The Historical Importance of Rum
To understand the different kinds of rums, a short history of the drink is necessary. Rum is a liquor distilled from sugarcane juice or molasses. Its history dates back to the Caribbean and the 17th century. Although Asian cultures have been drinking sugarcane juice for centuries, it was the plantation slaves in the Caribbean that figured out how to distill it.
By the mid-1600s, rum had taken over the Caribbean as the alcoholic beverage of choice. It quickly made its way to North America via trade routes, and from there it went to Europe and beyond. That’s when we began to see different varieties of the drink being produced.
It should be noted that rum was considered currency for quite a while in colonial America. We were also largely responsible for popularizing molasses as the basis for the mash. It was a lot easier to produce molasses than it was to get enough sugarcane from America’s limited agricultural production.
Different Types of Rum
As luck would have it, there are now many different kinds of rums with characteristics tied to age, distillation methods, and various ingredients that might be added. Think of rum like a donut. Donut varieties may look and taste a little different, but they’re all good in their own way.
The three most common types of rum are known as light, amber, and dark. Guess how they got their names? If you guessed color, you win the prize. You can get back to us on that later.
Moving on, light rum has no color and a very non-intimidating flavor. It is for those who prefer drinks that are tasty but that won’t reach out and slap you in the face. Light rum has the shortest aging time and is repeatedly distilled to remove as many impurities possible.
The most common amber rums have the color of a fairly weak coffee. Some would say its flavor is about as appetizing as well. Both the color and flavor come from the wood casks in which the rum is aged, so the color can vary from a light gold to a rich amber.
Dark rum is for the drinker who doesn’t mind a somewhat offensive odor and taste. It is the longest aged of the rums, thus it’s nearly black color. Dark rum is also the most popular choice for the rum-based cocktails served by the mixologist down at your local watering hole.