How to make premium rum

The word “premium” is often tossed around indiscriminately in the alcoholic beverage industry, along with its cousins, “reserve” and “barrel select.”

Without official rules to declare what the words really mean, producers and marketers can convince consumers that their products are special — even if they are not.

Rum suffers from this as much as any other spirit. What makes it premium? Is it the price? Or is there more to the picture?

Like other spirits, the longer a rum is aged, the more it costs. However, this is no guarantee the rum tastes better, as oak may become more dominant than the rum flavour, which originates from fermenting sugar cane juice or molasses.

Those of us who enjoy fine spirits will always argue that aroma and taste are the only true measures of quality, regardless of what is on the label.

In other words, rum drinkers love rum because it tastes like rum.

But sweetness and colour don’t define great rum.

Take “dark rum,” for instance. Colour does not indicate quality; most of that colour comes from caramel additives, not oak aging.

And many “premium” rums are spiced or flavoured — not typically premium from a quality standpoint.

Still, true premium rum is getting more popular every year in North America. It tastes fantastic and is relatively inexpensive compared to other premium spirits.

Properly made, well-aged premium rum is beautiful. It is delicious straight, and it can compete with good whisky and brandy. It can also make a fantastic cocktail, if mix ingredients do not mask the flavour.

Rum Terroir 

The main rum-producing countries all have their own distinct styles. Añejo — Spanish for aged — rums are found on Spanish-speaking rum terroir, including the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and others. The U.S. Virgin Islands are also known for this style. The rum is usually made from molasses, and then oak-aged for smoothness. Flor de Caña from Nicaragua and Ron Zacapa Centenario from Guatemala (made from sugar cane juice and aged in a solera system) are two award-winning rums in the Spanish style. Havana Club 7-Year-Old is an excellent value in this category.

The famous dark Demarara rums native to Guyana are typical of premium rum from islands with some British history, such as Jamaica, Barbados, Bermuda and Saint Kitts, as well as Trinidad and Tobago. These darker rums are known for retaining more molasses flavour. Guyana’s El Dorado is well-respected for its more-traditional Demarara rums.

Perhaps the most interesting terroir-designated rums are the “rhum agricole” (agricultural rum) from French-speaking islands; Martinique leads the way, as well as Haiti and Guadeloupe. Not commonly found in Canada, these rums are made from 100-percent sugar cane juice. They are typically light in colour, with wood flavours from aging. They are often served with raw sugar and a squeeze of fresh lime. Simply delicious.

Rum Technique

Some premium rums are made with molasses; some are made with sugar cane juice. Some are made with column stills; others are made with pot stills (which leave more flavour after distillation). The length and type of oak aging also makes a difference.

Ron Zacapa Centenario’s solera system is perhaps the most extreme application for aging, using a complex, vintage blending system similar to Sherry production.

Other notable treatments include French brandy casks in Martinique and, in Guyana, used casks from Chateau d’Yquem are employed to age the super-premium Renegade Uitvlugt.

In many cases, though, it is a matter of how many years the final product was aged. Rum ages relatively faster than single-malt whisky due to Caribbean temperatures, which are hotter than those in Scotland; a 25-year-old rum is quite extreme in terms of how much alcohol evaporates, and how developed the flavours are.

And, as with single-malt scotch, there are people on both sides of this issue. Some say shorter-aged rums are more reflective of terroir, so perhaps five years, eight or even 12 might be the maximum desired aging. Other drinkers enjoy the intense wood flavours and nutty, caramel complexity one experiences in 15-, 18-, and 25-year-aged rums.

Really, it comes down to preference. But, whatever you prefer, if you ask for premium rum, ensure it truly is premium.

Rum Tasting Notes

(tasted neat, with no ice or water)

Cruzan Single Barrel Rum, St. Croix

YK $40, AB $40, BC $40, SK $40, MB $40, QC $40, NL $40 NS $40, PEI $40

Finished in American white oak, this is golden, with fruity, orange marmalade notes on the nose alongside vanilla and ginger notes. It is light and elegant on the palate, initially, but the alcohol really comes through at the end. Still, a very tasty rum for the price.

El Dorado 15-Year-Old Rum, Guyana

BC $60, AB $57, ON $60, QC $58, NB $46, NL $49, NS $49, PEI $50

Brownish-red gold, pleasant “rummy” nose. Round on the palate, and very spicy, with great oak complexity, but it still tastes like rum. Better than the more wood-influenced and more-expensive 21-year-old.

Havana Club Añejo 7 Años Rum

YK $37, BC $35, AB $32, SK $30, MB $28, ON $31, QC $32, NS $29, NL $37, NB $33, PEI $32

A brownish-gold rum, with a strong woody and caramel nose, with some fruit and spice complexity. Medium body, with a tasty rum flavour and more wood on the palate. Great value.

Brugal, Ron Añejo, Ron Dominican

NS $27

This traditional rum from the Dominican Republic is column-distilled and made from molasses; it is a blend of 2- to 5-year-old rums, aged in used Bourbon casks. It has a pleasant rum aroma, along with strong woody notes and vanilla. On the palate, it is dry and light- to medium-bodied; it has a lingering earthy woodiness that distinguishes it from other rums in the category.