Top Rum Brands for Delicious Baking Adventures

Rum isn't just for cocktails; it's a fantastic ingredient for enhancing the flavor of your baked goods. The right rum can elevate everything from cakes to cookies, bringing out complex flavors and adding a moist richness. When choosing a rum for baking, you'll want a brand that offers a well-balanced taste and quality that complements your recipe. To discover the top selections that can transform your baking creations, read on below.

Illustration of rum for baking

Best brands of rum for baking in 2025

Bacardi

Bacardi, the largest privately held, family-owned spirits company in the world, is renowned for its high-quality rum, making it an ideal choice for baking. Founded in 1862 by Facundo Bacardi Masso, Bacardi has perfected its rum production through innovative techniques such as charcoal filtration and aging in white oak barrels. With a portfolio of over 200 brands, Bacardi's rum is available in more than 170 countries and is celebrated for its clear, light-bodied, and mixable profile. The company's commitment to quality is evident in its proprietary yeast strain and the careful blending of distillates, ensuring a rich flavor profile. Bacardi's rum, with its 40% alcohol by volume, adds a unique and delicious twist to baked goods like the Bacardi Rum Cake.

Captain Morgan

Captain Morgan is a renowned brand for rum, particularly popular for baking due to its rich flavor profile and versatile varieties. Introduced in 1944 by the Seagram Company, Captain Morgan has become a staple in many recipes, such as rum cakes, with its Original Spiced Rum reformulated in 2023 to include Madagascar vanilla and bottled at 35% alcohol by volume (70 proof). The brand, now owned by Diageo, offers a range of rum expressions, including 100 Proof Spiced Rum and Black Spiced Rum, making it a favorite among bakers and rum enthusiasts alike. With over 12 million cases sold annually, Captain Morgan is one of the top-selling rum brands globally. Its iconic spiced rum flavor, infused with spices and herbs, adds a unique twist to various baked goods. For more information, visit their official website.

Mount Gay

Mount Gay is a renowned brand in the rum industry, particularly esteemed for its high-quality rums that are ideal for baking. The brand, with its roots dating back nearly four centuries, uses molasses from Barbados and neighboring Caribbean islands, distilled through a combination of traditional double column, Spanish and Scottish double retort copper pot, and Irish Coffey stills. This diverse distillation process allows for a rich and complex flavor profile, as seen in expressions like the Eclipse, aged for two years in ex-American Whiskey barrels, and the Black Barrel, finished in deeply charred Bourbon barrels for six months and bottled at 86 proof (43% ABV). For more detailed insights, explore their offerings on The Spirits Educator.

Appleton Estate

Appleton Estate is a renowned brand for rum, particularly well-suited for baking due to its rich, complex flavors. Established in 1749, Appleton Estate uses a combination of pot and column stills and ages its rums in ex-Bourbon barrels, with expressions like the 8 Year Old Reserve and 12 Year Old Rare Casks offering deep notes of vanilla, caramel, and oak. The rums are bottled at 40% to 43% ABV, making them versatile for both cocktails and baking. The brand's Master Blender, Doctor Joy Spence, ensures high-quality blends, such as the Appleton Estate Signature, which is a blend of 15 different rums aged for an average of 4 years. This quality and flavor profile make Appleton Estate rums ideal for enhancing the richness of desserts like Jamaican Rum Cake. For more insight, take a look at this review of the Appleton Estate Rum range.

Gosling's

Gosling's, a renowned rum producer since 1806, is an excellent choice for baking due to the rich, complex flavors of its Black Seal Rum. This rum, with its 40% alcohol content (80 Proof), is made from a blend of aged pot and continuous still distillates, aged in used, charred American oak bourbon casks. The deep dark amber color and aromas of caramel, burnt sugar, and a hint of oakiness make it ideal for enhancing baked goods. Gosling's Black Seal is also a key ingredient in Bermuda's national cocktail, the Dark 'N Stormy, and its versatility in both mixing and sipping makes it a valuable addition to any baker's pantry. With its long history and family-owned tradition, Gosling's ensures a high-quality product that can elevate various baked recipes.

Myers’s

Myers's Rum, founded in 1879 by Fred L. Myers, is a renowned producer of high-quality Jamaican rum, making it an excellent choice for baking and cooking. The rum is made from pure Jamaican molasses, fermented, and distilled using both continuous and pot still distillation, then matured for up to 4 years in small oak barrels. With its rich, full-bodied flavor profile, featuring notes of molasses, caramel, and dark chocolate, Myers's Rum is ideal for adding depth to baked goods. Available at 40% ABV, it is a favorite among bakers and mixologists alike. Its authentic Jamaican heritage and traditional production methods ensure a consistent and flavorful product.

Ron Zacapa

Ron Zacapa is renowned for its premium rum, making it an excellent choice for baking due to its rich, complex flavor profile. Produced in Guatemala, Zacapa uses the first press of virgin sugar cane honey, avoiding molasses, and employs a unique yeast strain derived from pineapples for fermentation. The rum is aged using the Sistema Solera method, blending rums between 6 and 23 years old in casks that previously held Bourbon, Sherry, and Pedro Ximenez wines. This process, overseen by Master Blender Lorena Vasquez, takes place at an altitude of 2,300 meters, contributing to the rum's distinctive taste. The result is a rum with decadent tasting notes of caramel, toffee, vanilla, and tropical fruits, ideal for enhancing baked goods. For more details, visit their official website.

Sailor Jerry

Sailor Jerry is renowned as one of the best producers of rum for baking, particularly highlighted by its rich, smooth taste characterized by top notes of vanilla and cinnamon. The brand achieved significant milestones, such as selling 1.04 million nine-litre cases in 2016, making it the second best-selling spiced rum globally after Diageo's Captain Morgan. Its all-natural spices and flavors enhance the flavor profile of baked goods, as seen in recipes like the Sailor Jerry Rum Cake. The rum is available in different proof levels, such as 92 proof (46% ABV) in the US and 80 proof (40% ABV) in the UK. Its versatility and authentic maritime rum flavor make it a favorite among bakers. For more details about Sailor Jerry's legacy, visit their official story page.

Plantation

Plantation is renowned as one of the best producers of rum, particularly for baking, due to its meticulous blending and aging processes. Founded by Alexander Gabriel, the brand combines traditional rum-making techniques with innovative methods, such as double aging in Cognac casks, to create rich and smooth rums. For example, the Plantation 3 Stars White Rum, infused with the skins of fresh Queen Victoria pineapples, adds a unique flavor profile ideal for baking. The rum spends between 8 to 15 years aging on the beaches of Barbados and an additional 2 to 10 years in various casks, including new white oak and Bourbon casks. This careful crafting results in a deep texture and complex aromas, making Plantation rum a favorite among bakers. For more information, visit Plantation rum's blog.

Kraken

Kraken Rum is a highly regarded brand for baking, particularly with its Black Spiced Rum, which is a Caribbean black spiced rum introduced in 2010 and owned by Proximo Spirits. This rum is distilled from molasses made from sugar cane, aged for 1-2 years, and blended with a mix of 11 spices, including cinnamon, ginger, and clove, resulting in a rich, spiced flavor profile. With an alcohol content of 47% (94 proof), it adds a smooth and sweet flavor to baked goods, as seen in recipes like Rum and Coke Cupcakes. The rum's dark color and robust flavor make it an excellent choice for enhancing the taste of various desserts. Its unique blend and high-quality ingredients have earned it recognition, such as being named an Impact "Hot Brand" by Impact magazine.