Reclaiming your roots

Protecting rum’s authenticity in a globalised society

I’ll start this column by saying a big hello to you all as the new editor of Rum Magazine. I’m relatively new to the world of rum (and the wider solar system of spirits), but have learned a lot in the past year or so and am incredibly excited to be in a position to learn more from some of the best in the industry moving forward.

2020 was an odd year to start in my post; distillery visits have had to be postponed and industry events were taken off the calendar or conducted via a screen. In the face of everything, it has been heartening to see the adaptability – and the willingness to adapt – that is present throughout the spirits industry. New releases have still been coming thick and fast, with producers’ desire to innovate and experiment clearly undented.

In a year where very little has gone to plan, it feels appropriate to think a bit about the notion of rules. Since starting in this role, I have heard and read the oft-quoted misconception that rum “has no rules”.

This is, of course, far from the truth, with producers and ambassadors around the world fighting to earn protection for and defend their spirit classifications; look at the hardfought AOCs in place for some agricoleproducing countries, or the tight protections on Cuban rum.

There needs to be much greater enforcement of the rules of rum classification worldwide to protect those spirits that truly deserve the designations and distillers who work hard to toe the line. As well as offering protection, better-enforced and more widely understood boundaries for the category can offer greater flexibility as it becomes easier for producers to push them while retaining authenticity.

There has been great creativity and innovation in the Scotch whisky and Cognac categories in recent years – both are notoriously highly regulated, but it is precisely because of these iron-clad parameters that such innovation is possible. Producers know how close they can get to the line without crossing it.

Particularly when we look at its regulatory structure, rum is revealed as an incredibly diverse and often hyper-local spirit. Take Guadeloupe and Martinique, for example – neighbouring islands in the French Caribbean which have their own highly specific rum GIs (Geographical Indications).

More clearly defined classifications in the rum sector could act as a catalyst for the development of more ‘hyper-local’ spirits, particularly in emerging rum-producing markets in the Asia Pacific region, and even the UK. Rum producers in emerging regions deserve to have existing rules laid out clearly so they can find space to be inventive.

Across the world, the pandemic has forced people to return to a more ‘local’ way of life as travel restrictions were put in place. This has translated into a renewed interest in local food and drink and created a great opportunity for budding distillers to claim a corner of their local market with a spirit that really sings of where it comes from.

Haitian clairin is a great example of how this approach can yield spectacular – and internationally popular – results. With hundreds of distillers churning out this sugarcane-based spirit on small stills to support local demand, it is possible to pick up idiosyncrasies in products made mere miles from each other. There is great potential in a drink that, for some people, is a true taste of home, and for others is the distilled essence of a far-flung corner of the globe.

I hope this trend will continue. While not denigrating the ability to travel across the globe with relative ease, globalisation can cause a disconnect with your roots. Any opportunity to strengthen that connection and learn more about your homeland – including its food and drink bounty – should be welcomed.

“More clearly defined classifications in the rum sector could act as a catalyst...”