July 11th is World Rum Day so in honour of rum and its colourful history lets raise a glass, make like a pirate or the Royal Navy and have a tot!
Rum has a long history dating back to the 17th century. In the 1620’s, rum production was recorded in Brazil and was believed to have found its way to Barbados via the sugarcane route. Molasses is a by-product of sugar plantations and most of the rum out there is produced from molasses, which of course meant plenty of rum was to be had in the Caribbean.
The term rum originates from a myriad of names, from rumbustious to rambunctious to rumbullion to ramboozle. In the days of the infamous, Sir Henry Morgan, it was referred to as “kill divil” as it was meant to kill the devil in you. However, that did not work out so well for the real Captain Morgan who was not only a bad man and pirate, but also a killer who drank copious amounts of rum. In fact, he drank himself to death in 1688. Certainly not that dashing, swashbuckling and charming gent we see today!
There has always been a strong association of rum with the Royal Navy stemming back to 1655 when the British fleet captured the island of Jamaica. With the local availability of this new spirit the British then changed their daily ration of brandy over to rum. The living conditions were harsh on the ships back then, so every seaman was given his daily ration of a half pint of rum. This helped soothe tempers while providing courage when any wartime efforts were needed. The ritualistic daily tot of rum continued right up until July 31st, 1970 with the British Navy and Canada gave it an extra 2 years till 1972. Go Canada.
Rum can be made anywhere in the world, but it must be produced from sugar cane juice or molasses. The colour of rum is not always an indicator of age as rum will often be coloured with spirit caramel or may have the colour filtered out as in the case of many white rums. Rums are often sweetened too as we see in many of the spiced rums out on the market, this style typically finds itself in some commercial and a cocktail concoction of some kind. Whereas with aged rums, they can offer layers of complexity from wood spices and one would sip like a fine whisky. There really is a rum out there for everyone, so pick your style and have a rumbustious good time this July 11th!
Diplomatico Mantuano Rum – On sale for July @ $39.98
A complex and rich rum originating from Venezuela. The long term ageing up to 8 years comes through in the abundance of flavour, from toffee, ginger and baking spices to fig and chocolate. This gem of rum can be enjoyed on its own or with spicy ginger beer and lime in a classic Dark & Stormy like the high seas!
Bacardi Spiced Rum – $26.99
Bacardi is the rum king stemming back to 1862. This is the new branding of the previously named Oakheart rum. A blend of unaged and aged rums mellowed in select charred oak barrels lending a hint of char, dried tropical fruits, toffee, and clove. Great for mixing with cola or pineapple juice.
Ron Zacapa 23 Solera Aged - $78.99
A decadent rich rum displaying sherried notes of leather, dried fruits and nuts from partial use of Sherry casks in the solera ageing. This Guatemalan rum is crafed from aged rums of 8-23 years old. A serious rum meant for sipping and savouring every drop.