Do you know what types of rum exist?

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

The culture of drinking has its own definition for everyone, but competent professional sommeliers and cavists understand strong drinks thoroughly, they can distinguish a surrogate from high-quality alcohol just by looking at it, and a refined sense of smell allows you to unravel the secret of the best drinks that intoxicate the mind and relax body. There is a huge variety of intoxicating drinks, many of which were once typical of a particular country and its inhabitants.

With the development of international relations, various goods began to spread to ever larger territories, including this fate did not bypass alcohol. So people from all over the world learned what French cognac, Scotch whiskey and Cuban rum are. It is simply impossible to reliably determine the nationality of this drink. There are different types of rum in many countries, but the drink produced in the states has the greatest popularity.located in the Caribbean Sea (Haiti, Barbados, Dominican Republic, Cuba).

Rum is a noble drink?

Rum is now one of the five most popular spirits, including vodka, whiskey, brandy and gin. For most people, it is not associated with noble lords savoring alcohol, but, first of all, with robbers and pirates. This is not surprising, because initially different types of rum were popular among sailors. The strength and cheapness of the drink contributed to its distribution on land. The geography of popularity expanded, as a result of which rum won many fans around the world.

And if initially this drink did not differ in either purity or aroma, now it boasts a large assortment, the types of rum directly depend on the methods of its manufacture, the presence of various additives in the composition and the technology by which it is made. But despite the wide distribution, few people know how to really drink "pirate fire water", what are the differences in its different types and why light rum is no worse than dark.

What kinds are there?

So what makes rum different? The species whose photos are in the picture are the most popular varieties worldwide. But there are many more, although in fact this drink can be divided into three main types:

• white;
• golden;
• dark (or, as it is also called, black).

The technology for preparing a drink can be industrial oragricultural. And although in the layman's mind "industrial production" means widespread computerization and the use of cutting-edge technologies, in fact, even in factories, a human hand is applied to the production of rum.

All varieties are made from sugar cane. At the enterprises, the selection of raw materials is given very important attention. For the production of the drink, the best sugarcane stalks are selected, excessively dry, immature or rotten plants are ruthlessly discarded. The next stage of production involves careful grinding and extraction of juice from the resulting mass. At the enterprise, the juice, after its thickening by boiling, is slightly crystallized, and the sugar obtained in this way is removed, leaving only thick molasses, which is then driven through a special copper alambik. The output is very strong (up to 80 degrees) alcohol, it is diluted and rum is obtained.

Even during the fermentation of cane chaff, special substances are added to the mass that speed up the fermentation process, and sometimes various flavors.

Agricultural rum is run through a distiller twice, while sugar crystals are not removed from the molasses, no foreign impurities are added to it, and the result is just a real strong drink that has gained popularity all over the world.

What is the difference between light rum and dark rum?

All alcohol obtained from cane juice is white after distillation. But already the further process of its aging gives connoisseurs an opportunity to trydifferent types of rum. In order to add notes of woody aftertaste to it, it is infused in oak barrels, which give color and aroma. The longer the rum is in the barrel, the more intense the taste is. So, the “young” drink matures within several months, but it is not in oak, but in a metal barrel made of special stainless steel. “Light” rum is infused for a longer period (2-3 years), while “old” rum has to be in the cellars for more than three years, during which it acquires its unsurpassed aroma and rich amber hue.

The alcohol obtained after the distillation of cane juice has a very high degree, but the traditional strength of rum is 40 degrees. Reduce the "burning" of the drink by diluting it. For this, water is used, but only of the highest quality, clean, transparent as a tear.

Is white rum bad?

White rum in our country is quite undeservedly considered not good enough. However, this opinion is erroneous and biased. It is this variety, due to its purity, that has the lightest taste. White rum is drunk undiluted, enjoying its softness.

For those who prefer mixes, white types of rum are suitable for their preparation. Drinks based on it do not burn the throat and do not give the taste of notes characteristic of alcohol aged in oak barrels. Classic white rum cocktails - Bacardi, Planter's Punch, Free Cuba.

How to buy the "right" rum?

The growing popularity of the drink leads to the fact that the marketit is very easy to meet counterfeit and low-quality samples of alcohol. It is important to understand that the specifics of its production are not cheap. Therefore, rum cannot cost a penny. At the same time, its white variety is slightly cheaper than golden or dark, because it does not need long exposure, but the difference in price is insignificant. The most popular white rums are Bacardi, Cruzan, Ronrico, Havana Club and Malibu.

Dark, aged in barrels for quite a long period, is even more in demand among buyers. It is distinguished by a high alcohol content (its strength is from 44 to 50 degrees). First of all, these are the famous Capitan Morgan, Lamb's, Cruzan, and sometimes even more crazy - Wood's Navy, its speed reaches 57 degrees, which makes it truly the devil's swill.

Popular brands

The above rum producers are some of the most popular in the world. But this does not mean that lesser-known ones should not inspire confidence or are less in demand among true connoisseurs. Small enterprises sometimes produce very limited batches of rum, bottles of which take pride of place in the most expensive alcohol collections.

One of the well-known manufacturers is Bacardi. This brand has existed for more than a hundred years, during which many unique recipes have been developed, according to which Bacardi rum is made. There are varieties of this drink for every taste: from light golden or white rum of 35-40 degree strength to the incredible Bacardi 151, which has 75 revolutionsalcohol.

The huge scale of production, the sale of more than 200 million bottles of rum annually is a sign of the success and high quality of the brand, because the company produces its drink according to recipes proven over the years.