The 13 Best White Rum Brands to Buy Right Now in 2026
What is white rum?
White rum is a bit of a misnomer and is a term that is sometimes misunderstood. What it refers to is rum that is clear and not actually white, and that doesn’t necessarily mean that it hasn’t been aged. In fact, many white rums are initially matured in barrels and then filtered to remove their color, similar to the process used for cristalino tequila. Sometimes a white rum is a blend of aged and un-aged rum, and may even retain a tinge of color in the bottle.
How should you drink white rum?
The short answer is however you like it—there is no wrong or right way to enjoy white rum. That being said, it’s a good idea to at least taste white rum neat to really discover its character. From there, drink it however you like, but it is a spirit that is often used to make many classic cocktails, including a daiquiri, pina colada, mojito, or mai tai.
How did we choose the white rum on this list?
We considered different factors when picking these white rums, with the emphasis being on taste. Because after all, despite a bottle’s availability or the hype surrounding it, that is the most important thing. Tasting white rum involves a combination of sensations, including the nose, palate, mouthfeel, and finish. And each category has different characteristics, so part of the process is to consider how an individual pick fits into its style overall. The bottles on this list represent the best white rums based on all of these options, providing a good overview of selections you can easily purchase in person or online that are good examples of each individual category.
Why should you trust us?
Jonah Flicker has been writing about whiskey and other spirits for over a decade, visiting distilleries around the world to meet the people behind the bottles and find out more about their stories. He is a judge for the John Barleycorn Awards and the New York World Wine and Spirits Competition, he leads private tastings, and his work has appeared in many national other lifestyle outlets besides Robb Report, including Unicorn Review (where he’s also the editor), Esquire, Food & Wine, Men’s Journal, CNN, USA Today and more.
