Rum

 Rum is the bad boy of booze. The pirates of the Caribbean weren't drinking vodka. The British navy wasn't run on "amaretto, sodomy and the lash." The smugglers who risked death to bring in illegal alcohol to the thirsty citizens of the U.S. during Prohibition weren't called "spritzer runners."

Today, of course, rum is mostly famous for being the active ingredient in popular cocktails, like the Cuba Libré, the Mojito and the Mai-Tai. What is less well-known, however, is that, like single malt scotch, tequila and a host of other spirits, many of the best rums are so refined that they don't need mixers to taste great.

Rum is made from sugar cane and has been produced in the Caribbean since the Europeans introduced that lucrative crop in the 17th century. A by-product of sugar production is molasses, and the sugar cane planters quickly discovered that the sticky goo could easily be fermented and then distilled into liquor.

Interestingly, in the 18th century more rum was made in Colonial America than in the Caribbean. Molasses was shipped from the islands to the colonies, where it was distilled into rum. And rum became the colonists' favourite drink.

Following the Revolution, this trade fell off sharply, and Americans turned their attention to home-grown products. Hence, the American whiskey industry was born. However, rum production continued in the islands, sustained during the 19th century by its status as the official drink of the Royal Navy and the popularity of rum punches among polite European society.

In the U.S., rum returned to a certain level of popularity in the wake of Prohibition. Interest was further fuelled by the Second World War, when cognac and scotch were in short supply. After the war, rum entered into a glamorous phase, which coincided with Cuba's pre-Communist heyday as a playground for the rich. Soon, the rum-based fruit drinks quaffed poolside at places like Havana's Hotel Tropicana or Hotel Nacional found their way back to the bars of New York, London and Paris.

These cocktails, however, are all made with white rum which, although ideal as a base for cocktails, has little flavour of its own. However, these days sophisticated imbibers are increasingly discovering the pleasures of dark, or aged, rums.

According to figures from the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, while the volume of rum sales increased by 6.1% in 2004, to 20.6 million cases, revenue was up by 8% to $1.6 billion. In addition, sales of High End Premium and Super Premium brands increased 10% by volume. So, Americans are not only drinking more rum, but they are drinking better rum, as well. This is the same pattern one sees with scotch, bourbon and tequila.

Aged rums are establishing themselves as powerful rivals to single malt scotches as both the before- and after-dinner drink of choice for the well-heeled, discerning consumer. As Garry Nelthropp, Master Distiller at Cruzan Rum in the U.S. Virgin Islands, points out, "Rum's a pretty hot category, and aged rum is obviously an increasingly important part of that category."

A.J. Gilbert, owner of the Kitchen & Cocktails lounge in New York, and the Luna Park restaurants in San Francisco and Los Angeles, has watched this trend grow. "Many consumers are introduced to rum through the white rum they drink in cocktails like the Mojito, and then learn to appreciate dark rum as a sipping drink."

In addition, many cigar smokers are discovering how well cigars and rum go together. And when you think about it, this makes complete sense; both are products of the same humid, tropical region, so it's only natural they would have an affinity for each other.

Sipping rum acquires its flavour and character by being aged in oak casks, though for how long and in what kind of casks varies tremendously and has a major affect on the final flavour of the rum.

Great age is not, by itself, necessarily a good thing. Like all wood-aged spirits, rum will go on improving for a certain amount of time in the cask. But at some point it reaches its peak--just when this happens varies, literally, from barrel to barrel--and from then on it will continue to become smoother and creamier. But in the process, it looses much of the essence of the original spirit and begins to take on the flavour of the cask.

This doesn't have to be a bad thing--if you like rum that tastes like Cognac or Grand Marnier.

This was born out during my tasting. I was largely disappointed with the very old--and very expensive--rums. As a general rule, they tasted overworked, as if the manufacturer was trying too hard to come up with something noteworthy, something that would justify the sky-high price tag. I found some three or five year old rums far more palatable, with smoother and more integrated flavour, than those claiming to be ten years old.

This brings us to the touchy subject of the aging statements on bottles of rum. Because of the Caribbean heat, an unusually high proportion of the rum evaporates from the barrel every year. As Nelthropp says: "In two years, we lose 15% to 17% of what we started with, thanks to the extreme heat. In 12 years, we have less than five gallons left in a 52-gallon barrel. We are still trying to figure out how some of our competitors are aging their rums for 24 years!"

While he's careful not to be censorious of his competitors in those jurisdictions where adherence to the rule of law might not be as exact as it is in the U.S. territory, the implication is that not all age statements on a bottle of rum should be taken at face value.

This was exactly my experience as I tasted my way through several dozen rums. In some cases, the older rums were not only smoother but had a far more intense and concentrated flavour. But in others, they just tasted old for the sake of being old--smooth but without character. The bottom line here is to remember that just because a rum carries a hefty price doesn't necessarily mean it's good.