K&L Best of 2010 Awards: Rum

Well this one was easy.  K&L 2010 rum of the year:

David D & David OG unanimously pick: Smith & Cross Jamaican Pot Still Rum - This is probably going to be the rum of the year for 2011 and 2012.  There simply is no rum like the Smith & Cross on the market as we have all witnessed rum's brazen attempt to attack the single malt market.  It's not that we don't love rums like El Dorado or Ron Zacapa, it's rather that they don't fit the classic definition of rum.  The Smith & Cross is not a sherry-aged rum.  It won't sweeten up your tongue.  It is a bit hot and bit intense to sip straight, but it will blend seemlessly into the best cocktail recipes from the Savoy cocktail book.  Need to make some Fishhouse Punch for your next party?  Smith & Cross is the only option.  Truly, the only option.  I was lucky enough to taste the Black Tot rum, which retails at a hefty $1000 per bottle, and I had to say that it tasted very much like the Smith & Cross.  Every major bar in the Bay Area is using this as the foundation of their cocktails.  It's the only rum I recommend for 90% of in store purchases.  No doubt about it - the Smith & Cross is the rum of the year.

-David Driscoll