The best aged rums in the world are sipping spirits on par with great bourbon and Scotch — single casks, decades in tropical oak, bottled with nothing added. If you want to buy aged rum online, Del Mesa Liquor, a family-owned liquor store in San Diego, California, keeps a rum shelf that runs from a $189 single-cask Trinidad to a 35-year-old Nicaraguan decanter of which only 350 exist. Every bottle below is in stock and available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor today.
The unicorn tier: 30 years and up
- Flor de Cana 35 Year Rum — $4,499.99 (1 in stock). The oldest release in Flor de Cana's history, unveiled for the brand's 135th anniversary: distilled in 1990 and aged 35 years in American white oak at the base of Nicaragua's San Cristobal volcano. One of only 350 numbered crystal decanters worldwide, at 40% ABV.
- Planteray 40 Year Old Rum Jamaica 1984 — $1,999.99 (1 in stock). The oldest rum Planteray has ever released — a single cask from Clarendon Distillery (the MMW Monymusk Wedderburn mark), 100% pot still, aged 35 years in the tropics and 5 more in France, bottled at cask strength, 57.2% ABV.
- Ron Del Barrilito Don Pedro Fernandez Selection III Aged Rum Limited Edition 1994 — $1,699.99 (1 in stock). A single ex-Oloroso sherry cask laid down in 1994 at Hacienda Santa Ana in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, and rested 31 years — just 186 bottles, no added sugar or coloring, 43.6% ABV. The first Autobiografia release to reach the U.S. nationally.
The collector tier
- Appleton Estate Hearts Collection 25 Year Old Jamaican Rum 1998 — $649.99 (4 in stock). The eighth Hearts Collection release: a single proprietary marque, 100% pot still, distilled in 1998 and aged 25 tropical years in the Nassau Valley, drawn from just 19 casks and bottled at 63% ABV by Master Blender Dr. Joy Spence.
- Hampden Estate The Maverick Single Jamaican Rum — $239.99 (3 in stock). A limited commemorative blend of three Hampden marques — HGML, LFCH and the high-ester C<>H — double-retort pot distilled and bottled at 59% ABV. Pure Jamaican funk, in the best way.
- Ten To One 18 Year Old Reserve Cask Collection Trinidad Rum — $189.99 (8 in stock). A single-cask, extra-old Trinidad rum at a full 18 years, bottled with no additives at 46% ABV and limited to 325 bottles — the most approachable seat at this table.
Cask-strength blends
- Black Tot Master Blender's Reserve Rum Limited Edition 2022 — $249.99 (5 in stock). The third annual edition of Black Tot's perpetual blend — rums from Guyana, Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad married with a sherry-cask reserve of the 2021 release, bottled unadulterated at 54.5% ABV with no sugar, coloring or chill filtration.
- Barrell Craft Spirits Gray Label 14 Year Old Rum Release 2 — $249.99 (5 in stock). Barrell's top rum tier: Jamaican, Guyanese Demerara and Barbados rums, the youngest 14 years old, bottled at a serious 64.7% ABV cask strength.
Frequently asked questions
What is the oldest rum you can buy?
Very old rum is rare because tropical aging evaporates far more spirit than in Kentucky or Scotland. The oldest bottles on our shelf right now are the Flor de Cana 35 Year (distilled 1990) and the Planteray 40 Year Old Jamaica 1984, both in stock at Del Mesa Liquor.
Is aged rum meant to be sipped neat?
Yes — the rums above are bottled without added sugar or coloring specifically so they can be sipped like a fine whiskey. Start with the Ten To One 18 Year or the Black Tot Master Blender's Reserve if you are coming from bourbon.
What does cask strength mean for rum?
It means the rum was bottled at the proof it came out of the barrel, undiluted — the Appleton Hearts 1998 at 63% ABV and the Barrell Gray Label at 64.7% ABV are the full-strength end of this list.
Can I order these rums online?
Yes — every bottle listed is in stock and available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, with shipping where permitted; see our shipping and return policy for details.
Browse the full rum collection, or cross over to the Rare & Top Shelf collection where these bottles sit alongside the allocated bourbons from our rare bourbon guide. More shelf stories are on the Del Mesa blog.