“Suddenly he—the captain, that is—began to pipe up his eternal song:
‘Fifteen men on the dead man’s chest— Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum! Drink and the devil had done for the rest— Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!’ “
Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, 1883
With a long, storied history, people have been making rum since the 1600s, when European colonizers introduced sugar cane to the Caribbean. Sugar production spread through the islands as European demand for sugar increased. Through the production of this new crop, primarily through the exploitation of plantation slaves, it was discovered that a common sugar cane by-product—molasses—could be fermented and distilled into alcohol.
To make rum, sugar cane juice, syrup, molasses, or other byproducts were fermented in open vats to attract natural yeasts, and then distilled. Distilling, a process that separates components of a mixture, involves boiling a solution (the fermented sugar cane liquid) to vaporize the alcohol. This vapor is captured and cooled back into a liquid, called the distillate. The distillate is then blended with other liquids, like water, to reach the desired alcohol content and flavor.
This new spirit quickly became popular, and through European influence and the preference for rum of the British Royal Navy, rum quickly outpaced French brandy as at the most traded alcohol. In fact, until 1970, members of the Royal Navy received daily rum rations, known as the “tot.”
In the U.S. today, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau requires that rum must be:
- distilled from fermented juice of sugar cane, sugar cane syrup, sugar cane molasses, or other sugar cane by-product.
- distilled at less than 95% ABV, or 190 proof, and bottled at not less than 40% ABV, or 80 proof.
While some rums are bottled directly after distillation, many are transferred to wooden barrels to mature or “age.” As the spirit ages, it becomes more concentrated, enhancing the flavor and aroma. The type of barrel used, the size of the barrel, and length of aging can all impact the finished product. Shorter aging (or none at all) typically results in a clear rum that is fresh and slightly grassy in flavor. Longer-aged rums have a more complex and rounded flavor, extracted in part from the barrel itself, and a golden color. Before bottling, rums may be blended with other batches and flavored with caramel or spiced flavors.
The Caribbean remains the capital of rum production, including Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and Barbados. Each region produces rums with different qualities (and by using individual techniques), which means the best way to discover which rum is right for you is by tasting rums from across the islands. Rum is also made in South American countries like Nicaragua and Guyana and other locations around the world, including New Guinea—the native home of sugar cane.
Rums are divided into classifications, with styles based on the nature of the raw materials, yeast variety, water quality, type of barrel, and more. The common classifications are:
Overproof:
- White rums usually bottled at 75.5 % ABV (151 proof)
- Historical favorite
- A blending rum
White/Light/Silver:
- Clear, light bodied and dry
- Usually column distilled
- Neutral base
Golden/Oro/Ambré:
- Medium bodied and slightly sweet
- Pot or column distilled and spent time in oak
- Color comes from wood or addition of caramel
- “Sipping” or mixed drinks
Dark/Red Label/Black:
- Usually pot distilled
- Medium to long aging in heavily charred barrels
- “Sipping”, full-bodied
Premium Aged/Añejo/Rhum Vieux:
- Compared to Cognac or Brandy
- Amber hued
- Blended, if time listed = age of youngest rum
- Ages quickly in Caribbean climate
Spiced/Flavored:
- White, golden or dark
- Infused with spices or fruit flavors
Rum is not the only cane spirit. One popular spirit, particularly in Brazil, is Cachaça (kah-shah-sa), which is:
- produced from only sugar cane juice, 38%- 51% ABV
- #1 alcoholic beverage in Brazil ~ 4,000 producers
- Styles:
- Unaged (1 yr in wood)
- Aged (2-12 yrs in 700 liter wood barrels)
- Oak, chestnut, almond, cherry, brazilwood, balsam
- Yellow (young spirits that have caramel or wood extracts to appear older)
- Basis for the caipirinha (kai-per-ree-nya)
- Fermented for 3 weeks in wood or copper
- Then boiled down 3 times to concentrate
Some of the most popular drinks include rum, like the daquiri, mojito, and Cuba libre.
