How is Rum made and what are its origins?

The base ingredient of rum is molasses – the residue of sugar production. The molasses is first fermented, and then distilled to produce a clear liquid that is aged in oak casks. Rum first appeared in the Caribbean in the mid-17th Century, but an exact island is unknown. The rum industry developed in conjunction with the growth of sugar plantations in the West Indies. The English were the first to adopt the drink and its popularity spread from the islands to the British colonies in North America, as well as France and Spain.

Originally, rum was called “kill-devil” by the English. The name rum was first coined at the start of the 18th Century, derived from the English word “rumbullion”, meaning “mayhem, causing trouble, fighting”. Thus the name “rum”.