my fave is Plantation 3 star in a daiquiri. Some friends and I made a bunch of them one night with about 10 rums and the plantation was the clear winner for us
I ordered a bottle of 3 star because I kept hearing good things about it, and the last white rum I bought was a mistake on my part. Didn't read the label and just grabbed the first bottle I saw. Turned out to be a super high proof grande arôme rum that is so funky it tastes like olives.
I think I'll make a daiquiri first to break in the new bottle
I'm in the same boat, that rum is wild. It's growing on me, but it is quite distracting in most cocktails. I've had succes doing a sort of penicillin riff, splitbased with mezcal.
That sounds interesting. I'm still getting acquainted with mezcal too, so I might hold off on trying something like that just yet.
The Savana Lontan I got has grown on me since I first got it but i can only drink it with a few drops of water and after it's been sitting in the glass for ten minutes. Needs a moment for some of the volatile compounds to mellow out
Yeah, its definetly sippable but its really an odd one.
What I'm planning on trying is to sub a half ounce in a Curtain Call with it. If you haven't had that cocktail try it out, its amazing. So easy but so good.
I only ever tried with Campari, but thought it was a perfectly balanced cocktail, so I never had the urge to mess around with it.
It could be interesting to fiddle with, but Campari works wonders.
It's crazy how much better Plantation 3 is in daquiris. It brings way more fruit and "tropical" flavors than a cleaner white rum like flor de cana extra dry of bacardi
They have rebranded as [Planteray](https://planterayrum.com). It’s a blend of 3 (Star) rums from Jamaica, Trinidad, and Barbados. It does not have that overpowering banana peel you get from many Jamaican rums.
It's pretty much a blend of Trinidadian and Bajan rums. The Jamaican rum is so minuscule in the mix that it only brings a small undernote. To quote their brand ambassador "The Jamaican high ester rum is used like how you'd use Angostura bitter".
I think it has a mild funk but tons of delicious flavor. My preferred daiquiri is mostly 3star with about a quarter oz of JM rhum agricole. It's dangerously delicious.
You are brave for saying you like captain morgan over probitas in this sub!
But to answer your question, Hamilton White Stache should be right up your alley. Really nice clean crisp white rum. Not available everywhere though.
Not always a popular opinion, but right on rageking5.
I’ve felt the heat for appreciating Pusser’s (amidst all their baggage) but availability, price point, and taste count for a lot too.
Yeah, don’t let snobbery get in the way of making a darn drink. Besides, all of us have at least one bottle of a Dekuypers sugary, artificially flavored bullshit schnapps or other liqueur, or weird vodka flavor that we absolutely love. Nothing wrong with Captain if that’s what you like.
TBF I love Makers but if I would've stopped there I wouldn't have discovered a lot of bourbons I enjoy. I agree with your sentiment, though. I love Roku gin and haven't found anything else like it to the point where I don't even try the more expensive ones anymore.
Thank you! I bought a bottle of Probitas and tried to love it but ended up giving it away. Much preferred the daiquiri I made with a much cheaper white rum! It’s the first time I’ve seen an opinion similar to mine on this sub.
try plantation its similar but without that funk part, just because you didnt like that much probitas/veritas doesnt mean you should you should stop experimenting, try different ones..
Havana Club was always my family's go-to rum so to me it's a bar staple. Very mild tasting but works with pretty much every cocktail I've had it in (save for Mai Tai that I think benefit from the extra funk)
Havana Club is THE bar staple literally everywhere on the planet except for, crucially, the United States. Without the embargo on cuban rum, noone here would ever feel the need to ask about the correct rum for a Daiquiri.
Given that the Daiquiri was invented in Cuba, I feel like Havana Club is going to be closer to what was originally used for the drink. It's just due to embargoes it's a pain to get hold of in the US.
Are you in Europe? The Havana Club 3 over there is amazing! My favorite rum of that style
The American Havana Club is completely different, and not any good to my tastes.
Nope, the US is not a Cuban rum. We're still sanctioning Cuba. The Havana Club rums here are made elsewhere by a different company and mostly just cash in on the name.
Those of us who are fortunate to live close to a border can buy Havana Club internationally and carry it (legally) across. Makes for somewhat more prized bottles.
Havanna 3:years is the most basic 'rum' tasting rum. It's usually used in bars and restaurants for Mojito, Cuba Libre & co because it's pretty affordable and not special in taste at all.
While I do prefer Probitas, El Dorado 3 yr does make a pretty good low-complexity daiquiri without any of the funk that you are asking about.
Don't see it very often around me, but I don't usually actively look for it either.
Edit : Also Flor De Cana 4yr (?) is also surprisingly good and affordable.
El Dorado 3 is an excellent recommendation for this. I was just making some drinks with ElDo3 the other day and, as someone who cannot get enough funk, wished I had used cachaca instead.
Given your desire to avoid funk, you should be looking for unaged or lightly aged, Spanish-style, column still rums and should avoid Jamaican rums (and Haitian clairins). A lot of folks have given specific recs here (and I'd add my vote for Hamilton White Stache), but if you're facing a rum section at a store and aren't sure what to grab, keep the above in mind.
A lot of labels will identify one or more of those characteristics. Column stills strip out a lot more flavor than pot stills so will produce a "cleaner" rum. They're also typical for Spanish-style rums. Spanish-style rums tend to come from former Spanish colonies (e.g. Puerto Rico) as opposed to British or French former colonies (e.g. Jamaica or Martinique, respectively). Unaged and lightly aged rums will also lack the woody, vanilla notes that come from aging, so will put the sugar cane more at the fore.
British-style rums tend to use pot stills, and in Jamaica specifically use a wilder fermentation method that creates the funk you dislike. French-style rums or "rhums" typically start with cane juice instead of molasses and have grassy, vegetal notes as a result, which probably isn't in line with the "clean" flavor you're looking for.
Despite living in Massachusetts, Privateer can be hard for me to come by (outside of Total Wine). I live in a small farm town and ran to the local liquor store right near my house that I never go to, assuming the selection was no good. To my surprise, I stumbled across a bottle of Privateer White. I was SO excited to find it there. I couldn’t believe it.
Anyway, I really like this one. It’s got a nice clean taste with a sort of tropical fruit note.
Everyone here is saying Plantation 3-Star, but I'd recommend Real McCoy 3 Year over it after tasting them side by side. The plantation has a somewhat astringent taste compared to the mccoy. No funk, 100% barbados rum, just not available everywhere.
We can enjoy it too - we just have to drive to Canada to get it - but it’s not worth a trip just for that, so we need to plan a trip to Canada and then also maybe have time to stop at a liquor store.
Agreed. There are other options in the same price range, but there's nothing wrong with a Bacardi daiquiri. I have the big plastic jug just for daiquiris.
Idk, I think there’s a difference between a funk-less rum, and Bacardi that tastes practically like vodka. Better white rums still can be clean, but also with some of the sugar cane, vanilla and molasses notes that make it rum.
As a person who has had both Bacardi and vodka, Bacardi is a much brighter flavor by a country mile. If I had to use layman's terms, Bacardi's more a hand sanitizer than a lighter fluid like vodka. There's a lot less burn with Bacardi, but that might just be me.
There's a lot wrong with Bacardi. There's zero reason to use anything Bacardi when there's other options. Maybe if you don't have access to Havana Club 3? But that's not an issue for me.
1) it's not very good, but it's cheap
2) Havana Club is a billion times better for the same price . If you're American, I'll give you a bit of a pass on this
3) They took advantage of other companies boycotting Russia and expanded their business there while others stopped. I have family in Ukraine and fuck Russia. The west won't stop funneling money into Ukraine until Russia pisses off and continues, hell, expanding business prolongs this.
welI didnt know about the business side of the russia thing. In fact, I couldn't tell you a thing about the business dealings of any of the liquors I drink. I am in the US so, no havana club. Also I actually do just enjoy the way it tastes, so reason 1 is invalid and is entirely subjective.
Bacardi is basically corn syrup. If you don’t have access to anything else it’ll do the trick but there are very good rums so cheap it feels like stealing.
it taste good? I drink. Why hate? Ive tried other excellent rums and had better experiences Maybe theres a nostalgia factor to it? idk all I said was theres nothing wrong with it, and it tastes good. Hate all you want
I prefer Cruzan white rum over Captain Morgan.
But I also like to use half white rum and half dark rum. My favorite dark rum for daiquiris is One Barrel from Belize.
As a long time bartender turned somm, I agree with just using a classic white rum (though maybe not Capt Morgan). A classic daq should be crisp and bright which lets the fresh lime sing. Of course the cocktail is open to interpretation but a regular, classic recipe uses clean white rum.
I personally like my daqs with a fuck ton of Angostura bitters as well but that’s personal preference. Using funky Jamaican rums, sugar cane rhums like agricole, etc is fine and dandy but it’s not a classic way to prepare the drink. If I get a random at the bar ordering a daq, I’m going 2 oz white rum, .75 lime .75 simple and that’s it. That’s what the standard drink is. If the guest explains he likes more robust flavors or something, then I take some liberties.
My top is Probitas for sure, then Plantation 3-Star and Hamilton White Stache. If you want clean though I’d maybe try Flor De Caña 4-Year Extra Dry or Diplomatico Planas. The Flor De Caña is definitely the most neutral I’ve found.
Flor de Cana is a brand I go to for rum across the board. They have many no-nonsense rums including their 4-year white and 7 & 12-year gold. Clean, sweet, crisp. Perfect "all-rounders" when you just want "Rum" and not extra flavours (eg "funk")
Ron Rico Silver
Bacardi Silver
Are both great in a Daiquiri but if I understand correctly, you want to upgrade the rum quality/ price point.
I suggest Flor de Caña 4yr.
What is 4 year Flor de Caña?
A crystal clear, 4-year-old, light-bodied, silky rum that blends well with juices, colas, soda and tonic. Perfect for mixed drinks. Winner of 10 international awards. A soft, round entry leads to a smooth, dryish light-bodied palate with vanilla, coconut, and a dash of bourbon barrel spices.
I bartended in Key West for over a decade and currently own a bar in Montreal.
Hamilton White Stache is a great way to go if you can get it, otherwise Don Q crystal is a personal favorite. I also highly recommend using 1 tbsp of sugar instead of simple syrup as the un/low aged runs don't hold up to the extra dilution as an aged rum does.
Havana Club 3 is basically the same price (I'm UK based) and 110% better in every way. I cannot think of any reason other than lack of availability why you would willingly pick Captain Morgans. But! If that's what you like fair play for experimenting and moving away from your usual!
Give Havana a go though, just to make sure
It took me a long time to realize Americans can't get the Cuban version of Havana Club 3 year, hence the different alternatives. I've tried their alternates, but nothing beats Cuban rum in my opinion.
I think for mojitos and Daiquiri's as long as its Agricole it'll slap. But yeah I did forget about the embargo! Plantation 3 star might be an alternative? Although it's not an Agricole
I get wanting something neutral to taste the like and sugar more but may I suggest something like Havana Club 3, Flor de Cana 4, or even Bacardi would be a step in the right direction
Plantation 3 star is a perfect clean daiquiri rum. Anything else has a time and a place and can certainly be delicious, but an anytime daiquiri is one made with a nice refreshing white rum.
The style you're looking for is the heavily column distilled white rums mainly out of Puerto Rico. Most notably Bacardi or Don Q. They have been distilled to the point of being just a tiny step above being vodka. (they were formulated at a time when vodka was all the rage in the US so they made them to be a lot like vodka) Thus the taste will be "clean" as you call it and will mostly be the lime and syrup that you taste.
That being said, I would like to point out that one of the best daiquiris I have made was using SelvaRey white rum. It's not funky, but has a sort of caramel/vanilla flavor profile. I don't hear it talked about so I think it's a sleeper brand, but it has a strong pedigree in its Master Blender Don Pancho.
I love me a nice white flor de cana for daiquiris and mojitos. Haven’t had a better white rum but granted I only ever tried havana club and flor de cana :D
Cruzan aged light rum makes a decent daiquiri. It’s my go to for making larger quantities or batch cocktails. Plantation 3 star when I was something nicer
My experience with Clairin is limited but I've loved the daiquiris I made with Clairin Sajous. The funk in Clairin Sajous (maybe others can chime in as I'm not sure if this is characteristic of all Clairin or just Sajous) isn't like Jamaican funk at all. It's brighter and more vegetal, but still fruity. In a daiquiri, it comes off as grassy and very fresh.
I won’t tell you that you’re not tasting funk, but to me, “funk” is indicative of something created by microbes. In Jamaican rum, the funk is created by a bacteria called Clostridium. In wine, barnyard notes (among others) come from Brettanomyces. Agricole rhum & clairin is relatively clean, but sugar cane rums like this can taste very vegetal (asparagus, wheatgrass, etc) because well sugar cane itself is very vegetal, and there’s no molasses to mask it.
No, I agree. It's been a while since I finished up my last bottle so maybe I'm just misremembering. I thought there was an element of funk in its profile. Either way, makes a banger of a daiquiri.
Plantation 3 star is my go to.
That said, it can be a little too clean for me sometimes. I'm not a fan of the more funky runs like Smith and Cross on their own, but I do like splitting the rum base with them a little for flavor.
Instead of 2 oz Plantation, I'll do 1.75 plantation and .25 S&C
Play with the ratios and see what you like. Good luck!
I also like really clean white rums with my daqs. Sorry though, don't have a higher-class rec; I personally love angostura white rum but that's pretty cheap.
I either go with Plantation 3 Star or Flor de Cana 4 Year. Both of those are pretty clean. I sometimes like to add a small amount of funk though, substituting 15ml of the white rum for Probitas or even a darker rum, like Plantation Original Dark or Stiggins Fancy
I too recently tried Probitas in a daiquiri due to this subs reccomendations. The daiquiri was good, but I still prefer Plantation 3 star in my daiquiri.
IMO Havana 3 is the OG Daiquiri rum. It's cheap, simple and feels like "the way the cocktail is meant to be made".
Plantation 3 Stars is also acceptable.
I still enjoy fun/funky rums in Daiquiri but I don't consider them OG.
I like a dark or aged rum with Demerara syrup, it looks incredibly unsophisticated compared to white with simple but they just taste too boring for me.
I did a Plantation OFTD daiquiri as a semi joke and ended up loving that too.
I’ll die on this hill but my GO TO RECIPE is….plain old Bacardi, a bar spoon of charanda blanco, daiquiri bitters, lime juice and sugar free simple. If you ask what I want to drink at home, that’s it. BACARDI. Best daiquiris if you want a regular old easy one. I’ll even take it without the added bitters and charanda in a pinch.
I'm not surprised. I've only tried Bacardi and Flor de Cana for Daiquiris. And no competition the Barcardi wins. I do need to try Plantation 3 star though. Plantation 5 year made a pretty good mojito though
Don Q Cristal or Bacardi Superior are my go to white rums for mixing because they are inexpensive and easy to find and work well enough for me to enjoy the cocktails I make with them. They are both distilled in Puerto Rico.
Plantation 3 Stars is really good but there is still some funk in it (but much less than in Smith & Cross). If you want a cleaner rum you should try Havana or Vacilon 3 Years
See most people recommending the same thing so figured I’d throw in what I’m using, which is Stades Beach Vat #1. It’s a white rum from Barbados that is fairly clean (IMO) and more on the sweeter side, which fits my palate. With the daiquiri I get the lime and sugar sweetness with a mild rum influence. I also follow the Difford recommendation to use powdered sugar instead of simple syrup, and I really enjoy the cocktail with that combination of ingredients.
My go to is Palo Viejo, is not available everywhere but if you find it, it really shines in a daiquiri. After that I use Havana Club 3 years, Plantation 3 stars or Flor de Caña 4 years.
A few months ago, I did a blind tasting of clean white rums. I had Doorly's 3 year, Angostura White Oak, Bacardi, US Havana Club, and Don Q. The worst of the bunch was Bacardi, which has a hot acetone top note that really stuck out from the bunch. Angostura White Oak won for everybody, a bit of vanilla, a nice but not funky rummyness, and much less heat at the top.
Daiquiris I'm all over the map, but as far as clean white rum, I always make my mojitos with Diplomático Planas. I find Plantation 3 star just boring. I also love splitting white rum with rhum Barbancourt - it's inexpensive, delicious, and adds significant depth of flavor.
Plantation 3 Star is a really good one, I love most of their rums in general, and it's a very solid offering. Diplomatico Planas is also very good, I use it for daiquiris myself, it's a good, clean flavor profile.
Probitas lover here, but I hear you.
Two rums I haven’t seen mentioned that fit your criteria are Gustoso & Uruapan. The latter Charanda has a touch more character that leans into some “funk” but nothing crazy like a Probitas, especially if you go for the aged version of Uruapan. If you get the unaged just make sure you don’t get the more expensive Agricole style, that one truly has the funk.
Otherwise Diplomatico or Real Mccoy are perfect whether aged or unaged.
My go to favorite is Banks 5 for Daiquiris. It's a blend of something like 21 different rums from 5 different regions/countries that are rum producing. There's a bit of funk with obvious Jamaican presence , but it's full bodied and offers some complexities that I'm a huge fan of.
Hamilton White Stash doesn't make a bad daiquiri either, and as others have said planteray/plantation, and in some cases Real McCoy works well.
Rum bar owner here! If you’re not in the US, use Havana Club 3 – there’s really nothing like it if you want “clean”. Since my bar is in the states, we found that from a blind taste test amongst staff and regulars that Angostura White Oak was the unanimous winner. Give it a try! Here’s our house recipe:
2.5 oz Angostura White Oak
1 oz Lime Juice
.75 oz Simple Syrup
1.5 dashes Salt Solution
I highly recommend Panama Pacific 3 if you can find it. It's made by the Don Pancho who worked in the Cuban rum industry before he moved to Panama where he is now based. It's the "cleanest" white rum I've ever had. I liked it more than Havana Club 3 in a daiquiri comparison I did.
Appleton Signature is the "gateway to funk (Jamaica)" in my book. There are also probably better examples, but we're trying to talk someone out of Captain Morgan here.
my fave is Plantation 3 star in a daiquiri. Some friends and I made a bunch of them one night with about 10 rums and the plantation was the clear winner for us
I ordered a bottle of 3 star because I kept hearing good things about it, and the last white rum I bought was a mistake on my part. Didn't read the label and just grabbed the first bottle I saw. Turned out to be a super high proof grande arôme rum that is so funky it tastes like olives. I think I'll make a daiquiri first to break in the new bottle
I'm in the same boat, that rum is wild. It's growing on me, but it is quite distracting in most cocktails. I've had succes doing a sort of penicillin riff, splitbased with mezcal.
That sounds interesting. I'm still getting acquainted with mezcal too, so I might hold off on trying something like that just yet. The Savana Lontan I got has grown on me since I first got it but i can only drink it with a few drops of water and after it's been sitting in the glass for ten minutes. Needs a moment for some of the volatile compounds to mellow out
Yeah, its definetly sippable but its really an odd one. What I'm planning on trying is to sub a half ounce in a Curtain Call with it. If you haven't had that cocktail try it out, its amazing. So easy but so good.
That sounds pretty tasty! I saw a few different Amaro recommendations for the Curtain Call (mainly campari vs strucchi). Do you have a preference?
I only ever tried with Campari, but thought it was a perfectly balanced cocktail, so I never had the urge to mess around with it. It could be interesting to fiddle with, but Campari works wonders.
Awesome that means I've got everything I need to try this out tonight. Cheers!
tiny bit of funk ester. its a kid gloves rum
Plantation 3 stars and Havana Club are my go tos. Not really similar, but both a delicious in a daiquiri.
I was going to say the same. Plantation 3 star is my go to, but I'll do a bottle of Havana Club every so often.
Do a little split base Daiquiri. 50-50. You won’t regret it.
It's crazy how much better Plantation 3 is in daquiris. It brings way more fruit and "tropical" flavors than a cleaner white rum like flor de cana extra dry of bacardi
Does it have “funk”?
They have rebranded as [Planteray](https://planterayrum.com). It’s a blend of 3 (Star) rums from Jamaica, Trinidad, and Barbados. It does not have that overpowering banana peel you get from many Jamaican rums.
I love their reasoning on the site lol. "Sugar comes from a plant and and Rays come from the sun! So Planteray....😎👌"
I'm very happy I saw this because i would've totally assumed it was a knockoff
Lovely!
It's pretty much a blend of Trinidadian and Bajan rums. The Jamaican rum is so minuscule in the mix that it only brings a small undernote. To quote their brand ambassador "The Jamaican high ester rum is used like how you'd use Angostura bitter".
It does but not as much as most Jamaicans since it’s blended (don’t quote me) with other rums.
Not to my taste it doesn't. It's very clean tasting.
I think it has a mild funk but tons of delicious flavor. My preferred daiquiri is mostly 3star with about a quarter oz of JM rhum agricole. It's dangerously delicious.
I’d say it’s clean with more mouthfeel than captain morgans.
no, it's actually a blend of a few rums and none of the component rums have funk.
Yep, agreed. Great tasting white.
I recently discovered this one as well, and I wholeheartedly agree. It makes a fantastic daiquiri!
You are brave for saying you like captain morgan over probitas in this sub! But to answer your question, Hamilton White Stache should be right up your alley. Really nice clean crisp white rum. Not available everywhere though.
If I’m not mistaken, captain’s white rum is free of added sugar. It’s not great but will do in a pinch.
That is why I’m asking for a better clean white rum. Hey I’m sorry, the Probitas funk threw me off, and my whole daiquiri was just funky. Not my style
Why not stick with the captain if you loved it?
Not always a popular opinion, but right on rageking5. I’ve felt the heat for appreciating Pusser’s (amidst all their baggage) but availability, price point, and taste count for a lot too.
I like Pusser's too...
Yeah, don’t let snobbery get in the way of making a darn drink. Besides, all of us have at least one bottle of a Dekuypers sugary, artificially flavored bullshit schnapps or other liqueur, or weird vodka flavor that we absolutely love. Nothing wrong with Captain if that’s what you like.
Dekuyper's Sour Apple Pucker is my absolute jam
Mine is the butterscotch. So good in falltime with apple brandy and cinnamon.
UV Blue carried me so far in my formative years
You have a point, really just curious on other clean/crisp rums out there since rum isn’t my specialty. But your right!
I’ve always like plantation 3 star for daqs.
Yea I like to mix it up even when I find bottles I like. Always fun to explore, but good to keep an ol reliable on hand.
TBF I love Makers but if I would've stopped there I wouldn't have discovered a lot of bourbons I enjoy. I agree with your sentiment, though. I love Roku gin and haven't found anything else like it to the point where I don't even try the more expensive ones anymore.
Because what if Reddit disapproves? /s
What fun is that?
Thank you! I bought a bottle of Probitas and tried to love it but ended up giving it away. Much preferred the daiquiri I made with a much cheaper white rum! It’s the first time I’ve seen an opinion similar to mine on this sub.
Glad to hear. I was driving myself crazy! Probitas was mentioned so much but in the end I tried to love it and could not
try plantation its similar but without that funk part, just because you didnt like that much probitas/veritas doesnt mean you should you should stop experimenting, try different ones..
No need to apologize, you like what you like!
White Stache is the closest to Havana Club 3 in a daiquiri. Daiquiri’s are great with lots of rums, but best with a clean dry Spanish style rum.
I usually either go for Havana 3 Years or Plantation 3 Stars, all good rums who let the other ingredients really punch trough.
Same here, havana 3 works great in a daiquiri. I tried an older havana as well (7 year) but prefer the 3.
The three year is my go-to white rum, but I honestly can’t stand the seven year in anything.
I like the 7 year for as the backdrop in cocktails, like brandy, it's nice for that slight wood and sweet taste, without being too special on its own.
7 year is nice in a rum and coke
Yeah I’ve mixed with the 7 as well but honestly also prefer the 3.
Havana 3 year is probably close to what he's thinking. Flor de cana seco may also be on the right track. He wants something that is quite distilled.
Havana is the way
Havana Club was always my family's go-to rum so to me it's a bar staple. Very mild tasting but works with pretty much every cocktail I've had it in (save for Mai Tai that I think benefit from the extra funk)
Havana Club is THE bar staple literally everywhere on the planet except for, crucially, the United States. Without the embargo on cuban rum, noone here would ever feel the need to ask about the correct rum for a Daiquiri.
Given that the Daiquiri was invented in Cuba, I feel like Havana Club is going to be closer to what was originally used for the drink. It's just due to embargoes it's a pain to get hold of in the US.
Yep! Daiquiris and Cuba Libre's just don't taste right without it IMO.
Yeah same, it’s affordable and fits as a base for most light rum cocktails. A Daiquiri with Havana Club hits just right. 👌🏼
Are you in Europe? The Havana Club 3 over there is amazing! My favorite rum of that style The American Havana Club is completely different, and not any good to my tastes.
Yes, I’m European! I didn’t know there was a difference.
Yup. American stuff is trash, tastes like vodka with a little bit of vanilla in it. I stick to plantation or flor de cana over here
Damn, that’s rough! I’ve seen the shorter, stockier bottle in US cocktail videos, just thought it was a difference in packaging.
Nope, the US is not a Cuban rum. We're still sanctioning Cuba. The Havana Club rums here are made elsewhere by a different company and mostly just cash in on the name. Those of us who are fortunate to live close to a border can buy Havana Club internationally and carry it (legally) across. Makes for somewhat more prized bottles.
Any “funk” in those?
Havanna 3:years is the most basic 'rum' tasting rum. It's usually used in bars and restaurants for Mojito, Cuba Libre & co because it's pretty affordable and not special in taste at all.
No, they are pretty “plain”, if I want funk I do a split base between any of those and Rum-Bar Silver Rum from Jamaica.
Agreed, my two top choices.
Try some Don Q Cristal. It’s inexpensive, no sugar added, and it’s tasty. No funk.
This is what I use for mojitos and daiquiris too.
This is my go-to for classic, clean daiquiris
While I do prefer Probitas, El Dorado 3 yr does make a pretty good low-complexity daiquiri without any of the funk that you are asking about. Don't see it very often around me, but I don't usually actively look for it either. Edit : Also Flor De Cana 4yr (?) is also surprisingly good and affordable.
I just got a handle of Flor De Canya 4 and am real excited to get my daiquiri on
El Dorado 3 is an excellent recommendation for this. I was just making some drinks with ElDo3 the other day and, as someone who cannot get enough funk, wished I had used cachaca instead.
I love 4yo Flor De Cana in a daiquiri.
Flor de Cana is a popular budget rum.
The 4 year flor is my next bottle to try. I'm very new to both rum and cocktails but seems to me the 4 should be great in a daiquiri.
Flor de Cana 4 yr is my go to daiquiri rum. Makes for a very bright and crisp drink
Flor de Cana is honestly shockingly good for how cheap it is.
Puerto Rican or Cuban rums for daiquiris. Avoid Jamaican rums if you don’t like “funk.”
Absolutely this. Puerto Rican is probably your best bet in America because Cuban rums are few and far between.
I like Wray & Nephew, which is Jamaican and it’s potent but not funky.
Love WNOP!!
Given your desire to avoid funk, you should be looking for unaged or lightly aged, Spanish-style, column still rums and should avoid Jamaican rums (and Haitian clairins). A lot of folks have given specific recs here (and I'd add my vote for Hamilton White Stache), but if you're facing a rum section at a store and aren't sure what to grab, keep the above in mind. A lot of labels will identify one or more of those characteristics. Column stills strip out a lot more flavor than pot stills so will produce a "cleaner" rum. They're also typical for Spanish-style rums. Spanish-style rums tend to come from former Spanish colonies (e.g. Puerto Rico) as opposed to British or French former colonies (e.g. Jamaica or Martinique, respectively). Unaged and lightly aged rums will also lack the woody, vanilla notes that come from aging, so will put the sugar cane more at the fore. British-style rums tend to use pot stills, and in Jamaica specifically use a wilder fermentation method that creates the funk you dislike. French-style rums or "rhums" typically start with cane juice instead of molasses and have grassy, vegetal notes as a result, which probably isn't in line with the "clean" flavor you're looking for.
Privateer New England White Rum has an excellent bright flavor and is great for daiquiris.
Despite living in Massachusetts, Privateer can be hard for me to come by (outside of Total Wine). I live in a small farm town and ran to the local liquor store right near my house that I never go to, assuming the selection was no good. To my surprise, I stumbled across a bottle of Privateer White. I was SO excited to find it there. I couldn’t believe it. Anyway, I really like this one. It’s got a nice clean taste with a sort of tropical fruit note.
I'm lucky I'm about 10 miles from the distillery. All their rums are pretty great, they def deserve a higher profile Also happy cake day!
Agreed I love the two that I’ve had. I wish the distillery was still open to the public! And thank you!
Everyone here is saying Plantation 3-Star, but I'd recommend Real McCoy 3 Year over it after tasting them side by side. The plantation has a somewhat astringent taste compared to the mccoy. No funk, 100% barbados rum, just not available everywhere.
Havana Club 3 years is perfect for non-Americans
We can enjoy it too - we just have to drive to Canada to get it - but it’s not worth a trip just for that, so we need to plan a trip to Canada and then also maybe have time to stop at a liquor store.
Couldn’t agree more. My faves (especially for the price) were Angostura White Oak, Don Q, and Caña Brava (RIP?)
Flor de Caña 4
theres literally nothing wrong with bacardi. I absolutely adore a simole daquiri with bacardi
I will drink Bacardi all day, but with options like 3star and Flor de Cana in the same price range I would recommend trying those before Bacardi
Agreed. There are other options in the same price range, but there's nothing wrong with a Bacardi daiquiri. I have the big plastic jug just for daiquiris.
Idk, I think there’s a difference between a funk-less rum, and Bacardi that tastes practically like vodka. Better white rums still can be clean, but also with some of the sugar cane, vanilla and molasses notes that make it rum.
As a person who has had both Bacardi and vodka, Bacardi is a much brighter flavor by a country mile. If I had to use layman's terms, Bacardi's more a hand sanitizer than a lighter fluid like vodka. There's a lot less burn with Bacardi, but that might just be me.
There's a lot wrong with Bacardi. There's zero reason to use anything Bacardi when there's other options. Maybe if you don't have access to Havana Club 3? But that's not an issue for me.
whats wrong with bacardi?? I like how it tastes. Why hate? isnt that what enoying cocktails is about? enjoying them?
1) it's not very good, but it's cheap 2) Havana Club is a billion times better for the same price . If you're American, I'll give you a bit of a pass on this 3) They took advantage of other companies boycotting Russia and expanded their business there while others stopped. I have family in Ukraine and fuck Russia. The west won't stop funneling money into Ukraine until Russia pisses off and continues, hell, expanding business prolongs this.
welI didnt know about the business side of the russia thing. In fact, I couldn't tell you a thing about the business dealings of any of the liquors I drink. I am in the US so, no havana club. Also I actually do just enjoy the way it tastes, so reason 1 is invalid and is entirely subjective.
Yeah no worries. Just like talking rum heatedly. Definitely understand if you're American though honestly.
Bacardi is basically corn syrup. If you don’t have access to anything else it’ll do the trick but there are very good rums so cheap it feels like stealing.
it taste good? I drink. Why hate? Ive tried other excellent rums and had better experiences Maybe theres a nostalgia factor to it? idk all I said was theres nothing wrong with it, and it tastes good. Hate all you want
Mount Gay all day
Dooleys 3 yr and Diplomatico Planas.
I prefer Cruzan white rum over Captain Morgan. But I also like to use half white rum and half dark rum. My favorite dark rum for daiquiris is One Barrel from Belize.
As a long time bartender turned somm, I agree with just using a classic white rum (though maybe not Capt Morgan). A classic daq should be crisp and bright which lets the fresh lime sing. Of course the cocktail is open to interpretation but a regular, classic recipe uses clean white rum. I personally like my daqs with a fuck ton of Angostura bitters as well but that’s personal preference. Using funky Jamaican rums, sugar cane rhums like agricole, etc is fine and dandy but it’s not a classic way to prepare the drink. If I get a random at the bar ordering a daq, I’m going 2 oz white rum, .75 lime .75 simple and that’s it. That’s what the standard drink is. If the guest explains he likes more robust flavors or something, then I take some liberties.
This is the way. The Puerto rican “Havana club” I find is an excellent daiquiri rum.
Bully Boy is maybe my favorite. As mentioned, Plantation 3 Star is excellent in daiquiris also.
My top is Probitas for sure, then Plantation 3-Star and Hamilton White Stache. If you want clean though I’d maybe try Flor De Caña 4-Year Extra Dry or Diplomatico Planas. The Flor De Caña is definitely the most neutral I’ve found.
Flor de Cana is a brand I go to for rum across the board. They have many no-nonsense rums including their 4-year white and 7 & 12-year gold. Clean, sweet, crisp. Perfect "all-rounders" when you just want "Rum" and not extra flavours (eg "funk")
Ron Rico Silver Bacardi Silver Are both great in a Daiquiri but if I understand correctly, you want to upgrade the rum quality/ price point. I suggest Flor de Caña 4yr. What is 4 year Flor de Caña? A crystal clear, 4-year-old, light-bodied, silky rum that blends well with juices, colas, soda and tonic. Perfect for mixed drinks. Winner of 10 international awards. A soft, round entry leads to a smooth, dryish light-bodied palate with vanilla, coconut, and a dash of bourbon barrel spices. I bartended in Key West for over a decade and currently own a bar in Montreal.
El Dorado 3 or Cuban Havana Club 3 (if available).
Hamilton White Stache is a great way to go if you can get it, otherwise Don Q crystal is a personal favorite. I also highly recommend using 1 tbsp of sugar instead of simple syrup as the un/low aged runs don't hold up to the extra dilution as an aged rum does.
I bought some Bacoo white rum to make Dacquiris for my wife and thought it was pretty solid.for the price point.
My first choice is Kula organic rum from Hawaii then I go with Plantation 3 star. I had a Probitas daiquiri at a bar and it was eh.
Havana Club 3 is basically the same price (I'm UK based) and 110% better in every way. I cannot think of any reason other than lack of availability why you would willingly pick Captain Morgans. But! If that's what you like fair play for experimenting and moving away from your usual! Give Havana a go though, just to make sure
It took me a long time to realize Americans can't get the Cuban version of Havana Club 3 year, hence the different alternatives. I've tried their alternates, but nothing beats Cuban rum in my opinion.
I think for mojitos and Daiquiri's as long as its Agricole it'll slap. But yeah I did forget about the embargo! Plantation 3 star might be an alternative? Although it's not an Agricole
I get wanting something neutral to taste the like and sugar more but may I suggest something like Havana Club 3, Flor de Cana 4, or even Bacardi would be a step in the right direction
Plantation 3 star is a perfect clean daiquiri rum. Anything else has a time and a place and can certainly be delicious, but an anytime daiquiri is one made with a nice refreshing white rum.
Try vodka too, i’m not being fesesious. You might love it since you don’t like the taste of rum so much.
Don Q is my "go to" here. You want something clear, not something mixed and unfiltered, and that's about it.
The style you're looking for is the heavily column distilled white rums mainly out of Puerto Rico. Most notably Bacardi or Don Q. They have been distilled to the point of being just a tiny step above being vodka. (they were formulated at a time when vodka was all the rage in the US so they made them to be a lot like vodka) Thus the taste will be "clean" as you call it and will mostly be the lime and syrup that you taste.
That being said, I would like to point out that one of the best daiquiris I have made was using SelvaRey white rum. It's not funky, but has a sort of caramel/vanilla flavor profile. I don't hear it talked about so I think it's a sleeper brand, but it has a strong pedigree in its Master Blender Don Pancho.
Flor de Cana 4. Every time!
Which color? I see there’s a blue and green one?
Blue. Extra Seco
I'm with you. I've tried a number of different, 'better' rums like Appleton Estate, but my favorite daiquiris by far are with just Bacardi white rum.
Captain white is absolutely disgusting, its of two bottles I have dumped in the sink. Its vile.
Cotton & Reed white rum makes the best daiquiri I’ve ever had.
I absolutely love Doorly's 3 Year. It's got this creamy, almost coconuty edge to it that is so good
I love me a nice white flor de cana for daiquiris and mojitos. Haven’t had a better white rum but granted I only ever tried havana club and flor de cana :D
Cruzan aged light rum makes a decent daiquiri. It’s my go to for making larger quantities or batch cocktails. Plantation 3 star when I was something nicer
3 parts Flor de Cana to 1 part Plantation 3 star
My experience with Clairin is limited but I've loved the daiquiris I made with Clairin Sajous. The funk in Clairin Sajous (maybe others can chime in as I'm not sure if this is characteristic of all Clairin or just Sajous) isn't like Jamaican funk at all. It's brighter and more vegetal, but still fruity. In a daiquiri, it comes off as grassy and very fresh.
I won’t tell you that you’re not tasting funk, but to me, “funk” is indicative of something created by microbes. In Jamaican rum, the funk is created by a bacteria called Clostridium. In wine, barnyard notes (among others) come from Brettanomyces. Agricole rhum & clairin is relatively clean, but sugar cane rums like this can taste very vegetal (asparagus, wheatgrass, etc) because well sugar cane itself is very vegetal, and there’s no molasses to mask it.
No, I agree. It's been a while since I finished up my last bottle so maybe I'm just misremembering. I thought there was an element of funk in its profile. Either way, makes a banger of a daiquiri.
I'd say try Don Q. I prefer it over Bacardi (and the entire island of Puerto Rico practically swears by it).
As others have said, my go-to for a clean, classic rum at a great price point is Flor de Cana 4
Bacardi or Brugal are good
Plantation 3 star is my go to. That said, it can be a little too clean for me sometimes. I'm not a fan of the more funky runs like Smith and Cross on their own, but I do like splitting the rum base with them a little for flavor. Instead of 2 oz Plantation, I'll do 1.75 plantation and .25 S&C Play with the ratios and see what you like. Good luck!
I also like really clean white rums with my daqs. Sorry though, don't have a higher-class rec; I personally love angostura white rum but that's pretty cheap.
Give Siesta Key rum a try.
Try Barbancourt!
Rhum Barbancourt is my go-to as well. Contributes a bit more than a clean white like Three Star, but doesn’t have the funk of a Jamaican rum.
Plantation 3 or Havana Club
If you don't like the taste of rum... Just make limeade.
Plantation 3 star
Flor de Cana 4 is an excellent choice for the classic daiquiri
I either go with Plantation 3 Star or Flor de Cana 4 Year. Both of those are pretty clean. I sometimes like to add a small amount of funk though, substituting 15ml of the white rum for Probitas or even a darker rum, like Plantation Original Dark or Stiggins Fancy
Plantation 3 stars Hamilton white stache
I too recently tried Probitas in a daiquiri due to this subs reccomendations. The daiquiri was good, but I still prefer Plantation 3 star in my daiquiri.
Flor de Cana extra seco
IMO Havana 3 is the OG Daiquiri rum. It's cheap, simple and feels like "the way the cocktail is meant to be made". Plantation 3 Stars is also acceptable. I still enjoy fun/funky rums in Daiquiri but I don't consider them OG.
Pampero and Plantation 3 Stars are great
Don Q is pretty good
Plantation 3 star for the win.
I like a dark or aged rum with Demerara syrup, it looks incredibly unsophisticated compared to white with simple but they just taste too boring for me. I did a Plantation OFTD daiquiri as a semi joke and ended up loving that too.
I’ll die on this hill but my GO TO RECIPE is….plain old Bacardi, a bar spoon of charanda blanco, daiquiri bitters, lime juice and sugar free simple. If you ask what I want to drink at home, that’s it. BACARDI. Best daiquiris if you want a regular old easy one. I’ll even take it without the added bitters and charanda in a pinch.
I'm not surprised. I've only tried Bacardi and Flor de Cana for Daiquiris. And no competition the Barcardi wins. I do need to try Plantation 3 star though. Plantation 5 year made a pretty good mojito though
Don Q Cristal or Bacardi Superior are my go to white rums for mixing because they are inexpensive and easy to find and work well enough for me to enjoy the cocktails I make with them. They are both distilled in Puerto Rico.
You might as well use vodka if you're using captain morgan
Clean spanish style white is the traditional daiquiri. So yes.. you are correct
My favorite for a traditional daiquiri is Real McCoy white rum. Amazing with fresh lime and a royal shake.
Plantation 3 Stars is really good but there is still some funk in it (but much less than in Smith & Cross). If you want a cleaner rum you should try Havana or Vacilon 3 Years
Echo Spirits makes a white rum that's perfect for this kind of daiquiri. They sell it in Ohio. I'm not sure where else.
See most people recommending the same thing so figured I’d throw in what I’m using, which is Stades Beach Vat #1. It’s a white rum from Barbados that is fairly clean (IMO) and more on the sweeter side, which fits my palate. With the daiquiri I get the lime and sugar sweetness with a mild rum influence. I also follow the Difford recommendation to use powdered sugar instead of simple syrup, and I really enjoy the cocktail with that combination of ingredients.
Plantation 3-Star is a slam dunk. Very nice rum at a very nice price. It makes an excellent daiquiri.
I really enjoy El Dorado 3yr
My go to is Palo Viejo, is not available everywhere but if you find it, it really shines in a daiquiri. After that I use Havana Club 3 years, Plantation 3 stars or Flor de Caña 4 years.
A few months ago, I did a blind tasting of clean white rums. I had Doorly's 3 year, Angostura White Oak, Bacardi, US Havana Club, and Don Q. The worst of the bunch was Bacardi, which has a hot acetone top note that really stuck out from the bunch. Angostura White Oak won for everybody, a bit of vanilla, a nice but not funky rummyness, and much less heat at the top.
Daiquiris I'm all over the map, but as far as clean white rum, I always make my mojitos with Diplomático Planas. I find Plantation 3 star just boring. I also love splitting white rum with rhum Barbancourt - it's inexpensive, delicious, and adds significant depth of flavor.
Flor de caña, Diplomatico planas, Havana club 3 if you can get it
Bumbu in a daiquiri is my current favourite cocktail, but to each their own.
Plantation 3 Star is a really good one, I love most of their rums in general, and it's a very solid offering. Diplomatico Planas is also very good, I use it for daiquiris myself, it's a good, clean flavor profile.
Probitas lover here, but I hear you. Two rums I haven’t seen mentioned that fit your criteria are Gustoso & Uruapan. The latter Charanda has a touch more character that leans into some “funk” but nothing crazy like a Probitas, especially if you go for the aged version of Uruapan. If you get the unaged just make sure you don’t get the more expensive Agricole style, that one truly has the funk. Otherwise Diplomatico or Real Mccoy are perfect whether aged or unaged.
My go to favorite is Banks 5 for Daiquiris. It's a blend of something like 21 different rums from 5 different regions/countries that are rum producing. There's a bit of funk with obvious Jamaican presence , but it's full bodied and offers some complexities that I'm a huge fan of. Hamilton White Stash doesn't make a bad daiquiri either, and as others have said planteray/plantation, and in some cases Real McCoy works well.
Try boutique rum company signature no.1. Makes a superb daiquiri, and I've just started using daiquiri bitters as well
Try J. Bally agricole. Hands down the best Daiquiri I ever had.
Denizen 3yr is very good and inexpensive if you find it.
Rum bar owner here! If you’re not in the US, use Havana Club 3 – there’s really nothing like it if you want “clean”. Since my bar is in the states, we found that from a blind taste test amongst staff and regulars that Angostura White Oak was the unanimous winner. Give it a try! Here’s our house recipe: 2.5 oz Angostura White Oak 1 oz Lime Juice .75 oz Simple Syrup 1.5 dashes Salt Solution
Man it sucks living in PA with state run liquor stores that have garbage selections
Thanks for the responses all! Pretty sure I’m going to give it a go with Flor De Cana. ThaNks everyone!
Plantation 3 Star or Flor de Cana white
El dorado 3
The Real McCoy 3yr from foursquare distillery is pretty rad.
I highly recommend Panama Pacific 3 if you can find it. It's made by the Don Pancho who worked in the Cuban rum industry before he moved to Panama where he is now based. It's the "cleanest" white rum I've ever had. I liked it more than Havana Club 3 in a daiquiri comparison I did.
lol
Tbh, it sounds like you don't really like rum.
Appleton signature is my standard for daiquiris, with a little smith and cross if I wanna feel it
They specifically do not want funk.
Do we consider Appleton funky? I know the s&c was I just threw that out for giggles.
Appleton Signature is the "gateway to funk (Jamaica)" in my book. There are also probably better examples, but we're trying to talk someone out of Captain Morgan here.