Tommy Bahama White Sands Rum Review

Tommy Bahama arrives in two styles of rum, a silver “White Sands” rum which is aged for a minimum of two years and “Golden Sun” which is aged for a minimum of three years. Tommy Bahama, known for their brand of tropical themed clothing, has brought an experienced rum producer into the picture to help them with their rums: R.L. Seale. Today, we’re going to focus on the clear alternative in the name of White Sands.

As expected, this rum pours clear as water and looks as a white rum should, thus the White Sands name stands defended. The nose of this rum reflects that of its name, it smells similar to a suntan lotion mingled with the white sands of a tropical beach setting.  Overall, the nose fits a sweeter profile with a tropical backdrop.

Tasting the white sands keeps with the theme, very bright and potent with tastes that remind me, quite instantly, of a tropical island. The mid-palate transition is a bit hot, with alcohols tingling the center of the tongue and pretty much avoiding the edges of the palate. Much like the mid-palate potency, the follow through to the finish is a very intense sour bite as the alcohols show you who’s boss. The rum finishes clean with a coconut spice and a charcoal mineral finish which lingers for a few minutes. By the third sip my palate grew used to the potency and the sour bite all but diminishes, perhaps my mouth just wasn’t ready for that first sip.

The Tommy Bahama White Sands rum has an estimated price of USD $29.99, which puts it at the price point of a Cruzan Single Barrel rum. Personally, I don’t feel this rum has the complexity to compete with the Cruzan Single Barrel but it does outshine many white rums in its smooth solid structure and great viscosity in mouth-feel.

While I would never use Cruzan Single Barrel in a mixed drink, Tommy Bahama White Sands brings a very important texture to the cocktails. With a slightly tropic taste and a great mouth-feel, I’d suggest this rum in a Polynesian drink that calls for a white rum such as the Zombie cocktail, as long as you include all the other rum requirements with at least the same quality spirit.

This rum is impressive in texture and has a great tropical aroma and aftertaste although most of the rums profile fits what you’d expect from a $30 clear rum spirit. It fits well in a classic mojito without cutting into the drink with too much alcohol but I think it would work best in a polynesian drink. If you can find this rum in the market for USD $24.99 it’s a must try product, the USD $29.99 makes it a harder decision when there are so many competitors on the market. In New Hampshire, today, we found Tommy Bahama selling for USD $18.99 – that’s a must buy price.