Answering Rum FAQs

Over five generations and 130 years, Brugal’s Maestro Roneros (Master Rum Makers) have pushed the boundaries of our rum making process by exploring new flavors and aging techniques. We have distilled our expertise in answering some questions you might have about our rum.

What is Brugal Leyenda rum?

Brugal Leyenda is a Brugal expression only available in the Dominican Republic. It pays tribute to the legacy of our founder, who travelled across the world to unlock new opportunities and realise his full potential. Since then, each generation of Maestros Roneros has carried on this journey, and their legendary status is celebrated in this expression.

With a clean and bright appearance and a reddish amber colour, Leyenda is the result of its maturation in two types of casks: bourbon and Oloroso sherry. From the bourbon cask it obtains notes of chocolate, vanilla, nuts, roasted coffee, wood, intermixed, with a softness reminiscent of toffee. The Oloroso casks impart exceptional notes of red fruits, peaches, raisins, figs, and dates to create a smooth and balanced rum.

 

What are the different types of rum?

Rum is a hugely rich category to explore and is made in over 80 countries across the world. Each region and producer uses different methods of fermentation, distillation, blending and aging techniques creating an extremely interesting and varied liquid profile. Sugar cane is the raw ingredient for all rum, and this can be converted into either sugar cane juice, cane syrup, molasses or a combination of these. The categories of rum can overlap with each other meaning the distinctions between the different types of rum are not always clear. There are four main types of categorisation:

By colour

Many people categorise rums by color, but this isn’t always the most useful way to tell rums apart. Rums in the same color category can be very different in terms of their profile and taste.

By age

The aging process is a key part of creating the flavours, and this is at the heart of Brugal. When choosing an aged rum, it’s important to ask where it was aged, what casks were used and how long for. These can all impact the taste of your rum. At Brugal, the belief that casks are key to creating a truly exceptional rum has been passed from generation to generation of Maestros Roneros, and you can read more about that unique process in our in-depth cask aging article.

By region/style

Considering the region where rum is made can give an indication about the flavour profile of the rum. Spanish style rums made in Puerto Rico, Cuba and Dominican Republic (like Brugal) tend to create more lighter, subtle flavour profiles that are perfect to enjoy neat, or in nearly neat cocktails. English style rums from Jamaica and Barbados tend to produce a heavier spirit, while French style rums are made out of sugar cane juice and leave plenty of grassy flavours in their rum.

By production

Once you’ve sampled a range of rums you may want to look for specific ones based on how they’re made. For example, you might prefer a particular fermentation or distillation process for the unique flavor profile it creates.

 

What’s the difference between golden and dark rum?

Although they sound different there is not much to distinguish between golden and dark rum. You might think that dark rum will be aged longer than golden rum but this is not always true, and because there is not a defined categorisation, it is not the best way to choose a rum.

Instead of concentrating on colour category, consider the distillation method, types of casks, aging temperature and length. Discovering who produced it and where will provide you with a much better indication of flavor profile than color alone.

 

Types of white rum (silver rum)

White rum is clear, as the name suggests. However, this does not mean white rums haven’t been aged but simply that they might have been filtered to remove the colour. It is sometimes also referred to as silver rum. They are mild in flavour and have a lighter body than darker rums.

Not all white/silver rum tastes the same, depending on how it is distilled. White rum distilled in a column still produces a light and crisp flavour, perfect for a refreshing mojito with a mint forward taste. On the other hand, white rum distilled in a pot still will be heavier and the spirit profile will come through more strongly in your serve.

 

What is cachaça?

Cachaça is a distilled spirit made from fermented sugar cane juice that is very popular in Brazil. It is similar to rum, but also completely different. Though made from the same original raw ingredient, white rum tends to boil the cane juice into molasses to produce more sugar crystal and cachaça can only be made with sugar cane juice.

 

What is black rum?

Black rum is a term sometimes used for rums on the darkest side of the rum spectrum. It often has substantial amounts of caramel or molasses added during blending in order for it to appear older. Generally, black rums are made to be mixed as their base is usually lighter, younger rums.

 

What is navy rum?

Navy rum is generally a blend of rums from different islands. Its name is derived from the 18^th century when British Royal Navy sailors were given a rum ration once a day (known as a “tot”). The Navy bought rum produced on different islands and imported it to create a blended rum.

 

What is overproof rum?

Overproof is an antiquated term when talking about rum. There are a few different ways people have previously defined overproof rum. In the American system, “proof” is defined as twice Alcohol By Volume (ABV), and anything over 57% proof is therefore classed as “overproof”.

Similarly to how a wine menu is not organised by alcohol content, “overproof” rum doesn’t tell you much about the experience or taste of your rum. This is because any style of rum can be made overproof by increasing the ABV.

 

What is spiced rum?

Spiced rum is spirit that has spices like cinnamon or vanilla added to it in either a natural or artificial way. The base spirit for these is generally younger rums, as these are used for mixing.

 

How many carbs or calories are in rum?

Brugal 1888 (40% ABV) contains 56 calories per 25ml serving. There are no carbohydrates in Brugal.

 

Is rum gluten free?

Yes, all of our Brugal rums are gluten free.

Generally, pure distilled rums are gluten free; it is usually things added to the rum after distillation (such as spices for spiced rum) that would contain traces of gluten.