Doctor Bird Jamaican Rum
Doctor Bird Jamaican Rum is a 750mL high-ester Jamaican rum bottled at 50% ABV (100 proof) by Two James Spirits of Detroit. Several Jamaican rums — sourced from one of the island's oldest distilleries — are imported, blended and finished in Moscatel casks in Corktown, Detroit, for a rum that is all tropical funk and finesse. Order it online at Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.
- ABV: 50% (100 proof)
- Size: 750mL
- Style: High-ester Jamaican rum
- Production: Jamaican rums imported, blended and finished in Moscatel casks in Corktown, Detroit (brand)
- Producer: Two James Spirits, Detroit, Michigan
- Award: Double Gold, San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2022 (brand-claimed)
Island Funk, Detroit Finish
Two James Spirits — based in Corktown, Detroit — built Doctor Bird as its love letter to Jamaican rum. The brand imports several Jamaican rums from one of the island's oldest distilleries, blends them in Detroit and finishes the blend in Moscatel casks, layering a sweet sherry-cask roundness over the natural high-ester intensity of the Jamaican spirit. The result took Double Gold at the 2022 San Francisco World Spirits Competition and has become a bartender favourite precisely because it keeps its funk: this is Jamaican rum with the volume up, polished rather than tamed. Browse the distillery on the Two James Spirits vendor page.
Tasting Notes
Per the brand's official notes: ripened banana, pineapple, mango and passionfruit over coconut, dried lemon peel and butterscotch, with a bite of grapefruit pith — tropical and estery up front, the Moscatel finish rounding the edges with dried-fruit sweetness.
How to Enjoy
Two James serves it in a Hemingway Daiquiri — Doctor Bird with maraschino liqueur, lime and grapefruit juices — and at 100 proof it has the weight for any tiki build or a funky Mai Tai. It also sips happily neat or over a big cube. More rums with this kind of character are in our rum collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes Doctor Bird a "Jamaican" rum if it is finished in Detroit?
The rum itself is distilled in Jamaica — Two James imports several Jamaican rums, then blends and finishes them in Moscatel casks at its Corktown, Detroit distillery. The brand is transparent about both halves of the journey.
What does "high-ester" mean?
Esters are the flavour compounds created in fermentation. Jamaican rums are famous for pushing ester levels high, which gives the tropical, funky, overripe-fruit character Doctor Bird is built around.
How strong is Doctor Bird?
It is bottled at 50% ABV (100 proof) — full strength for mixing, with the intensity to sip.
Jamaican funk with a Detroit polish — order Doctor Bird Jamaican Rum online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.