Oak & Barrel vs Richland Rum: How Two Georgia Rums Compare
Georgia is becoming a real rum state, and two of its brands take very different paths to the glass. Richland Rum grows its own sugarcane in Georgia. Oak & Barrel brings together aged Caribbean rum and Georgia finishing. If you enjoy one, there's a good chance you'll enjoy the other. Here's how they compare.
Richland Rum: Georgia Cane, Start to Finish
Richland has made rum since 1999, and it's earned its reputation. It's a single-estate rum: the sugarcane is grown on the owners' farm near Richland, Georgia, then distilled in small copper pot stills. Richland runs two distilleries, in Richland and in Brunswick, with tours and tastings at both. It has been named Best American Rum by Forbes and the Robb Report.
If you love the idea of rum that's Georgia-grown from field to bottle, Richland is worth a visit.
Oak & Barrel: Where the Caribbean Meets the Georgia Coast
Oak & Barrel takes a different approach. We select aged rums from the Caribbean, where rum has been made for centuries, then blend, finish and bottle them in Georgia. The result tastes like a conversation between our coast and the islands: warm, generous and smooth.
Our range covers every kind of drinker, from a crisp mixing rum to a ten-year sipping rum aged in whiskey and wine barrels.
Side by Side
Oak & Barrel blends Caribbean rums and finishes them in Georgia, creating a style that combines Caribbean character with local finishing. Its range includes Original White for mixing, a 3-year aged rum, and Second Story, a 10-year small-batch rum aged for eight years in whiskey barrels and two years in wine casks. Original White starts at $24.99, and the brand offers online shipping to most US states. A new visitor location is planned to open in Summer 2027.
Richland Rum, on the other hand, focuses on single-estate Georgia rum, using sugarcane grown on its own farm in Richland, Georgia. Its range includes unaged and cask-finished expressions, offering a different approach rooted in estate-grown sugarcane. The brand operates distilleries in Richland and Brunswick, Georgia. For its current prices, oldest expression, and online purchasing options, check Richland Rum's official website.
Which One Should You Try?
You want a mixing rum for cocktails: Oak & Barrel Original White, $24.99. Crisp and smooth.
You sip rum like bourbon: Try Oak & Barrel Second Story, $64.99. Eight years in whiskey barrels and two years in wine casks gives it depth bourbon drinkers will recognize. Richland's aged rums are also made for sipping.
You want an everyday aged rum: Oak & Barrel Aged Original, $34.99. Three years old, good neat or in an Old Fashioned.
You want Georgia-grown cane: Richland is the one to try.
Already a Richland fan? Try Us Next.
If you like smooth, barrel-aged rum, we think you'll enjoy a pour of Oak & Barrel. Start with Aged Original, or go straight to Second Story if you like a rich, slow sipper