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
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
Last fall, we reviewed R.L. Seale’s 12 Year Rum, but not long into the new year we discovered to our surprise it has a little brother. Same packaging; same Foursquare provenance; same super unique bottle, which, as an aside, is reportedly designed to mimic the leather rum jugs used by pirates, complete with a thumb…
Read More
Jamaica’s Hampden continues to crank out special edition rums, including this pair of highly limited offerings which hit at the tail end of 2021. Let’s dig in. Hampden “Great House” Rum Distillery Edition 2021 – Great House got its start with the 2020 edition — which we loved — and now edition #2 is here.…
Read More
We loved the original Equiano, a dark rum made in Mauritius, aged in Cognac barrels, and blended with Foursquare rum from Barbados, so hopes are high for this first line extension from the brand: a light rum that’s made in basically the reverse way. Equiano Light starts with pot-distilled molasses rum from Barbados’s Foursquare, aged…
Read More
Mezan produces a range of rums from all of over the Caribbean and Latin America, and its latest is this offering born in Panama, which starts with column-distilled molasses that is aged in second-fill American white oak casks, then finished in Portuguese Moscatel wine casks. No sugar is added. Rich and earthy on the nose,…
Read More
This limited edition rum from Bacardi dropped last summer, but, hey, warmer weather will be here before you know it — with National Pina Colada Day hitting on July 10. (Now you know!) Bacardi Tropical is, well, exactly what it sounds like: white rum (from one of Bacardi’s big factories in Mexico or Puerto Rico,…
Read More
Jamaica figures heavily in our look back at the previous year in rum, with its fingerprints appearing in whole or in part on four of our top 10 expressions released in 2021. Of course, there’s ample representation from other islands in the Caribbean – as well as some further-afield locations that stretch from South America…
Read More
Cãna is a new brand producing cachaca in Brazil from thrice-distilled sugarcane, distilled in large pot stills, then filtering it through coconut husk charcoal. No real surprises in how it’s made, so let’s dive right in to a tasting. This cachaca features a relatively mild nose, lacking the sharp petrol character you often find in…
Read More
To start, what is the difference between rum and rhum? Rum is the larger category and includes all distilled spirits that use sugarcane as the source material. Most rums, however, are made by distilling molasses. Rhum is generally short for “rhum agricole” (French for “agricultural rum”) refers exclusively to rums made by distilling fresh juice…
Read More
