Even though it just launched, Equiano has already won gold at the International Spirits Challenge, Spirits Selection and San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and silver at the International Wine and Spirits Competition.

Equiano Rum is a rich narrative distilled into a bottle, intertwining quality, innovation, and history. Co-founded by global rum ambassador Ian Burrell and Aaisha Dadral, the brand was inspired by Olaudah Equiano, a freed slave who became a prominent abolitionist in the 18th century. His spirit of liberation and transformative journey are mirrored in the brand, which also pledges to donate 5% of company profits to ground-level freedom and equality projects annually. How it tastes: This is an extremely balanced rum. There’s not a lot of punch or funk here (not in a bad way). The liquid is a limited-batch blend via Gray’s distillery in Mauritius, an island nation in the Indian Ocean off the southeast coast of Africa that’s also an up-and-coming rum destination, and the Foursquare Distillery in Barbados, where it’s also bottled. It’s distilled and aged for a minimum of 10 years in new French oak casks and once-used Cognac barrels in Mauritius, then blended with a spirit aged in ex-bourbon barrels in Barbados. There are no spices, colorants, additives or added sugar, and the final product is 43% ABV.

Equiano Rum Details