Rum
Rum is a distilled spirit traditionally made from sugarcane juice or molasses and typically aged in oak barrels, although experimentation with other barrels also takes place. Rum is most widely associated with the islands of the Caribbean and Latin American countries, but it is made in many countries around the world, including Scotland, Sweden, and the U.S. In Spanish-speaking countries rum is called ron, though no one knows for sure where the word “rum” itself was born. White or silver rum is either unaged or is lightly aged, then filtered to strip out the color; it is generally intended for use in cocktails. Gold or amber rum is aged in oak barrels, though there are no agreed upon standards on how long this term, nor any real distinction between the terms. Dark rum is usually made from caramelized molasses, aged for a longer period of time, and usually in barrels that have been more deeply charred. Overproof rum can hit up to 160 proof and is intended for use in cocktails, including the Volcano, where the overproof rum is floated on top and ignited. Spiced and flavored rums are also quite popular.
Top Rum Posts:
Havana Club Tributo 2017
Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum
Bacardi Anejo Cuatro 4 Years Old, Reserva Ocho 8 Years Old, and Gran Reserva Diez 10 Years Old Rum
In addition to an impressive and diverse line of single malts (see here), Baltimore’s Old Line Spirits also includes several rums in its portfolio. Sourced from an unspecified Caribbean producer and aged in the Dominican Republic, Old Line’s founders reportedly worked with master rum blenders Luis and Margaret Ayala to finalize their rum blend, which…
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We’re finally working our way through the Real McCoy Rum portfolio. Chris enjoyed the distillery’s 5-year-old flagship offering (nearly a decade ago), and next up is this bottle, the Distiller’s Proof version of that same rum. As a reminder, Real McCoy is sourced from the well-known and well-loved Foursquare Distillery in Barbados. Unlike the standard…
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Last fall, Chris reviewed the aptly named Redoutable from Foursquare, a 14-year-old bruiser of a rum comprised of the distillery’s pot and column distillates aged in ex-bourbon and ex-Madeira casks and bottled at a very healthy cask proof. It appears that an earlier, younger version of this same rum hit our shores in late 2019,…
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SelvaRey — best known as Bruno Mars’ rum company — is out with its newest expression: Coconut. No huge surprises await here. This is a two year old rum, filtered to clear, infused with “a velvety coconut essence.” As coconut rums go, SelvaRey doesn’t exactly raise the bar. A bit harsh on the nose, the…
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We tasted the original expressions of Belize’s Copalli rum back in 2020. The brand is now expanding, with a chocolate-flavored (white) rum now available. Copalli Cacao is sustainably produced at the Copal Tree Distillery, situated in the heart of the tropical rainforest in Southern Belize. It uses only four ingredients –organic, heirloom sugar cane, yeast,…
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We’ve followed the evolution of Ron Zacapa 23 closely here at Drinkhacker, reviewing this standout rum offering from Guatemala twice over the years (here and here) with a separate deep dive into its elaborate construction. While paying ample attention to the flagship bottling, we somehow never got around to the crown jewel in the Zacapa line,…
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We recently tried Batiste Rhum Silver and Gold, and today we taste their older sibling. As with the brand’s younger bottlings, Batiste Rhum Reserve is also a rhum agricole, distilled 100% from sugarcane and not from molasses. After distillation, it is aged in Tennessee rye oak casks for 18 months. Let’s give it a try.…
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Bati and Ratu are two rums — both from very large collections — which Rum Co. of Fiji has been producing in Lautoka since 1980. We received two bottlings of its 10 total expressions from the Bati and Ratu brands, but which are representative of its overall production. Let’s dig in. Bati White Rum –…
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Yes, folks, the inevitable has happened. The rock band Kiss now has its own line of spirits (which launched overseas and are now available stateside). Oddly, three expressions of rum and one gin. We got a look at one of the rum releases, Detroit Rock Premium Dark Rum, which is a selection of Dominican rums…
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Once synonymous with coconut rum — and only coconut rum — the Malibu Rum empire now spans 9 different flavored rums, ready-to-drink canned cocktails, and even punch-in-a-bag concepts. The catch? Today, very little of this has coconut flavoring in it. What’s Malibu made of? You might be surprised to know for starters that it’s made…
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