a few months to eliminate roughness in the
flavor, and diluting and bottling it at around
43% alcohol. Some light rums are given a
brief time in barrels, but then are passed over
charcoal to remove the color and some of the
flavor.
Traditional Rums Traditional rums are made
very differently, and have a much stronger
flavor and darker color. Most come from
Jamaica and the French-speaking Caribbean
(Martinique, Guadeloupe). They were once
fermented for up to two weeks with a
spontaneous group of microbes, and often by
adding the already strong-flavored lees of one
fermentation to the next vat. Today, most
traditional rums are fermented for a day or
two with mixed microbial cultures dominated
by an unusual yeast (Schizosaccharomyces)
that excels in ester production. They’re then
pot-distilled to a much lower alcohol content,
and therefore end up with four to five times