White rum-the next tequila?
Decanter|September 2023
It's long been regarded in some quarters as an uninteresting, even low-quality mixer spirit. But could white rum finally now capture the attention of flavour-loving white spirits drinkers? 
ALICIA MILLER
White rum-the next tequila?

Grassy and citrussy. Clean and fresh. Floral and fruity. They're words you might associate with a characterful blanco tequila, the white spirit made with blue agave. But they're also qualities often found in white rum - a category long underappreciated by spirits connoisseurs due to widespread preconceptions about its quality and profile.

'Rum is the most diverse spirit category there is,' says Lewis Hayes (pictured, p114), owner of Black Parrot, a London specialist rum bar listing more than 700 bottles. Yet inevitably in the UK, if someone is asking for a white rum, they have one expectation: a light alcohol that may as well be vodka in terms of flavour. It's often just something to mix with cola.

Yet despite white rum's uninspiring image, premiumisation is slowly underway. Thanks to new producers focused on flavour and transparency, increased availability of global bottlings and wider consumer interest in traceability, there is more to draw white spirits lovers to the category than ever before. As the prices of coveted blanco tequilas soar, could quality white rum provide an affordable yet interesting alternative?

CONJURING UP COMPLEXITY

This story is from the September 2023 edition of Decanter.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the September 2023 edition of Decanter.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM DECANTERView All
A Resource for the World? - Argentina is unique in the genetic diversity preserved in much of its vine material. With climate change and disease posing increasing threats worldwide, Catena Zapata winery is asking what lessons can be learned to protect vineyards within and beyond the nation's borders
Decanter

A Resource for the World? - Argentina is unique in the genetic diversity preserved in much of its vine material. With climate change and disease posing increasing threats worldwide, Catena Zapata winery is asking what lessons can be learned to protect vineyards within and beyond the nation's borders

Argentina is unique in the genetic diversity preserved in much of its vine material. With climate change and disease posing increasing threats worldwide, Catena Zapata winery is asking what lessons can be learned to protect vineyards within and beyond the nation’s borders

time-read
8 mins  |
September 2024
Great Cabernets of South America
Decanter

Great Cabernets of South America

Other varieties may hog the limelight across South America, but the world’s most popular grape for red wines has played a critical role in the continent's wine heritage. We trace Cabernet Sauvignon’s story here, and recommend 16 benchmark wines to try

time-read
7 mins  |
September 2024
PROVENCE by train and bike
Decanter

PROVENCE by train and bike

With rail links to Paris, Nice, Marseilles and beyond, a vast network of cycle paths and quiet roads, and a plethora of historic wine estates, Provence is an ideal destination for an eco-friendly, car-free and carefree) holiday

time-read
6 mins  |
September 2024
IN THE MIX
Decanter

IN THE MIX

These days most of the world’s vineyards are planted to just a single variety, but what happens when multiple varieties are planted, harvested and blended together?

time-read
3 mins  |
September 2024
Malvasia A BUYER'S GUIDE
Decanter

Malvasia A BUYER'S GUIDE

If ever a grape was hard to pin down, it'd be Malvasia. Indeed it’s not even a single grape variety. In all of its many varied, and often completely unrelated guises, it has been the mainstay of popular wine styles across the centuries. Our expert takes a closer look...

time-read
9 mins  |
September 2024
RIBERA ADOPTS THE NEW OLD WAYS
Decanter

RIBERA ADOPTS THE NEW OLD WAYS

It’s not so much a new direction for winemakers in Ribera del Duero, but a growing recognition that traditional methods and wine styles set aside by the previous generation can now provide a way ahead to revitalise the region

time-read
8 mins  |
September 2024
Roussanne around the world
Decanter

Roussanne around the world

Up for a challenge? For winemakers as much as wine drinkers, getting a handle on a mercurial grape such as Roussanne isn't easy. But wherever it's grown, when the balance is right, it truly repays the effort

time-read
10+ mins  |
September 2024
Napa Cabernet 2021
Decanter

Napa Cabernet 2021

There's a lot of excitement about this vintage, in which conditions were relatively calm and temperatures stable through summer. Ongoing drought reduced yields but intensified flavours, but it means quantities are down and you may need to act fast to secure top wines. Our Napa correspondent selects 60 great wines from more than 500 that he tasted, with many very high scores

time-read
4 mins  |
September 2024
10 reason to discover Uruguay
Decanter

10 reason to discover Uruguay

Squeezed between Brazil and Argentina on the Atlantic coast, Uruguay has mostly flown under the tourist radar - until now. Once dubbed 'the Switzerland of the Americas', it's a welcoming country that has much to offer the travelling wine lover

time-read
5 mins  |
September 2024
Leo Erazo
Decanter

Leo Erazo

The old vines and special terroir of Itata, southern Chile, have beena source of inspiration for this intrepid winemaker. The 2023 fires were a setback, but his commitment to this ancient wine land is undiminished

time-read
8 mins  |
September 2024