Our guide to helping you find ‘the one’

And no, we don’t mean splashing rum on your neck after a gym session… nor do we advocate drinking your cologne! Although some colognes do have Caribbean rum ingredients – sweet notes, warm spices, aromatic spices, vanilla, tropical hints, citrus fruits, woody notes, bold pepper… you get the idea!  

Just think about Paco Rabanne One Million, one of the world’s most iconic scents, irresistibly filled with hints of grapefruit, cinnamon, blood orange, spicy wood and leather.

Most of us rum drinkers usually have a little collection of rums, each with different profiles for different occasions. Cheaper more generic rums for weekly tipples or sessions with mates, and more premium rums to bring out the big guns when hosting a dinner or trying to impress the father in law… If you think about it, it really is just like your collection of colognes, with your everyday go-to scent or high-end fragrances for date nights or special occasions. 

Some colognes are suited to the summer or daytime – they are usually light, citrus or floral. Other colognes are suited to the winter or evenings – bolder, richer and more indulgent. The same principle can be applied to rum with such a breadth of flavour profiles ranging from fruity rums with pineapple, grapefruit and bright orange citrus notes, to rich darker rums with classic Christmas flavours of clove, nutmeg, cinnamon and steeped fruits. 

It is well known that more synthetic colognes don’t offer the best longevity, projection or silage. You could draw comparison with cheaper synthetic rums and the harsh aftertaste or intense hangover (we’ve all been there). 

And we’ve all had the bottle of rum that you struggle to drink, whether it’s the flavour or the horrible hangover the next morning, it sits in the cupboard reluctantly sipped until a mate you don’t really like fancies a glass. Again, just like some colognes. 

We are all looking for ‘the one’. That cologne that defines you, a reflection of your personality and style, ‘the one’ cologne you go to for every occasion, ‘the one’ that your friends know you for, ‘the one’ that turns heads when you walk in a room… 

We’re getting a bit carried away but can you notice any comparison to your rum choice…? Next time you head to your rum bottle, open it up and have a good sniff. 

“The rum community is passionate and growing, people are looking for new rum with new character.”

The Rum Company’s innovative ‘taste notes’ search tool allows you to find rums that have flavours that you know you like in your rum. Too busy to read? Our visual taste notes bar system allows you to see what flavours are in the rum and at what intensity at a quick glance. 

Ingredients and flavour are everything. Whether a cologne or rum, the main accords, its nose, top notes, middle notes, base notes - all have value and add character. 

Taste notes have classic pairings - pineapple and coconut in a piña colada, chocolate and coffee, and so on. The same principle applies to both cologne and rum. Get it wrong and it’s a disaster, have you ever tried beer and ice cream? 

Let’s take a look at the similarities between some common rum taste notes and popular colognes… 

Pepper, cinnamon and ginger taste notes provide rums with an earthy type of spice, making it distinctive, bold and warm. The same warmth and intensity can be found in Viktor & Rolf’s Spicebomb, a fragrance that is daring, provocative and exudes explosive sensuality. 

Vanilla is creamy, smooth, sweet and extremely palatable. One spray of Tom Ford’s redolent and opulent Tobacco and Vanille and you’ll see the same smoothness is very true of this fragrance. 

Synonymous with the summer, grapefruit and pineapple flavours are light, bittersweet and vibrant. Creed Aventus cologne evokes a similar bold, energetic and spirited character, and is the perfect scent for the summer. 

If you haven’t found ‘the one, then take a look at our rum selection, use the taste notes system and you might just find what you’ve been looking for…