Rum

Sugarcane, the Atlantic world and the stills of the Caribbean

Rum is distilled from sugarcane — from molasses, the by-product of sugar making, or from fresh cane juice. Its history cannot be separated from the sugar plantations of the Atlantic world and the enslaved Africans whose forced labour produced the sugar, the molasses and the spirit. This atlas tells that history plainly, alongside maritime trade, local cultures, emancipation and independence, and the producers and protected designations of today.

Rhum agricole, cachaça and the many Caribbean traditions are described with their own rules and histories.

The history

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HistoryA history of rumRum was made from the by-products of sugar on Caribbean plantations worked by enslaved Africans. From the first records in Barbados in the 1640s to the protected names of today, its story runs through the Atlantic slave trade, colonial tax law, the Royal Navy, emancipation and the rise of new styles.Read the history →

Styles & categories

Regions

Makers & institutions

Ingredients & botanicals

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The world map

All markers on the map (23)

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