Rum: The Full Story

The Basics | The Full Story | Reviews | Brands | Spirits Home

Rum is a chameleon-like spirit; light or dark, silly or considerable, unadulterated and impregnated. It is also an amazingly versatile spirit, mixing well and often with nearly every soft drink and juice and is likely responsible for a wildly disproportionate number of blender blade rotations, not to mention those lovely little cocktail umbrellas.

The history of rum begins with its source ingredient, sugar. Sugarcane— a tall, thick grass native to Papua New Guinea and Indonesia—was first spread by Chinese traders who introduced it to Asia and India. Arabs brought sugarcane to the Middle East and North Africa where it caught the eye and palates of Europeans during the Crusades. Spanish and Portuguese explorers and would-be-colonialists brought sugarcane to the islands of the Atlantic, planting the crop in the Canaries and Madeira in the early 15th century and later to the New World, primarily Brazil and the Caribbean islands. Cristoforo "oh, this isn't India?" Colombo planted cane in Hispaniola (the island that now hosts the Dominican Republic and Haiti) and Cuba.

Rum in its many forms is the product, or by-product, of the production of sugar. Cane juice is boiled in order to encourage chunks of crystals to form for easy extraction. The remaining sweet juice that has now become thick and dark from prolonged boiling was called “melazas" from the French and Spanish word for honey, "miel," which became molasses in English. As we all know from Fermentation 101, if you leave a sweet liquid out in the hot tropical air the local yeast will soon feast. The fermented molasses was wild and harsh but the Europeans were wise in the ways of distillation, and stills could be devised rather quickly and cheaply. In the islands, rum was used to cure all from pains to sniffles and as “fuel” for the laborers. Soon the spirit was used as an enticement for British naval ships stationed in the Caribbean to keep nearby in order to protect the sugar merchants from pirates. Rum was also becoming popular in the new North American colonies and was exchanged for goods and supplies such as hard wood lumber and salted cod. The British imperialists soon took exception to the bartering that failed to enrich the crown with tax and duty. The New England colonies adapted to this restriction by simply trading for molasses and building their own distilleries. The British responded by ordering the colonies to buy only English molasses at a premium. Tea may have been the Boston Harbor cocktail of historical note but the tariffs on molasses and Rum were an equal, if not greater, irritant.

Like most every major spirit, rum is steeped in history, albeit largely regrettable at best. Europeans’ taste for sugar grew at a feverish pace necessitating additional Caribbean sugar plantations, further colonizing of the islands, and the need for slaves to work the fields and mills. The trading of molasses to New England colonies was the first leg in the infamous “slavery triangle.” The second stage involved the transportation of Rum to West African ports where it was traded to tribal leaders for slaves, often a convenient way for tribal leaders to get rid of their rivals. The final stage involved the shipping of slaves back to the sugar plantations of the Caribbean and South America. European nations who greatly prided themselves on their cultural evolution beyond slavery quickly betrayed their ideals in order to feed their addiction to sugar.

Rum and the sea have long been inseparable following their introduction in the steamy and sometimes dangerous ports of the Caribbean. (“Yo, ho, ho and a bottle of vodka” just doesn’t have the same ring.) Whether you were a pirate or an officer in Her Majesty’s Navy, Rum was an integral part of daily life. Until very recently (1969) British sailors were rationed a daily dose of Rum. In the eighteenth century the typical sailor would receive half a pint of high proof Rum (roughly the equivalent of nine shots of 151 proof rum each day). At home the British upper class turned to Rum, as gin was becoming a drink associated with drunkenness and slums. In the nineteenth century, Europeans discovered how to extract sugar from sugar beets, which made sugar mills in the Caribbean less of a concern. Many small plantations and their stills were closed.

Today Rum seems to be running with equal veracity in several unique directions. Aged, mahogany-colored Cognac clones are sharing the spotlight with a wide array of fruited and spiced concoctions guaranteed to cause “springbreakers” to commit unmentionable acts inevitably caught on film. Some enhanced rums are quite nice while others reek of Third World chemical plants filled with imitation artificial flavorings (if there is such a thing). What they lack in integrity and flavors found in nature, they make up for in cost, selling for slightly more than a decent pair of shoelaces. Ever more popular are the dark, aged rums that are worthy of a snifter. These brown beauties are attracting Cognac and Single Malt drinkers who seek contemplative drams and don’t mind paying for them. Rum offers something for everyone, the consummate “spirited” politician bending to please any audience it should encounter.

A Word About Rhum Agricole

Virtually unknown in the US, Rhum Agricole is produced from pure cane juice rather than molasses. Rhum agricole is produced primarily in the French West Indies, Martinique and Guadeloupe. These Rhums are primarily enjoyed in France although the British have caught up with Rhum Agricole in the past decade. The production, aging, and labeling are carefully controlled by the French Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC), the same system used to regulate wines and cheese. Keep your eye open for these gems. They will be coming to America with greater force later this year. All serious spirits aficionados should seek them out.