What is rhum?

Wow, first post of the New Year, and in months!  I need to post more often.

I thought I'd take a minute to go over one of the most confusing classifications of spirits, and use a spelling difference to do so.

People see "rhum" on a menu, and often wonder if it is a typo, something entirely different, or just a different way of spelling rum.

Well, rum is one of the most difficult spirit categories to categorize, as its traditional origins (the Caribbean) is made up of so many countries.  Which means, unlike other spirits, there has been very little in the way of central regulation and definition when it comes to rums.

Another effect of the Caribbean origins of rum is that it is made in countries which speak different languages, due to the diverse colonial histories in the Caribbean.  So, unlike defining a term like "Scotch" or "Bourbon" or "cognac," what follows are general guidelines, and not necessarily hard and fast laws or rules which always prove true.

That being said, rum can generally be split into three categories, based on the language of the island where it is made.  Those categories are English, Spanish, and French.

For our purposes today, we will focus on French rum, or Rhum.  In general, French rums are made in the agricole style.  What that means is that while English and Spanish style rums are generally "industrial" style rum, made with molasses (a byproduct of the sugar refining process), French agricole rhums are made with raw sugar cane.

The biggest effect of making rhums with raw sugar cane is that there is a unique flavor which raw sugar cane lends to the finished product.  Many describe this as earthy, grassy, or funky.  It also lends a certain bitter bite, especially to the finish, despite the rhum still being pretty sweet.  To me, the funky, bitter bite is very similar to that found in tequila or white whiskey.

Hopefully this helps clarify what "rhum" is.

Tasting Notes: Ron Abuelo 12 Year

This is a 12 year aged Panamanian dark rum, which is surprisingly not terribly expensive for how great or old it is.  Keep in mind that aging in the Caribbean, the angel's share can be up to 10-20% annually.  So in addition to the time, rum tends to be expensive to age because you lose a lot of the original product!

Appearance:  Dark but translucent caramel brown.

Aroma:  Melting brown sugar, very mild alcohol aroma.

Mouthfeel:  Feels light, but does linger a little bit.

Flavors:  Brown sugar, caramel, but not overly sweet or syruppy, a little vanilla and a slight oakiness, warm finish.

Overall:  I am not a rum drinker.  And when I do, it's usually with cola, or poolside in a Miami Vice in Vegas or Mexico.  This rum is the exception.  It is sweet enough, but not overly sweet.  It manages to pull some of the heavier flavors that give burning caramel or melting brown sugar their flavors and smells and set them apart from white sugar, without becoming too sugary.  The oak and vanilla are there enough to give a little more complexity to what I usually think of as a fairly simple sugar and booze bomb of a spirit, but not so much as to muddle the sugar-based flavors.  Overall, this rum has a great balance, and a lot more going on than most other non-spiced rums.  It also warms you up quite a bit for a spirit which comes in at 40 proof.  This is a nice drink for a cool or cold day, by itself, neat or on the rocks, something I would rarely say about a rum.