It's been awhile since I had my first taste of rum, but I still consider myself a novice to the world, especially after reading a few articles recently; it seems the varieties and their qualities can be nearly as overwhelming as those of whisky, and the history of this spirit is certainly as rich; it's one that's thrived on the blood, oceans of it, and passions of many; if you are tempted to look beyond the sumptuous, full body of a dark Island Rum, you will surely see man in all his ugly glory. Now that I've certainly depressed you, I will tell you of the lighter aspects of rum from a personal perspective, and how I'll present my findings to you.

Although the process of producing rum has been refined long ago, with distillation, filtering, and aging, it has never been a subtle spirit, as it is made from the by-products of sugarcane (molasses, sugarcane juice); this means its sweetness is undeniable, and I am sad to say overly sweet things, though I do enjoy them, can make me feel pretty sick. So, it is a challenge for me to find a rum's true character, to get beyond the its typical characteristics of sugarcane and cask; this is usually the challenge when tasting many things, but for me, this has been the most difficult. Perhaps I just need more practice; I've tried far more whiskeys and vodkas than I have rum; it's time to make things even!

So, this is the deal: when I am tasting rum, really drinking rum, I drink it straight. I mostly mention this so you know where I'm coming from on the rum review-o-meter, and because most North Americans have it mixed, therefore you might be coming from a very different perspective tastewise when enjoying the world of rum. I admit I hope to sway you from mixing your rum, by telling you of all the delectable wonders it offers. Let me know if I do, it will mean that I've done my job, and I can head on to a new level of rumdom, get a little closer to those golden island gates of rum heaven. Now that's out of the way, there's matter of categorizing these darlings; there will be several sections: Light (aka Silver or White), Gold (aka Amber), Dark (aka Black, often from English speaking islands), Premium (This will be rare, as they are damn expensive. They're aged for much longer periods than many rums and crafted with care. Please, think of me and a pretty bottle when the holidays roll around, won't you?), Overproof (I doubt I'll have much of a chance getting a hold of this one; they're WAY over 40%; I can dream, no?), and Flavored (Again, a low chance; I'm really skeptical about these, but you never know...). There are other ways of categorizing rum, ways I would find more interesting, but I felt this is what most could relate to. Another way might be to categorize it by what language the island the rum is made on speaks, which can tell one of many characteristics, but as I will always include the location and if available, the age. If you feel the need to find out more, I happily encourage you to do so. You can find an excellent, detailed article HERE. Enough with the talk! On with the rumbullion!