The Ultimate Rum Flavor Map [Infographic]
Rum is one of, if not the most, diverse spirit categories out there. According to the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), rum must be “distilled from the fermented juice of sugar cane, sugar cane syrup, sugar cane molasses, or other sugar cane by-products.” The spirit can be made anywhere in the world, and regulations governing its production vary from place to place. Although this can make the differences between rums complex and sometimes difficult to understand, such fluctuating parameters only make the rum world that much more vast.
Some rum distillers use pot stills, others use column stills, and some employ a combination of the two. Some rums are unaged, and others are aged for decades in a variety of cask types. There are brands that pride themselves on crafting rum blends with distillates sourced from myriad nations, and there are subcategories of rum — like rhum agricole and clairin — that are regionally protected by their respective countries of origin. All of which is to say that deciphering the differences and understanding how they affect a given rum’s profile can be dizzying.
For that reason, we put together the following infographic to visually represent a variety of major rum brands from around the world, and show where they land in overall profile. Given that rum varies so much in flavor and texture, we used ABV and depth of flavor as a gauge for richness and factored in a few characteristics to determine if a brand’s offerings lean grassy and funky versus sweet, fruity, and/or oaky. These include — but aren’t limited to — typical age statements, production techniques, country of origin, and our own notes gathered from in-office tastings.
From the hogo-fueled rums of Jamaica to the grassy rhum agricoles of Martinique, here are the rum brands that should be on your radar and the general flavor differences between them.
*Image retrieved from Todd Taulman via stock.adobe.com
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