A CLEAN SPIRIT
RUM & GIN

What is Rum?

Rum is a popular alcoholic drink made from sugarcane. It’s a type of distilled spirit, meaning it’s made by fermenting and then distilling sugarcane juice or molasses. This process concentrates the alcohol and flavors.

The Origin of Rum

Rum has a long and interesting history, mostly linked to the Caribbean. Sugarcane was brought to the Caribbean islands by Europeans. In the 17th century, plantation slaves discovered that molasses, a byproduct of sugar production, could be fermented into alcohol. This early version was rough, but over time, distillation methods improved, leading to the rum we know today. It quickly became a major trading product and was even used as currency.

The Main Rum Ingredient: Sugarcane

The most important ingredient in rum is sugarcane. This tall, grassy plant is full of sweet juice. There are two main forms of sugarcane used for rum:

Molasses:This is a thick, dark syrup left over after sugarcane juice has been boiled and processed to extract sugar crystals. Most rum in the world is made from molasses.

Sugarcane Juice: Some rums, especially those from French-speaking Caribbean islands (known as Rhum Agricole), are made directly from fresh sugarcane juice. This gives them a different, often more earthy and grassy flavor.

How Rum is Made: The Production Process

Fermentation

This is the first step where the sugary liquid (molasses or sugarcane juice) is mixed with water and yeast. The yeast eats the sugars and converts them into alcohol and carbon dioxide.

Yeast

Different types of yeast can be used. Some rums use “wild” yeast from the air, while others use specific cultured yeasts. The choice of yeast and how long the fermentation lasts (from a few days to a few weeks) greatly affects the final flavor of the rum.

Duration

A quicker fermentation usually results in lighter-flavored rums, while a longer, slower fermentation can produce richer, heavier, more aromatic rums.

Yeast: Specifics for Different Rums

The type of yeast and fermentation length are crucial for rum’s character.

Fast Fermentation (24-48 hours): Often uses commercial strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast. This method produces “light” rums, ideal for white rums and some gold rums. These rums tend to have fewer complex flavors (esters).

Slow Fermentation (up to 2 weeks or more): Can use specific cultivated yeasts or allow for “wild” yeasts (from the environment) to contribute. This longer process, often combined with high-ester yeasts, encourages the production of more flavorful compounds (esters), leading to “heavy” or “full-bodied” rums, typically used for dark rums, pot-still rums, and those meant for long aging. Jamaican rums, for instance, are famous for their pungent, high-ester “funk,” largely due to longer fermentation times and specific yeast strains. Rhum Agricole often uses wild yeasts or specific local strains to highlight the fresh sugarcane juice character.

Distillation

After fermentation, the liquid (now called “wash”) has a low alcohol content, similar to beer. Distillation is the process of heating this liquid to separate the alcohol from the water and other impurities. Alcohol evaporates at a lower temperature than water.

Pot Stills: These are traditional, often copper, stills that produce rum with a strong flavor and aroma. They are usually used for heavier, more complex rums.

Column Stills (or Continuous Stills): These are taller, more efficient stills that can produce alcohol continuously. They generally result in lighter-bodied rums with a cleaner, purer flavor. Many popular, lighter rums are made this way.

Aging

After distillation, most rums are aged. This is where the rum rests in wooden barrels, usually oak.

Barrel Type: New oak barrels impart more flavor quickly, while used barrels (often ex-bourbon barrels) give a softer flavor.

Time: Aging can last from just a few months to many decades. During this time, the rum interacts with the wood, absorbing flavors and colors. The wood softens the harshness of the new spirit, adds notes of vanilla, caramel, spice, and toast, and makes the rum smoother.

Climate: The warm, humid climate of the Caribbean speeds up the aging process significantly compared to cooler climates. A rum aged for five years in the Caribbean might show characteristics of a much older spirit aged in Scotland, for example.

Color: The deep amber or golden color of most aged rums comes from the barrel. However, some darker rums might have caramel coloring added. White rums are either unaged or filtered after aging to remove the color.

Aging Methods: Solera and Other Techniques

While most spirits age in a static system (fill a barrel, wait, then empty), rum has a few distinct methods:

Static Aging: This is the most common method. Rum is placed in barrels, sealed, and left to age for a specific period. At the end of that period, the rum is removed, possibly blended, and bottled. This allows the rum to fully mature in its original barrel.

Solera System: This is a dynamic aging method, famously used for sherry, but also for some rums, particularly from Spanish-speaking countries like the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, and Venezuela. It involves a cascade of barrels (called criaderas) stacked in tiers. The oldest rum is in the lowest tier (solera), and the newest rum is in the top tier. When rum is drawn from the lowest tier for bottling, it is replenished with rum from the tier above, and so on, with the top tier being refilled with new distillate. This ensures a consistent style and always blends younger rums with older ones, resulting in a complex, often smooth, and mature flavor profile. A solera system never fully empties, meaning a small portion of the very first rum might still be present.

Fractional Blending: Similar in concept to Solera, but without the strict tier system. This involves continuously blending older and younger rums, often in large vats or barrels, to maintain a consistent taste and average age.

Determining Rum Age and Country-Specific Rules

Determining the “age” of a rum can be complex due to different aging methods and varying international regulations.

Minimum Age Statement: When a rum has an age statement (e.g., “12 Years Old”), it generally refers to the age of the youngest rum in the blend. This is the standard in most spirits categories worldwide (whisky, brandy) and is becoming more common for rum.

Solera Age Statements: Rums aged in a Solera system can be tricky. Some may state the average age of the blend, while others might refer to the age of the oldest rum in the solera (which can be misleading as it’s blended with much younger spirit). Legislation is catching up to clarify this, with some regions now requiring that Solera age statements reflect the average age or clearly state “Solera” without a numerical age.

Common Rum Practices by Country:

• • Barbados, Jamaica, and other British-influenced islands: Tend to adhere to the “age of the youngest rum in the blend” standard, similar to Scotch whisky. This provides a clear and transparent age statement.
  • French Caribbean (Rhum Agricole): Also typically follow strict age regulations, indicating the minimum age of the youngest component.
  • Spanish-influenced countries (e.g., Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Cuba): Often use the Solera system. Historically, their age statements could be less clear, sometimes referring to the average age or even the age of the oldest component. However, increasing demand for transparency is pushing towards clearer labeling, often requiring the minimum age or explicit “Solera” designation.
  • General Trend: There is a global movement towards greater transparency in age statements across all rum-producing regions, with many producers adopting the “youngest component” rule to build consumer trust.

Legislation: Criteria for Calling Something Rum in EU vs. Rest of the World

Legislation ensures quality and defines what a product must contain to be called “rum.”

European Union (EU) Legislation: The EU has some of the strictest and clearest definitions for rum (and other spirits).

Raw Material: Must be produced exclusively from molasses or syrup from sugarcane, or from sugarcane juice itself, through fermentation and distillation.

Distillation: Must be distilled to less than 96% alcohol by volume (ABV), ensuring it retains the distinct aroma and taste of the raw materials.

Minimum ABV: Must have a minimum alcoholic strength of 37.5% ABV for bottling.

Aging: While not mandatory, if aged, it must be in wooden casks.

Sweetening: The EU allows the addition of “sweetening” to rum, but it’s restricted. For traditional rum, the final product must not contain more than 20 grams of sweetening products per litre, expressed as invert sugar. For other rums, more might be allowed, but it must be clearly labeled if it significantly alters the character (e.g., “rum liqueur” if too sweet).

Coloring: Caramel coloring (E150a) is permitted.

Geographical Indications (GIs): The EU also protects GIs like Rhum Agricole from Martinique, which have even stricter production rules (e.g., must be made from fresh sugarcane juice, specific distillation methods).

Blending Rum and Bottling Rum

Many rums are blends of different batches, ages, or even different distilleries. Master blenders carefully mix these rums to achieve a consistent flavor profile for a particular brand. After blending, the rum is usually diluted with water to the desired alcohol percentage and then bottled.

What Gives Rum Its Characteristic Flavor?

Many factors contribute to rum’s wide range of flavors:

Raw Material: Molasses-based rums often have flavors of caramel, toffee, and dark fruit. Sugarcane juice rums (Rhum Agricole) can be grassy, floral, and earthy.

Yeast and Fermentation: Different yeasts and fermentation times create different flavor compounds.

Still Type: Pot stills create heavier, more flavorful spirits. Column stills create lighter, cleaner spirits.

Aging: This is a huge factor.

Barrel type: New oak adds vanilla and spice; used bourbon barrels add softer vanilla, caramel, and sometimes tobacco notes.

Time in barrel: Longer aging means more interaction with the wood, leading to deeper, more complex flavors like dried fruit, nuts, leather, and oak.

Climate: Warm climates cause faster aging and more “angel’s share” (evaporation of alcohol and water), concentrating flavors.

Additives: Some rums, especially spiced rums, have spices, flavors, or caramel color added after aging.

Different Types of Rum

Rum comes in many varieties, each with its own style:

White Rum (Light Rum/Silver Rum)

These are typically unaged or aged for a short period and then charcoal filtered to remove color. They are light-bodied with a subtle sweetness, often used in cocktails like Mojitos and Daiquiris.

Gold Rum (Amber Rum)

These rums are aged in oak barrels for a longer time, which gives them their golden color and a smoother, richer flavor than white rum. They can be sipped or used in cocktails.

Dark Rum (Black Rum)

Aged for longer periods in heavily charred barrels, or sometimes with added caramel for color, these rums have deep, robust flavors of molasses, caramel, spice, and sometimes tobacco or coffee. They are often sipped or used in richer cocktails and baking.

Spiced Rum

Gold rums infused with spices like cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, and sometimes citrus zest. They are popular for mixing.

Rhum Agricole

As mentioned, this is made directly from fresh sugarcane juice, primarily in French Caribbean islands like Martinique and Guadeloupe. It tends to have a more herbaceous, grassy, and earthy flavor profile.

Overproof Rum

Rums with a very high alcohol content (over 50% ABV), often used in cocktails where a strong rum flavor is desired, or sometimes in flaming drinks.

Navy Rum

Traditionally, a dark, rich, often high-proof rum associated with the British Royal Navy.

Premium Aged Rum (Sipping Rum)

These are often older, complex rums, meant to be savored neat or with a single ice cube, similar to fine whiskies or brandies.