BEST BEHAVIOUR

Best Behaviour was founded by Jake and Megs in Mount Maunganui with a curiosity to take rum in a new direction and help build a stronger culture around it here in New Zealand.

While much of the rum category is built around Caribbean heritage, pirates, sailing and folklore, Best Behaviour explores what contemporary rum can look and taste like from our corner of the world. The result is a range of award-winning, small-batch rums that are full of character, distinctly New Zealand and made to be enjoyed without ceremony.

The name comes from a phrase almost everyone knows: “Be on your best behaviour.” Usually it’s a warning to fit in, behave and do what’s expected. Best Behaviour flips that idea on its head. It’s the polite nod while having every intention of remaining unapologetically yourself. That attitude runs through the rum, the brand and the Mount Maunganui Garage they call home.

The range begins with a smooth and generous Spiced Rum, made from a lighter blend of organic molasses and sugarcane. Vapour infusion brings forward notes of vanilla, cinnamon, burnt brown sugar and toffee, while ageing in first-fill ex-bourbon barrels adds richness and a rounded finish.

The Mānuka Smoked Rum brings together barrel-aged rum, New Zealand mānuka honey and mānuka wood smoke. Golden honey and vanilla lead into toasted spice and a slowly building smoky finish. The Native Botanical Rum takes another unexpected turn, blending kawakawa fruit, harakeke flaxseed and karamū berry with a selection of spices to create something fresh, bold and unmistakably local.

Recognition has followed, with the Spiced Rum awarded Gold at the 2026 New Zealand Spirit Awards, the Native Botanical Rum earning Silver, and the Mānuka Smoked Rum receiving Gold at the 2026 World Rum Awards and Silver at the New Zealand Spirit Awards.

Independent, approachable and built around good rum and good company, Best Behaviour proves that premium doesn’t need to feel exclusive or take itself too seriously.