| Last month, I finally had the opportunity to check off a box on my spirits-pro bucket list: experiencing a Jamaican dunder pit. A Jamaican what pit? In brief, it’s a giant, mucky vat used by some rum makers in which leftovers—fibrous bits of sugar cane, yeast residue and other solids and liquids remaining in the still—are dumped and allowed to slowly ferment with wild yeast, like a sourdough starter on steroids. Sour mash bourbons also use a portion of spent grains after distillation to jump-start a new fermentation process, so this may sound familiar to whiskey fans. Yet the dunder pit takes it to whole new level. I can see how rumors start about bat heads and other animal remains tossed into the muck—though I’m assured these are just tall tales. Frankly, it’s not cute. The murky, ominous-looking sludge bubbles and foams like a cauldron, and exudes a wildly funky, aged-cheese-and-molasses-y stench that could knock you right off your barstool. But it was an absolute delight.  If only this image was scratch ’n’ sniff: Hampden’s dunder pit. Photographer: Kara Newman That aroma represents the magic that gives Jamaican rum its signature “funk,” that overripe-banana-like tone that distillers refer to as “hogo.” It’s also an essential step for creating esters, organic compounds that contribute to a rum’s aromas and flavors—and, many rum lovers say, the more the better. Jamaican rums in particular are often described as “high-ester rum,” and while that’s not universally true, or even unique to Jamaica (you’ll find great examples in Barbados, Martinique, etc.), that high-ester punch is easy to recognize. If you want to learn more, Cocktail Wonk’s Matt Pietrek has a great deep-dive explainer. Because spirits can be presented in shiny bottles, it’s easy to forget that they’re agricultural products. But driving past Jamaica’s vast sugarcane fields and experiencing a dunder pit up close reminded me how important rum and sugar cane are to the island’s cultural and agricultural heritage as well as to its economy. Right now, Jamaica is in the throes of an ongoing dispute about what can and cannot be called “Jamaican rum.” Of note, last year Jamaica’s Intellectual Property Office approved an amendment to the geographical indication (GI) designation, stating that rum distilled in Jamaica but aged elsewhere is no longer eligible to be recognized as Jamaican rum. However, parties who want to age Jamaican rum outside Jamaica are pushing back, and the legal battle continues. (Alexandre Gabriel of Maison Ferrand’s Planteray has been the most outspoken name in this space.)  Aging rum at Appleton Estate. Photographer: Kara Newman Much of the furor boils down to transparency, explained Peppie Grant, manager of Hampden Estate, as he guided a tour of the distillery. His view: “As long as they’re not trying to claim that the flavor comes from aging outside Jamaica, it’s OK,” he said. After visiting the relatively small Hampden as well as rum giant Appleton Estate, and sampling countless other Jamaica rums, I can understand why producers would be so protective of one of their key cultural exports. Returning home to New York after getting dunder-struck, I looked around and more fully felt the Caribbean-inspired cocktail moment we’re in. From the lauded daiquiris at Momofuku’s Bar Kabawa (celebrating all of the Caribbean, with a special hug to Barbados from chef Paul Carmichael) to the new Red Bar within the Printemps department store (focusing on Gregory Gourdet’s Haitian heritage and Caribbean/French spirits broadly) to Afro-Caribbean drinks at Tatiana by Kwame Onwuachi (where Bloomberg’s food editor is still dreaming about the mushrooms), it's exciting to see ingredients such as sorel and clairin—not to mention lots of Caribbean rum—claiming a long-overdue spotlight.  Enjoy classic tiki cocktails? This purpose-made blend of eight different rums from Jamaica, Guyana and Trinidad in exacting proportions can help you master the zombie. Courtesy of Jeff Berry Jamaica’s rum inevitably finds a place among these drink menus, just as it’s finding a place among the cabinets of high-end spirits collectors. And when summer hits, it feels doubly right to pour. So here are a few key bottles for those who want to experience a bit of hogo without hovering over an odoriferous dunder pit (unless that’s your kind of thing, of course—you’ll find no funk-shaming here). These rums are fruity and approachable, with just a whisper of Voldemort funk-that-shall-not-be-named. Hampden Estate Great House 2024 ($131)  Source: The Hampden It’s unabashedly intense and funky, with tons of tropical fruit (think coconut, mango) on nose and palate. Aging in emptied bourbon casks adds a fleeting hint of dark chocolate. While visiting the distillery, I had a chance to sample the forthcoming vintage 2025 bottling, which was newly pulled from the barrel. It tasted like bananas foster, but crisp and bone-dry. I’m looking forward to the day it makes its way stateside. Appleton Estate 15 Year Old Black River Casks ($80)  Source: Appleton Estate Appleton is the largest distillery in Jamaica, helmed by master distiller Joy Spence, and the easiest to find in the US. You can’t go wrong with any of their bottlings, but this expression, named for Jamaica’s Black River, is one of my favorites: a velvety mix of toffee and hazelnut, with an orange-peel accent. It’s intended as a sipper, but it would be a fine upgrade to a rum old-fashioned or Kingston Negroni. Worthy Park Single Estate Reserve ($73)  Worthy Park Single Estate Reserve. Source: Worthy Park A mix of rums aged between six and 10 years, the rich and spicy blend offers plenty of dried and tropical fruit, and a nutty finish lifted by a waft of fresh mint. Worthy Park is one of the most respected Jamaican rum houses, and though I didn’t get to visit this distillery, I’ve long admired its craft from afar. Transcontinental Rum Line: Jamaica 2016 ($66)  Source: Vendor I tried this bottling, which is part of a lineup of world rums from independent bottler La Maison & Velier, at last year’s New York Rum Fest, and it put me in mind of caramelized banana and grilled pineapple with lots of fresh-ground black pepper. The seafaring graphics on the label definitely inspire a bit of wanderlust, but also speak to how it’s made on two continents: distilled and aged for four years in Jamaica, then matured one more year in Europe. Wherever it lands on the “Is it or isn’t it Jamaican?” GI-designation battle, it’s a memorable sip worth seeking out. New Bottle of the Month: Cruzan Island Reserve 13 Year Old | What’s so fascinating about rum is that it’s not a monolith. While Jamaican rum is fruity, funky and relatively dry, St. Croix, just over 800 miles due east, produces a totally different style, more sweet and spiced. Cruzan isn’t the best-known distillery there—that would be Captain Morgan—but most likely you’re familiar with Cruzan’s spiced rum or dark, molasses-y blackstrap rum (a key ingredient for mixing Jungle Birds). Last month, the US Virgin Islands distillery rolled out its oldest age statement expression to date, Cruzan Island Reserve 13 Year Old ($40). In the rum world, countries and regions often set their own rules. The age statement might reflect the oldest or youngest rum in the blend, or even use words like “extra old,” meaning nothing in particular. Rum is a wild ride sometimes.  Cruzan Island Reserve 13 Year Old. Source: Cruzan Rum Here the 13-year-old is the youngest in a three-rum blend; the other two are 16 and 20 years old, with the latter being much more than a splash, nearly a third of the bottling. That’s a long way of saying this is a good value pick for a sipping rum, so snap it up while you can. Cruzan is hoping that by aging the rums in emptied bourbon barrels, the bottle will appeal to whiskey drinkers as well as legacy rum fans, says quality manager Cole McCreary, who oversaw the blending process. It reminded me of a spiced rum, opening with tons of cinnamon, allspice and vanilla and finishing quite long with hints of honey, fig and candied orange peel. No sugar has been added to the rum, McCreary assures. A final note for value-seekers: Tariffs have been a pain point for many Caribbean rum makers, nudging prices higher stateside. But that shouldn’t affect this bottling, since St. Croix is a US territory. Cocktail of the Month: Bee Sting | Drink something delicious and want the recipe? Let us know at topshelf@bloomberg.net, and we’ll try to track it down for a future edition.  Source: The Cocktail Diaries: A Spirited Adventure While Sam Heughan is best known for his role as Jamie Fraser in Outlander, he’s also the owner of Sassenach Spirits—which appropriately for the Scottish actor makes blended scotch and a Scottish gin. This drink, a sneak peek from his forthcoming book, The Cocktail Diaries, features neither. Instead it’s a rum drink Heughan discovered during a trip to the tiny Caribbean island of Nevis. “I came across Sunshine’s Bar & Grill where the owner—yes, called Sunshine—is now something of a celebrity due to his world-famous Killer Bee cocktail,” a fruity rum punch variation, Heughan writes. This is a riff on that original: “The ‘Bee’ part of the title comes from its colors; I discovered later that the ‘Sting’ part comes from when you try to make your way back along the beach in a straight line.”  Source: Publisher Bee StingAdapted from The Cocktail Diaries: A Spirited Adventure, by Sam Heughan (Quadrille, 2025) Serves 1 1 oz aged rum
1 oz passionfruit juice
¼ oz lime juice
¼ oz honey
1-2 dashes Angostura bitters
1 oz soda water
1 pinch grated nutmeg
½ fresh passionfruit, for garnish Shake all ingredients (except soda water) with ice. Strain into a chilled coupe glass over crushed ice. Top up with soda water and cap with more crushed ice. Garnish with fresh passionfruit. | 
