the oak chips and when sugar is added produces a concentrated syrup. When added to young Cognacs, it can make the spirit look and taste older than it is. The addition of boisé to Cognac is quite common among producers and is permitted by the regulatory body, the Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac (BNIC).