I am sure it has been made clear in my bio that I’m a lover of rum. Rum truly does make the world go round.

When it comes to soca or carnival, what you beating? Rum!

So to help you guys out this amazing rum connoisseur has put together a list of some of the islands best rums. Beware the list does feature the lesser known and the alternative, so I beg you, do not to knock it before you’ve tried it.

My pick for brown rum is no other than Guyana’s El Dorado Special Reserve 21 Year (43%) this is a dark oaky and smooth rum. Nothing quite compares to a swig of this beauty. It can be purchased here,  however the quality is reflected in the price as this bad boy retails at a whopping £80.

Don’t you fret, I have a more affordable yet still top quality option which is Cuba’s Havana Club 7 Year (40%). Havana retails for only £22 and can be bought in most supermarkets (price taken from Tesco). It is smooth sweet and gentle, a great drink on its own and makes an amazing cocktail.

Moving on to gold rum. I’m sure it comes as no surprise that Trinidad’s Angostura 5 Year (40%) takes the lead. For those of you who have been lucky enough to taste it, you would know it’s a sip of sheer bliss. Being a blended of rums it has uniquely smooth yet still oaky taste. Impressively Angostura is the winner of International Wine & Spirit Competition’s 2010 best in Class award. It retails at £23 and can also be purchased here.

Finally we reach white rum. This category scared me as there is a lot of competition and strong opinions over white rum. So please don’t let my choice spark any inter-island warfare. My first choice is, drum roll please… Grenada’s “Rivers” (River Antoine) rum (69%). It has been given first place as it is a strong but yet smooth rum, which unexpectedly has a sweet and rather enjoyable taste. It’s one of those rums that can mix with anything.

Rivers in the UK retails at roughly £30. Unfortunately, rivers is hard to come by, and can only be purchased from independent importers. There is a stall in Shepherds Bush Market, London which is known to stock it. A cheaper and easier alternative to rivers, (which some may argue better) is of course Jamaica’s legendary Wray and Nephews (63%). The price per bottle fluctuates as it can be bought in your local corner shop or even at major supermarkets, in which it retails roughly at £25.

Don’t just take my word for it, try them for yourself! If there’s any you feel I have left out please feel free to comment.

What’s your favourite tipple?

Hint, if you want the best experience, try these rums on their native islands. They tend to be a lot cheaper and a lot stronger as U.K importing law as limit the strength of those available to us.