Have
you ever wondered what gives all the different types of Rum their colors? Rum is one of the few spirits that comes in a
range of colors and flavors, from light and fruity to hot and spicy to deeply
dark and mellow. If you are unsure which
rum is for you, a good start is often to be found simply by looking at its color,
different colors of rums can help you to find the one that suits your palate.
There are white rums, golden rums, dark rums and black rums.
There are also three main ways in which a rum is made, which gives a clue as to
its coloring. Traditional rums are made
from molasses, cane syrup or fresh sugar cane juice. Traditionally, each color of the rum is and
indicator of the age of the rum. The
type of sugar used to make rum is not as important as how it is made and rested.
White rum is in
general, the youngest type of rum. It is unaged or maybe a year or two spent in
barrels. It is then filtered to remove any color that it got in the barrels and
bottled. Most white rums have a mild to
neutral flavor, and are best used in cocktails.
White rums generally are not for sipping, they tend to be a bit harsh and
have little mouth feel. There is a
taste for unfiltered ‘hot’ rum that is just a step or two above moonshine for
flavor. This type of white rum is very young , most has a higher percentage of
alcohol and a burning effect in the mouth.
If rum is allowed
to age undisturbed for a few years in a good oak barrel, it will begin mellow
and develop a light golden color from the wood. A good palate will pick upon tastes of spices,
citrus and or wood. Be careful in any of the golden rums, because there
are some of the producers that will add brewer’s caramel to unaged rum to give
you the illusion of being in a barrel.
Dark rum is in
general aged for more than two or three years in oak barrels, picking up a
copper or mahogany color. These rums will provide a rich flavor profile that is
very sippable and satisfying compared to the golden rums. While technically a dark rum, black rums have
a unique flavor profile due to their unique aging process.. For this reason
they are favorites in many dishes and mixed drinks. These rums are treated differently than many
light rums. The black run is aged in heavily charred whiskey barrels or other
oak barrels that are heavily charred before use. This treatment releases much
of the wood’s flavor into the developing rum.
This is where the
colors and flavors come from in traditional rums, but be aware that many rum producers
will add brewer’s caramel to enhance the colors after they are reduced from the
high percentage of alcohol of the rums in the barrels as they are aged down to
the traditional 40% that most spirits are bottled at. This is a common practice that gives the
brand a color consistency and back matching the color that came from the barrel
in the first place. There are others
that will take rums that have spent less time in the barrels who add the
caramel and other additives to give you the impression that they spent more
time in the barrels than they actually had.
