Good to know about the distillation and aging of rum

When you get acquainted with rum, you quickly discover that both the distillation and aging methods influence a rum's character. Below, you can learn more about how the different methods affect rum, giving you the best starting point for choosing the rum that suits you best.

First things first: distillation of rum.

Broadly speaking, there are two main methods for distilling rum: pot still and column still. Pot still is the traditional method, where distillation reaches 75-85% ABV, resulting in a more intensely flavored but less "clean" distillate with many esters. Column still (also known as Coffey still) yields a cleaner distillate with less flavor, but distills up to 96% ABV. A column still can have multiple columns, and a rule of thumb is that the more columns, the cleaner and milder the spirit tastes.

Different rum-producing countries have different traditions regarding distillation. Pot stills are often used for strong, ester-rich rums in Jamaica, Barbados, and Trinidad & Tobago, for example, while column stills are typically used for the softer rums from Spanish-speaking rum countries. For French, cognac-like rhum agricole, a column still with a single column is typically used.

Some rum producers blend the two types of distillates to achieve a balance between flavor and purity. After distillation, the rum can either be released as white rum or gain further personality in the next step:

Aging of rum.

Aging rum is another crucial process that imparts flavor and character to the spirit. Rum is typically aged in used American bourbon barrels, but some producers also choose to finish aging the rum in other types of barrels, such as sherry or port wine barrels. The wood in the barrels is "toasted" and gradually imparts flavor to the rum over time. Aging in a tropical climate will result in faster maturation than aging in a continental climate. A rule of thumb is that rum ages approximately 3 times faster in a tropical climate than in a continental climate. Often, you will see that rum is first aged in a tropical climate and then aged continentally in Europe.

Solera rum.

Many Spanish-style rums have 'solera' on the label. This means the rum has been aged using the Solera method, a blending and aging system originating in Spain. The system works by blending younger and older vintages in a pyramidical system of rum barrels. The lowest barrel contains a blend of all vintages in the pyramid and is the one that is tapped. Solera rum is a blend of young and old rum, and the age indicated on the bottle is therefore the oldest in the blend. Often, solera aging does not take place in a true pyramidical system, but through manual blending of the desired barrels.

All in all, it can be said that both the distillation and aging of rum affect the final taste and character of the rum. Being aware of this makes it much easier to choose the right rum.