Bumbu XO
The dark brother of Bumbu The Original. Aged for up to eighteen years, mostly in bourbon casks and finished in sherry casks: less sweet, more oak, with toffee, orange, pepper and coffee. A rum to drink slowly.
What makes the XO different from The Original?
Bumbu XO is a small-batch rum from Panama that has been aged for up to eighteen years. It spent most of that time in casks that previously held bourbon, followed by a short finish in ex-sherry casks. This combination creates a balanced rum with notes of toffee, vanilla, oak, orange, pepper and coffee.
While The Original comes from Barbados, is aged for up to fifteen years and revolves around vanilla, banana and plenty of sweetness, the XO is drier and woodier. The sherry brings fruit and depth, while the oak brings structure. The percentage is the same, 40%, but you are more likely to drink the XO neat or with one ice cube than with cola. For that, you can also choose the Original.
In brief
Toffee, oak and a pinch of pepper
Toffee and orange
Warm toffee and vanilla with orange peel and oak. Less dessert-like than The Original, more in the direction of cognac.
Oak and coffee
Round and slightly sweet, but with structure: oak, coffee and a light pepperiness that keeps the sweetness in check.
Dry and spicy
A warm, fairly dry finish with spices, orange and a hint of coffee.
Bumbu XO flavor profile neat at room temperature. The Original scores 5/5 for sweetness by comparison.
Drink Bumbu XO as intended
The XO is made for sipping. Neat, with ice, or in a stirred cocktail where the rum does the work.
Neat in a cognac glass
4 cl at room temperature in a cognac glass. Warm the glass briefly in your hand and smell first: toffee and orange. Take small sips; the coffee and pepper emerge in the finish.
Glass: cognac glass →Over one ice cube with orange
5 cl over one large ice cube in a heavy tumbler, with a strip of orange peel squeezed over the glass. This brings out the orange in the rum.
Tumblers →Rum Espresso Martini
40 ml Bumbu XO, 30 ml fresh espresso and 15 ml coffee liqueur, shaken hard with ice and strained into a chilled coupe. The coffee notes in the rum pair seamlessly.
Espresso Martini recipe →Cocktails with Bumbu XO
Choose cocktails in which an aged rum can shine, and keep the sugar low: the XO already brings sweetness and vanilla of its own.
Rum Old Fashioned
Rum, a few drops of bitters and orange peel. You can almost leave out the sugar here.
Espresso Martini
With rum instead of vodka. The coffee and toffee notes in the XO do the rest.
Jungle Bird
Dark rum, Campari, pineapple and lime. The bitterness cuts through the sweetness.
Cuba Libre
Rum, cola and lime. With XO, darker and woodier than with The Original.The right glass for Bumbu XO
A cognac glass for drinking neat, a heavy tumbler for serving over ice and for the Old Fashioned, and a coupe for the Espresso Martini.
More Bumbu flavors
Bumbu
Where it all began. The brand page tells you everything about Bumbu: origin, varieties and classic cocktails.
Go to Bumbu →
Bumbu Cream
Rum with spices and real cream, with a distinct cinnamon note. Over ice, in coffee or as a dessert.
View Bumbu Cream →Everything about rum: the types, the best-known brands and the cocktails.
Questions about Bumbu XO
Didn't find your question here? Read more on the Bumbu page or check out our cocktail recipes.
Everything about Bumbu →