Light rum is sometimes called white or silver rum. This is the most common type of rum and is a very subtle liquor, similar to vodka with a sweet tooth. These rums are usually aged in stainless steel tanks for up to a year and filtered before bottling. This process gives light rums their clean, light taste. These are the most popular rums for cocktails like Cuba Libre and are among the most affordable rums on the market. Bacardi Cocktail – 4.5 centiliters of white Bacardi rum. However, Bacardi remains the Cuban white rum par excellence, designed and developed in Santiago de Cuba, where Don Facundo Bacardi, originally from Spain, decided to create the distillery of the same name. In 1862, experiments began in Cuba that lasted ten years to create a Cuban white rum with a distinctive taste: in addition to filtration to obtain an aged white rum, in Cuba there is a strain of selected yeasts (Levadura Bacardi), perfect to create the typical aroma of its rum, and a two-stage distillation to produce a rum blend. With this series of innovations introduced in the late 800th century, Bacardi rum became the leader of what is known around the world as Cuban white rum. Then there`s a white rum cocktail that, although local, finds its way into the most prestigious bars.
These are usually cocktails made from white rum with a high alcohol content, which are combined with a few simple elements to consume more easily throughout the day. This is the case of the now famous white rum to be defined, the distillate must necessarily go through a maturation period that must not change color, as in the case of white rums aged in stainless steel tanks, nor make it darker when maturation takes place in wooden barrels. In the latter case, it will be necessary to filter the rum to bring it back to the state of white rum. Usually, the white rum type is mistakenly considered a category of smaller rums because they are less aromatic due to their poor aging, but there are distillates that dispel this stereotype, such as some white rums of controlled designation of origin (AOC) from Martinique, which have been aged in stainless steel for a long time, or rum that is aged in wooden barrels and then filtered. such as Bacardi White Paper or Rum Planas Diplomat, which has a maturation in wooden barrels even six years. In the general imagination, white rum is still associated with the world of cocktails, many of which were made with young white rums, ideal to accompany ice cream, juices, syrups and sugar. Martinique`s agricultural white rum has redefined the concept of white rum in the environment. In this case, it is a rum made from sugarcane juice and not molasses (which is a by-product of sugar processing) and therefore a distillate that already has properties superior to the origin.
When distilling Martinique`s agricultural white rum, which is subject to the AOC (French Appellation d`Origine Contrôlée) specification, the sugar cane selected must come from a demarcated area of only 23 communes and their yield per hectare is also limited. Other limits apply to the amount of irrigation, herbicide use and harvest time. You know this from a mojito, swizzles or most drinks served with an umbrella. White rums – also known as light or silver rums – have the lightest flavor and are usually aged for three to six months in tropical climates or up to a year in colder climates. Unlike other rums, white varieties are distilled in stainless steel barrels, so they tend to provide the simplest rum experience. (Check out our picks for the best white rum made in America.) If we ask for a white rum for cocktails, the answer can only be Bacardi Carta Bianca. It is the most famous white rum in the world, precisely because many cocktails have been made from it, including the Mojito, il Daiquiri and the one that bears the name of the distillery, namely the Bacardi cocktail. When Don Facundo Bacarsi decided to revolutionize the world of rum and create a distillate that could be different from those on the market, he decided that rum had to be a different color from amber that distinguishes other rums, so it had to be a white, transparent rum. Many commercially produced flavored rums use artificial, natural ingredients to add the desired flavor to a white rum base. In rare cases, a natural infusion of fruits or herbs is used.
Just like vodka, it`s very easy to make your own infused rum. On the other hand, in order to make the rum lighter and less aggressive, it was necessary to age it in oak barrels for at least a year and thus restore it to its original color. To this end, he is experimenting with filtration with charcoal obtained from the combination of tropical wood and coconut shells. Even today, this filtration is one of the secrets that have made this light rum of Cuban origin the best-selling white rum in the world and especially for those who come from the world of cocktails and mixology, Bacardi White is still an inseparable companion. Dividing rum into significant groups is complicated because there is no uniform standard for what constitutes rum. Instead, rum is defined by the different rules and laws of the nations that produce the spirit. Differences in definitions include issues such as strength of mind, minimum aging, and even naming standards. With regard to fresh sugar cane juice from which Martinique`s white agricultural rum is obtained, the processing of sugar cane is regulated, which can only be crushed or pressed without the addition of molasses or sugar cane syrup. Other rules concern fermentation methods, distillation, type of distillation column and alcoholic strength. In this case, it is a „certified“ agricultural white rum, from which it is possible to follow the entire production process, carried out exclusively on the island to be defined as „white agricultural rum of Martinique“, from the cultivation of sugar cane to the aging of the distillate. White rum, which was once just a synonym for Bacardi white rum, is very lucky on the market and there are a variety of white rums with different prices.
They range from white rums from the Cuban school at an affordable price, to those from the Venezuelan school like the slightly more expensive diplomat, to agricultural white rums, which often have much higher prices. To determine the price we are willing to spend on the white rum we will buy, the use we will make of it is crucial. What is the difference between light and dark rum? Light, silver or white rum ripens less quickly than other varieties. Right after distilling this spirit, it`s already clear. To turn it into rum that can be sold, producers usually simply filter the liquor until it`s free of contaminants and ready for a cocktail.