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Rum, in our opinion, is massively underrated. This amazing spirit that is made from sugar cane and hails from some of the most eutopic areas of the world is amazing. It is commonly thought of as a basis for a mixed drink like rum and coke, though there are so many classic cocktails where it plays an essential role.
The world has a certain opinion of rum, though it can vary. People’s imagination often wanders to swashbuckling pirates downing huge giant flasks of homemade rum (see any movie including pirates). We are here to give you some proper information and to be able to distinguish between the different kinds of rums!
Like every single other spirit, rum has a sliding scale of quality. There are many well-known, cheaper brands that might have been popular with pirates, though there are many artisanally-made products that continue to surprise and shock the market. We have a lovely selection from both sides at our online store.
We will explain in this piece how rum is aged, what goes into the aging process, and what it is doing to the rum, as well as show you different products from across a wide age range. We will explain how does rum get better with age, how to store rum, and some general things to look out for when it comes to aged rum.
Unaged Rum
It is somewhat tricky to define what is unaged rum. Typically, dark rum and spiced rum are aged rums and white rum is unaged rum. This, however, isn’t always true. Modern techniques have allowed us to age white rum while later filtering out any color to make it translucent color resembling many other spirits.
Unaged rum is the distilled liquid that comes from a mashed and fermented sugar cane concoction. The alcohol is made during the fermentation process and the filtering will remove all the bacteria from these unaged rums. They are typically sweet, punchy, and a little bit lacking in depth.
Basic Aging Process
Rum is aged in barrels or casks for anywhere between 6 months to 6 years. There are no strict rules when it comes to aging rum. Tequila, for example, needs to be aged in American or French oak barrels. None such rules apply to rum which makes it a little bit more free when it comes to putting a style on a product.
Many producers go for oak barrels that were formally used for aging bourbon or sherry. This gives them an extra depth of flavor, greater potential variety, and complexity when it comes to their taste. The time in the barrel will determine how smooth or punchy it is, and also how expensive it is.
Some Different Styles
As previously alluded to, there are a few different styles of rum. The three most common are white, dark, and spiced. Spiced rum is an aged rum that is aged with some spices to add some particular sweetness. Common spices include vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, aniseed, black pepper, and star anise to name a few.
You can get really creative in this part of the aging process. Each and every spice will be steeped in the fabulous rum product and infused it with some deeply delicious spices. Spiced rum is a unique drink and can somewhat be likened to gin in the sense that it is made from a variety of added botanicals/spices.
There are other styles of rum including coconut rum, flavored rum, and others, though these are not often aged. Dark rum is the most well-known of all the rum varieties. The aging process of dark rum gives it a deeply brown, amber-like color that we have so closely associated with the famous spirit.
High-Quality Aged Rum Products
We thought it would be best to showcase all of the glory that aged rum can produce by highlighting a few classic rum products. These products are some of our favorites in our online store and we know you’ll love them too! We’ll add a little description of their aging process to showcase some top-notch techniques at work.
Bombarda Formidable 18-Year Rum - This divine rum has been aged for a mindblowing 18 years in oak barrels. The results are a supple, smooth rum with a butterscotch-like flavor profile with hints of vanilla.
Selva Rey Reserve Rum - This wonderful rum has been made from a single estate within the jungles of Panama. This rum combines a blend of different rums from 15-20 years of age, resulting in a deep and varied flavor profile.
RON ZACAPA XO RUM - This rum has a fabulous and unique aging process that creates a delicious bottle of rum. This rum is finished in ex-cognac bottles to provide a deeply delicious, refined flavor profile that is unusual, yet extremely welcome with rum!
Check Out - Exploring Different Types of Rum
We hope you have enjoyed learning a little bit about the aging process of rum. There are so many amazing practices within this great spirit and we are only just scratching the surface! Be sure to have a look at some of our fantastic deals on lots of amazing rum products at our online store today.
