RUM

Simply speaking, rum is a liquor distilled from sugar. The sugar may be sourced from pure cane sugar, a syrup, or molasses. The underlying flavor of rum is a sweet, toasted sugar no matter which sugar type is used.

Although Rum has a “tropical” history, it can be made anywhere in the world. Most historians agree that sugar cane was distilled in Asia and South America long before rum’s emergence in the Caribbean. To produce rum, sugar cane (or watered-down molasses) is fermented, distilled and then aged.

The aging of the product in barrels is necessary to get the desired taste, but time in the barrel is key. Many rums are made in hotter climates, so the time the rum is aged in the used oak barrels must be cut short to avoid absorbing too much of the barrel’s characteristics. The color variation in rums also comes from the amount of time spent aging in the barrels.

There are three main rum categories.

White Rum | Clear, often in the barrel for a short time then distilled to clear out color.

Taste Profile: White rum usually has a milder flavor and lighter body than gold or dark rums.

Dark Rum | Very dark in color, gained from aging in heavily charred oak barrels.

Taste profile: Dark rum is full-bodied with a sweet flavor.

Spiced Rum | Rums that have been flavored with spices in tandem with the spiced gained from barrel aging.

Taste profile: Vanilla and oak with hints of clove and cinnamon spices