People have lost and made their fortunes from making and selling rum. George Washington was known to put some Jamaiican rum in eggnog. It was always a hit at his parties.
Rum has been distilled since about 1620 in the Caribbean, making rum one of the oldest spirits in the world. The Caribbean islands made rum famous but no two islands will have the same rum. Depends on the soil and ingredients used in the sugar cane.
In the 1700’s The Royal Navy even had a hand with rum, there was a period of time where the sailors were paid with rum. Sailors would mix it with a small amount of gun powder and light it on fire. If it caught fire that meant the rum was strong usually 57%ABV. At 11:00 everyday a bit of rum was poured for each sailor on the ship. This continued until 1970.
A single shot of rum has only about 70 calories, its the extra mixers that you put in it that makes it a higher calorie item.
Prohibition didn’t stop the rum from flowing, Rum Runners would smuggle rum in on ships by the cover of darkness into Florida and the rest of America. Kind of like how moonhine spread from the mountains into the cities.
Unlike whiskey RUM has no strict regulations for aging or flavoring. There are several types of rum Including White Rum, Dark, Spiced, and Overproof. Each one will have its own distinct flavors. Rum is usually a key ingredient in making cocktails, rum can mix with almost anything but there are also some rums that should be enjoyed Neat or on the Rocks.
Some nicknames for rum are Demon Water, Kill Devil, Nelson’s Blood, Grog, Pirate Drink, Rumbellion. When Admiral Nelson died after a battle at sea his crew stored him in a rum cask that was full of rum, Soon they drilled holes in it to get to the rum and they were also drinking blood with it. Thats where the term Nelson’s Blood came from.
Here at Sundance Distilling we have 6 different rums. They are all unique and delicious. Some are aged in oak barrels some we make just a case at a time. Come in and try them, give some for gifts this year.