Image via Complex Original
Rum isn't what you think it is, and the industry will testify to this. The liquor you've come to associate with Coca-Cola, with college excess and long drunk nights with your boys is more complicated than that. You've grown up and it turns out the sugarcane-derived spirit has done the same.
Speaking with Brian Avenius of Brugal Rum, the Dominican rum producer, the complexity of the spirit emerges. Rum has a rich history that stretches back to the 1600s, and reveals much about the way Prohibition and American participation in conflicts abroad have affected the way we consume alcohol. Put down that slushy daiquiri and listen up. Here are the 10 things every guy should know about rum.
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How long has rum been around?
"There’s evidence to suggest that commercial rum production originated in Barbados in the 1600s. In colonial days, when there was significant rum production in the USA, rum was part of a trade triangle that involved molasses, sugar cane, and the slave trade. The manufacturing supply chain invariably entailed lots of ocean transport of merchandise to and from the Caribbean, which contributed to much of the nautical imagery that we associate with the spirit today.
"If you look back to American history, George Washington requested a barrel of rum at his inauguration, and rum was certainly the dominant spirit in a young United States, before it started becoming affectionate with whiskey and bourbon.
"During Prohibition, the term 'rum-runner' came into existence, and a new era in rum-centric cocktail-making emerged. Certainly Prohibition in America damaged a lot of the spirits industry, wherever it was reliant on business in the United States, but rum bounced back much more quickly, in part because the rum bootleggers were some of the most effective guys in that industry, but also because rum, especially in the Caribbean, can reach maturity much faster than other liquors.
"Following World War II, rum emerged as the leading spirit in the United States, in part because there was a huge tiki-drink wave popularized by American sailors and American servicemen returning from the Pacific Theater. Eventually, rum gave way to vodka, and that brings us up to speed, more or less."
What's rum made from?
"Rum always starts with sugarcane. Whether that's in the form of sugarcane juice or, more often, molasses, which ends up providing a more reliable and consistent base. That base is then combined with water and yeast. That mixture is fermented into kind of a wine, and then it's distilled."
How does the distillation process affect the rum?
"Usually, molasses-based rum is going to be distilled via a column still, which is kind of a continuous distillation process. Sugarcane-based rum is most often distilled via a pot still, which is one distillation each time it runs through the still, instead of multiple distillations each time, and most of those rums produce what would be called rhum agricole—those are meaningfully different in terms of flavor. With distillation, how you do it, what you take out, and what you leave in are the big questions."
How does aging affect the rum?
"Regardless of what kind of rum you’re making, it will be aged. Most rums are barrel-aged. Brugal Rum is aged in American Oak casks that once held bourbon. By law, bourbon casks can only be used once, which has created a huge secondary market for the barrels.
"With aging, time, wood quality, and climate are the big considerations. Because of the constant heat in the Caribbean, the interaction between the wood and the spirit, in which the wood adds character, depth, and softness to what is in the barrel, takes place at a much faster rate. For example, five years of aging in the Dominican Republic could have the same impact on the liquid in the barrel as aging several times that length in a cooler climate, like Scotland.
"People are waking up to the fact that a great aged rum can have the complexity, character, and the enjoyability of a great glass of whiskey."
How is a molasses-based rum different from a sugarcane juice-based rum?
"There will certainly be subtle variances from region to region, from country to country, but generally speaking molasses-based rums will have a certain caramel and vanilla character, a certain sweetness. On the other end of the spectrum, you have rhum agricoles, or sugarcane juice-based rums. They tend to be grassier, a lot more pungent, with heavy alcohol aromatics. I’ve heard a number of people describe them as tasting more like tequila than rum."
How is a white rum different from a dark rum?
"A white rum is usually filtered through charcoal to remove the color of the barrels and some of the flavor. However, much of the difference comes down to a matter of perception. White spirits tend to be viewed as more 'mixable,' and more neutral, in part because they are clearer and transparent."
How is spiced rum made?
"Spiced flavoring is typically added after distillation, because if you added the spices before, most of that flavor would be removed during distillation. Depending on who is making the product, the spice is sometimes added before the product is aged, sometimes after the product is aged; more often than not, it happens after the product is aged, because if you add it before the product is aged it gets into the wood, and has the potential to change the character of the next batch of rum that’s put into that wood."
How do you spot a quality rum?
"Price is not always going to be a sure-fire indicator of quality, although on the extreme ends, it can be. The best way is to sample the rum, to taste it for yourself before you make a judgment. When tasting, you want to consider the clarity of the liquid. You want a liquid that’s bright and shiny. If it's clear and you hold the glass to the light, you want to see right through it—it shouldn't be cloudy.
"In terms of nose, there are lots of different types of rums: the rhum agricoles will give you a grassy, tequila-like nose; molasses-based rums will have a nose ranging from tropical fruit to dark chocolate. Don’t stick your nose in the glass. Give the product a minute for the most aromatic alcohols to evaporate and then stick your nose about an inch or two above the glass, and breathe in.
"When you taste it, think about the taste as a process: Where does it start, where does it end? The complexity of rum usually increases with age, so you’re going to notice that difference if you taste a young rum before tasting an older rum, which has spent more time in the wood. Take a small sip, not a big swig, and as if you’re chewing with your tongue, swoosh the liquid around in your mouth. Let it rest there for a second before swallowing, and then think about what you tasted when you first took the sip, influenced by what you smelled, what you tasted when you had it in your mouth, and what you tasted after swallowing. Generally speaking, with a low-quality rum, the first thing that you’ll going to be hit with is a stringent, alcohol burn. There you’ve got a lot of the heavy alcohols taking over, dominating the whole taste and sensory experience.
"Then one of the last things you'll want to think about is mouth feel: Does the liquid feel thin, or does it feel thick and viscous? Again that’s something that will change with age. Does it feel dry, like velvet, or syrupy?
"Lastly, you want to think about the finish, which is the length of the aftertaste. Older, more complex rums will linger on the palate longer, sometimes for several minutes, while younger, less complex rums will tend to come and go rather quickly. Neither is better than the other, it all depends on what your expectations were for the experience. The same person might, one day, want a crisp, refreshing rum on the rocks, and a week later want to sip and enjoy a richer, whiskey-like rum."
How should rum be used when making cocktails?
"One of the challenges facing rum is the imagery people associate with the spirit is dominated by sweet, frozen-fruit umbrella drinks that taste delicious, that people think that they want when they're on vacation, a high-calorie drink that some are trying to stay away from, or that might be good for one before moving on to something else. Classic rum cocktails are not that way. A classic daiquiri includes fresh lime juice, rum, a little bit of simple syrup, and that’s it. It’s fresh, slightly sweet, crisp, and refreshing. It’s not frozen."
What challenges does the industry face?
"If anything, we’re at the beginning of a new era for rum. One of the things that will continue to be a challenge for rum producers is the fun and playful side of rum, which is not a bad thing, but it's the dominant imagery for the spirit, and makes it hard for consumers to take the spirit seriously. People outgrow Captain Morgan, and think they've outgrown rum in its entirety because nobody is stepping up and giving them an alternative the way that vodka has, that tequila has, that gin has.
"But then there are brands like Brugal Rum, brands that are showing people that rum can be a high-quality, premium drink that is not just about mixing with cola or bombing shots. It’s going to take time, but people are waking up to rum in a new way."
