Rum is one of the most popular spirits in the world and is seldom mentioned without referencing the Caribbean. Made from sugarcane or molasses, and captures some of the purest elements of what it means to be from the Caribbean; old traditions, strong flavours, and a global impact despite our size and population.

Today (August 16) is National Rum Day and Our Today is here to share 5 interesting facts about rum.

The world’s largest rum brand is not in the Caribbean

Tanduay Rum is a brand of rum that originates from the Philippines. It is one of the oldest and most well-known rum brands in the country, with a history dating back to the 1800s.

The rum is made from sugarcane and is known for its smooth and distinct flavor profile. It comes in various expressions similar to Caribbean rums, including white rum, gold rum, dark rum, and premium aged rums.

In 2022, it sold 27.5 million 9-litre cases of rum worldwide, Appleton for comparison sold 1.1 million 9-litres cases.

Bumbo and Bumbu, more than a word and a drink

One of the oldest mixes across the region was made using rum, water, sugar and nutmeg and it was called Bumbo and was particularly popular among the colonies, even George Washington was among the politicians who would give the drink as a gift to sway voters.

The most popular Jamaican rum is not made in Jamaica

Contrary to popular opinion, the most popular rum from Jamaica is not Appleton, Worthy Park, or J.Wray and Nephew, in 2022, among English rums, the most popular brand is actually Captain Morgan Jamaica Rum which outsold Appleton by over 12 times. Captain Morgan has a bit of a confusing history.

So Captain Morgan Rum indeed started in Jamaica back in 1943 in Trelawny but was started by Canadian-owned alcohol company Seagrams Company Ltd who eventually sold the distillery to both J. Wray and Nephew and Diageo Plc. The J. Wray and Nephew version is produced solely in Jamaica and the Diageo Plc version, which is made differently and sells millions of cases globally each year is produced in the US Virgin Islands.

The strongest commercial rum available is from St. Vincent

Sunset rum is popularly known as the strongest commercially available rum on the planet and native to the gem of the Caribbean, St. Vincent. With a striking 84.5 per cent ABV, almost 20 per cent higher than J. Wray and Nephew’s 63 per cent ABV. Sunset is one of the few rums still made from sugarcane juice.

Worthy Park Estate was making rum before Appleton Estate

Although Appleton although popularly known as Jamaica’s oldest rum distillery is a misnomer, in actuality, it is Jamaica’s oldest distillery that has been in continuous operation. Worthy Park Estate began producing rum from its sugar plantations almost a decade prior to Appleton Estate but has not been in continuous operation and was forced to cease production in 1962 until it was reopened in 2005.