Rum. I was born in the epicenter of Rum, the Caribbean. No, I’m not a pirate. At least, I don’t think so. Though it would be cool. I digress. Puerto Rico produces 70% of the rum that is consumed in the United States with, at the moment, Don Q rum being the top selling rum from Puerto Rico. A beautiful thing about rum is that it isn’t always gone. There’s plenty of it actually.
“Similar to tequila, different aging gives it different names. Ron Viejo and Ron Añejo are two common types of rum. They mean “old rum” and “aged or vintage rum”, respectively.”
Many of the the rum that’s out there is made from distillation of molasses or sugar cane juice. It comes out naturally clear, but is aged in oak barrels which goes ahead and gives it it’s brown color. Similar to tequila, different aging gives it different names. Ron Viejo and Ron Añejo are two common types of rum. They mean “old rum” and “aged or vintage rum”, respectively.
The beauty about rum is that it can be distilled in several places in the world. It isn’t tied to just the Caribbean. It’s also distilled in Austria, Canada, Japan, and other various places across the world. Rum is just produced in extreme amounts in the Caribbean.
There are different grades of rum.
- Dark: These have darker than gold color tones. They’re either brown, black, or even red. They are usually made with caramelized sugars or molasses. They are also aged longer with highly charred oak barrels. This gives it a distinct taste that is more powerful than gold rums. These are the types of rums that are typically found in cooking recipes because of how bold their flavors are.
- Flavored: These are the rums that have the “fru fru” flavor that follows the flavored vodka trend. The only difference is that the flavors that are out there aren’t as crazy as bacon or birthday cake. They stick to tropical fruits.
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- Gold: These are aged in charred white oak barrels that are left over from bourbon whiskey. This is a middle ground between light and dark. They have stronger flavor profiles than light rums.
- Light: They are the silver or white rums that are found everywhere. They typically have very little flavor to them aside from the normal sweetness that is found in rum. Because they have very little flavor, they are easily used in mixed cocktails.
- OverProof: This is where Bacardi 151 falls in. These types of rum typically have very strong profiles with kick. They are found in many mixed drinks.
- Premium: These are meant to be sipped rums. Similar to scotch or cognac. There are some distilleries that simply focus on this niche group of rum drinkers. It’s definitely something that isn’t meant for the general public. These are typically taken neat or on the rocks.
- Spiced: In this category you get a little complex. Most of the rums that are spiced start out as gold rums. They then have spices or caramel that are added into the mix. Some of the spices that are added are cinnamon, rosemary, absinthe, or pepper. Keep in mind that some of the rums here are simply silver or light ones with caramel added to the color. Similar to gold tequila (see: Jose Cuervo).
As of today, there is no industry standard like other spirits when it comes to the process of which rums come about. Rum does need to be aged for at least one year in order for it to be considered “aged”. The climate in which most of these rum age in is a little more intense than whiskey or scotch. In France or Scotland, you’ll see a loss of 2% per year, where in the Caribbean you’ll see a loss of as much as 10% per year.
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As of right now, I”ve only had the pleasure of trying a handful of rums out there, but I’m slowly starting to fall in love with them. I hear Key West is a good place to go when it comes to trying out different types of rum. Heck, even Florida has a good selection of locally distilled ones. I’ll find some stuff to put on here.
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