We asked a few of our favorite bartenders to tell us the best bargain rums under $30 that are truly worth buying. And to find these balanced, sometimes even award-winning rums, we often turn to the professionals behind the bar for guidance. We’re talking about value-per-dollar - reasonably priced expressions that are complex, flavorful, and well-made. When it comes to bargain bottles of rum (or any spirit for that matter), we aren’t in the “it’s all good as long as it’s cheap” lane. Who cares how cheap trash is? What’s the right price for swill? You wouldn’t buy a bottle of bottom-shelf, hangover-inducing, harsh-tasting rum for less than the price of a three-cheese burrito and consider it a “deal.”
If you bought a pair of pants on sale and later realized there was a hole in a less-than-desirable place, you wouldn’t consider that much of a bargain, right? The same goes for alcohol.
