Hey folks.

A friend of mine is getting married in the near future, I had wanted to get him something specific but im told by the store I was going to order it from that US customs will not allow it into the country (Cuba related)

Anyway, He is a beer fanatic that im trying to convert to a spirits drinker, and that leads me to my question, What aged rum is available in the US, not the stuff you mix with cola, the smooth stuff that you chill with and drink straight.

Writing this out it sounds really vague, What im looking for is something comparable to Club Havana 7 run, but that is either available in the US or does not violate customs laws.

Most non-cuban stuff should be available, though it would depend on where you are. Any decent-sized city should have a few well-stocked liquor stores, i.e. more than beer (or whatever you wish to call Coors) ;)

Of course, if you're close to the border, you could try hopping into Canada and getting a bottle of Havana Club.

Everything that's not from Cuba, basically.

Gosling's Black Seal is a classic, and if you really wanna go all out, then Zacapa is supposed the be one of the best rums out there, but it's rather expensive.

Zacapa looks nice, i might get some of that for myself. Im stuck in my ways, i found a rum i liked and stuck with it.

Ive tried Goslings before its pretty nice but I prefered the Havana, im going to try to get in touch with another friend over that side of the pond and see if there is a good quality liquor store near him to see what their selection is like.

I would appreciate any suggestions though folks

They don't have Havana Club rum in US ? This one? Seriously? Jeez..US goverment sometimes acts eee...weird.
But according to wiki Bacardi sells uin US rum under the same name and based on original recipe.

Aw man you're making me thirsty. But thank you, i will have a read through that.

I sadly don't know too much about rum, except the stuff I picked up here and there, it's simply not my area of expertise.
Now, if you ask me about gin, then we can talk. ;)

But Momo1991's article is very nice, and I'm gonna use it in the future. Thanks!

I think best bet would be all the Puerto Rican rum we get.
Don Q.

There's also of course Bacardi Couldn't you take it home, remove the label and slap some knock off British rum label on the bottle.

I probably could but part of the reason im asking is because I can order it from a US site, have it delivered direct to my mates door without paying as much as the stuff costs in shipping fee's.

Ah, thought you were going to be escorting the rum to the wedding.

I wish, Id have liked to go but there are a few issues, mainly cost of flights and lodgings, I wouldnt want to encroach on people out there, I did look at flights and stuff and I simply dont have the finances for that, so I though id send them a nice bottle of rum, try to convert him away from beer a bit.

That's certainly going to be a lot cheaper and legal.

Getting the really good craft liquor is going to be rather tricky. Folks here are probably going to know the big brands, but in some parts of the US we have craft distilleries that are capable of turning out some really good spirits. Also, in parts of the US you can get absinthe.

Which might be worth considering, it's not quite the same as what folks drink outside the US, but people that like it are really loyal.

Just so long as you're aware that right here is the obstacle you're facing. Beer fanatics love beer for the taste; they like hops, and malt, and some of them - god help them - like that piss-tasting yellow swill. Spirits, especially neat, are a rough sell to the beer crowd. They're used to drinking in volume, probably making small batches themselves, and they're not accustomed to the strong alcohol of aged spirits. But, if you don't think that's a problem, then here are a couple really great rums that you can buy in the US:

Zacapa 23
Pyrat (xo reserve) (or, if you can find any, the Centenario XO Rum Solera Gran Reserva Especial, which is...damn it's good rum)
El Dorado (get the 15 or 21, not the 12)
Any of the "Barrel" brand rums from Belize (1 Barrel, 3 Barrel, or 5 Barrel, in order of increasing cost)
Appleton Estate Reserve (unless you roll deep and can buy the 30 year)
or, truthfully, any of the top-tier Bacardi. Don't sniff; Bacardi's cheap stuff is crap, but they've got good rums, too.

I've bought or wished I could buy all of those in the US in the last six or seven years, so they should all be available to you. Haven't looked at all of the doc that Momo included, but seems a pretty good list, too.

solution marked,

I have since discovered that his wife to be hates rum.... so im back to square 1. thanks for all the input, if nothing else I will probably try some of the suggested rums.