Rum 101: what is black rum?

July 17, 10:22 AMRum ExaminerRobert A. & Robert V. Burr

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The darkest, richest, heavy bodied rums are often referred to as black rums, offering bold tropical essence to libation and recipes.

Maui Dark Rum from Hawaii
is a rich, dark, heavy-bodied flavorful
rum. Photo by Robert Burr.

Black rums are popular ingredients used to balance the flavors of drinks against gold, white and spiced rums.

Most rum is made from molasses, a thick, dark sweet liquid left over in the process of manufacturing crystalized sugar. The black rums retain much of this rich molasses and caramel flavoring and are sometimes colored with burnt caramel to achieve consistently dark hues.

Black rums are essential to many uses in the baking and candy-making industries, imparting bold sweet spicy flavors to cakes, candies, desserts and sauces.

The barrels used to mature black rums are often charred or fired heavily, imparting much of the wood's strong flavors to the liquid.

Black rums are popular in British territories such as Bermuda, Jamaica, the Virgin Islands and Guyana.

Examples of black rums include Coruba, Cruzan Black Strap, Gosling's Black Seal, Maui Dark Rum, Myers's, Skipper Demerara, Woods 100, and Whaler's Dark.

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Rum Basics: what is rum?

 
Robert Burr
National Rum Examiner
Gifted Rums Guide
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