Rhum

A rum label packs a lot into a few words: what was distilled, the color, the age, sometimes the origin. Each answers to a specific text, either the EU regulation on spirit drinks or a French overseas specification, and those texts don't always set the same thresholds.

Agricole or De Sucrerie: What Goes Into the Still

Molasses, the thick syrup left once the sugar has been extracted, is diluted with water before it ferments. Cane juice, called vesou in the French islands, comes from stalks crushed and pressed in mills, and that juice itself goes into fermentation.

The wash ferments in tanks, then goes to the still. Under the Rhum de la Martinique AOC, the fermented juice stays at or below 7.5% ABV, and the rum comes off the column still at 65 to 75% ABV.

Regulation (EU) 2019/787 reserves agricole (agricultural in its English text) for rum made only from cane juice under a geographical indication of a French overseas department or Madeira. For its rums made from syrup or molasses, the geographical indication for rum from the French overseas departments uses de sucrerie.

Distilled anywhere else, rum made from molasses or cane juice is still rum, just without these terms.

White, Amber, Aged: What the Wood Changes

White rum stays clear, or nearly so. After distillation it usually rests in tanks: at least six weeks under the Rhum de la Martinique AOC, and three for a white agricole rum under the French overseas departments geographical indication, which also allows a short stay in wood.

In oak casks, rum takes on color and spicy notes such as vanilla. Amber describes that shade, though neither the EU regulation nor these two specifications defines it. The overseas departments indication uses brun (brown) after six months in oak and élevé sous bois (wood-aged) after twelve, like the Martinique AOC.

Age statements vary too. Très Vieux requires four years of aging under the Martinique AOC but three under the overseas departments indication, while XO and Hors d'Âge require six under both. For rum sold in the EU, the stated age refers to the youngest rum in the blend (Article 13 of the regulation).

Infused Rum: Steeping That Changes the Legal Name

Steeping fruit or spices in rum flavors it, which Regulation (EU) 2019/787 forbids. So an infused rum, or rhum arrangé in French, leaves the rum category, whatever the base rum.

It then takes another legal name: liqueur if its sugar content reaches 100 grams per liter, with 15% ABV or more, otherwise spirit drink, the name required outside the defined categories (Article 10). The word rum can appear only under set conditions, for instance in a compound term, if all the alcohol comes from rum (Article 11).

On the bottle, trust the legal name over the brand name.

Infused, Agricole, Aged or Sweetened: Rum Questions Answered

What goes into an infused rum?

An infused rum is made from rum and ingredients left to steep in it, most often with sugar or syrup. Common choices include fruit such as pineapple or banana, spices such as cinnamon or ginger, vanilla, or coffee beans. Steeping time depends on the ingredients and the flavor you're after.

Is rhum agricole always white?

Rhum agricole can be white, wood-aged or aged: the word agricole refers to what was distilled, cane juice, not to the color. The Rhum de la Martinique AOC, which covers only agricole rum, adds blanc (white) or vieux (aged) to its name for rums that meet the conditions for those terms.

How long does aged rum from Martinique spend in oak?

Aged rum (rhum vieux) under the Rhum de la Martinique AOC spends a minimum of three years in oak casks of less than 650 liters (about 172 gallons). A vintage-dated one needs at least six. Aging must be uninterrupted, and the rum is bottled in Martinique.

How much sugar can rum contain?

Rum can contain no more than 20 grams of sweetening per liter, expressed as invert sugar, under Regulation (EU) 2019/787. Sweetening is only allowed to round off the final taste. A rum labeled traditionnel or agricole may not be sweetened at all.

Where can you buy rum direct from the producer?

You can buy rum direct from the producer on Avenue des Vins. Each order is prepared and sent by the producer, not from a warehouse.

See also: Liqueurs - Cognac-Armagnac - Whisky