In any number of cocktails are the most
popular way to drink rum. That’s
perfectly acceptable, but why are you are just limiting yourself to a mixed
cocktails? Great rum is like other
great brown liquors, they need to be sipped.
Aged rum like aged whiskey, needs to be sipped to appreciate all the
nuances it offers. But navigating the category and all its different
expressions can sometimes be as complex like a premium aged rum’s flavor
profile.
Keep it simple by starting with a product
that sums up everything there is to love about aged rum. You don’t need to start out with a $100
bottle of premium rum. There are several
fine rums for $15 to $25 that are great
to begin you journey through premium rums.
Brands like Doorly’s, Mount Gay, Abuelo, Flor de Cana or Diplomatico are good starting places . These are very different tasting, and you will be able to take a direction for your palate.
These aged rums have a subtle and
luxurious flavor profile, with a perfect balance of caramelized vanilla, oak
and fruits, in every sip. That alone is
not what makes it an ideal sipping rum.
Caribbean Aged rums are a great place to
start, they get their irresistible flavor from being aged under the tropical
sun for 5 to 10 years. That may not seem all that long, but aging happens more
rapidly in the tropics. Location and
climate influence rum’s maturation process as much as time does. The warm tropical
climate speeds up evaporation, resulting in 8 to 10 percent of the liquid being
lost to the angel share every year. By comparison, that number would hover
around 2 or 3 percent if the same rum were aged in colder climates.
Rum experts aren’t
satisfied with knowing how long a rum has been aged. They need to know where
it’s aged to really understand its true maturation level. The investigation
continues from there, examining what kind of wood is used in the barrels and
whether or not the aging process was continuous. These rums are a great place to start your
journey, because they are not expensive, you will have the opportunity to try
different expressions and find where your palate takes you.
