Buy Ron Colón

Ron Colón was founded by drinks-industry veterans who set out to make El Salvador rum with an unusual angle, sourcing molasses-based, column-still rum from the Cihuatán distillery and blending it with high-ester Jamaican pot-still rum. The result reads far funkier than most Central American rum, and several tasters have said a blind sample points them toward Jamaica rather than El Salvador.

Production centers on that Salvador-Jamaica blend, but the range fans out into infusions and crossovers. The flagship High Proof sits at 55.5% and shows licorice, orange, raisin and chocolate over a fruity, slightly smoky base. The Coffee Infused bottles are dosed with rescued coffee beans, no added sugar, delivering dark espresso, cacao and tobacco. The Salvadoreño RumRye marries the rum with rye whiskey and won gold at the 2020 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. The Rumzcal series blends rum with mezcal for a dry, Islay-esque smoke, and the Red Banana Oleo pushes toward an almost banana-liqueur sweetness.

On flavor, expect fruit-forward intensity rather than polished elegance. Reviewers repeatedly note that the alcohol can feel sharp and the rums a touch young, with sugar sometimes used to round rough edges. The dry, ester-heavy character divides people: the High Proof and RumRye earn the warmest scores, while the coffee editions and mezcal blends depend entirely on whether you enjoy those big added flavors.

Most members drink these in cocktails. The High Proof carries a dark and stormy well, the coffee versions work in a coffee Negroni riff or poured over ice cream as a float, and the Red Banana Oleo begs to go into a daiquiri. As a sipper it suits curious drinkers who want something loud and left-field rather than smooth and classic.