Rum

As a writer, I often pause to think about the process by which I write. I’ll be the first to admit that it’s a bit chaotic, with highlighted phrases here, the odd quote there, and many a bookmarked web or book page for reference. It’s a physicalisation of the way that my mind works: jumping incessantly from one thing to another and picking out points of interest along the way. But, as chaotic as it may seem, this nebulous cloud of words eventually comes together into a cohesive piece of writing. I wonder if it bears any similarity to the process by which some people create a rum. In reality, I know that the creation of any spirit requires a fair degree more precision – you can’t ferment and distil a liquid…

It is always a pleasure to pen a few words in my capacity as contributing editor, because I suspect a large proportion of our valued readers will be new to the world of rum and I find the prospect of offering guidance exciting. Some may want to dig deeper, and some may have questions or be seeking clarification; whilst this publication can’t answer everything, I believe we can go a long way to guiding folks on their journey. I know the editorial team would also be keen to hear your feedback, so please reach out to us. Recently, I was a guest on the Rum Cast podcast, and the questions took me on something of a nostalgic journey, right back to my early days in rum around 2009 when I launched…

The history of rum is a varied one; the many stories about its origins make it one of the most fascinating spirits in the world. Most historians agree that, although sugarcane distillates were being made in Asia and South America years before its birth in the Caribbean, rum got its name from the 17th-century word ‘rumbullion’, an old English term for ‘an uproar or tumult’. In 1657, a deed for the sale of the Three Houses Plantation in Barbados included “four large mastrick cisterns for liquor for rum”, which is the first known official appearance of the word ‘rum’ on any island in the Caribbean. Rum can only be produced from sugarcane by-products – molasses, sugarcane syrup, or sugarcane juice are the most popular. Traditionally rums have been categorised as white, gold,…

All the signs are that rum itself is on trend in the spirits world. Reports, such as one recently released by Campari Group UK, indicate that year-on-year sales are up across all rum’s sub-categories. But what does this really mean? Reports that draw on IWSR Drinks Market Analysis data can easily identify top-line data of volume sales. Trends invariably start small, though, and I’ve been keeping an eye on the social media rum pages and retailer offerings, and listening to feedback from the trade. One thing is for sure: with rum on the up and up, it’s an exciting time to be involved. A SENSE OF INDEPENDENCE Scrolling through the last years’ worth of new releases on a rather well-known online retailer, the first thing that is massively apparent is the rise…

In October 2021, Bacardi’s global master rum blender, the inimitable José “Joe” Gomez, announced he was stepping down after 41 years with the global spirits group. Gomez was instrumental in expanding the horizons of Bacardí rum, and grew to become one of the industry’s most well-regarded maestros roneros. The person replacing Gomez is his former protégé, Astrophel “Troy” Arquiza. Originally from the Philippines (which is the world’s largest consumer of gin, in case you wanted to know), Arquiza joined Bacardi’s Asia-Pacific arm as a trainee more than 20 years ago and has since worked his way to the heart of the business – first to Bacardi’s main distillery in Puerto Rico, and then into the tutelage of its legendary master blender. He describes “taking the baton” from his mentor as a…

What’s your guilty pleasure? Binge-watching sitcoms? Dancing to ABBA songs? German chocolate cake? Perhaps sweet rums? For a few years now, the internet has been echoing the evidence for what rum aficionados have known for a long time: some rum producers put a lot of sugar into their spirits. Perhaps no one would have noticed if a bunch of craft distillers hadn’t come along early in the century and started making rum by what they were taught and what they could find out, and imitating what other small distillers – like themselves – did. “Americans have chased after bourbon. They offer a drier, oakier flavour,” said Wayne Curtis, designated drinker, and author of And a Bottle of Rum: The History of the New World in Ten Cocktails. Start-up craft American distillers imitated bourbon and…