From the Editor: Rum, The Noble Spirit

by

Rum, The Noble Spirit

Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines Nobility as:

“Noun: the quality or state of being noble in character or quality.”

Some of its synonyms are: virtue, goodness, honor, decency, integrity; magnanimity, generosity and selflessness.

Rum has often been referred to as “The Noble Spirit.” It is unclear who coined the term, but it has been around for centuries. But why is it, a noble spirit? Are there other distillates that can also be considered noble?

It is my view that only spirits distilled from fruits and plants with high natural levels of sucrose (like sugarcane) can be considered “Noble,” since their sugars are readily fermentable. Grain, potato and agave spirits, for example, must undergo a starch conversion process before there are simple sugars that can be fermented by yeast.

Making rum, represents a continuous fight against natural fermentation, which wants to start the moment the cane is harvested. It is this propensity to naturally ferment and transform its sugars into alcohol that make any spirits produced from sugarcane “noble”. But can this type of “nobility” be strong enough to overcome other, less complimentary aspects of its existence? There are,for example, environmental, health (alcoholism) and labor aspects (slavery in the past, child labor in the present) that don’t necessarily represent sugarcane agriculture and rum production in the most favorable manner.

But amidst all these obstacles to nobility, there are shining lights of hope,veritable examples of how, after all, rum can be a noble spirit. I am talking about those few companies that treat the craft with virtuosity, that treat their competitors with honor, that present their rums to consumers with integrity and that recognize the importance of sustainability and thus they treat nature with decency and generosity.

So next time you reach out for a rum, ask yourself if the company behind it has bottled a noble spirit or if it is acting simply as a merchant looking to turn a profit without asking questions.

Cheers,

Luis Ayala, Editor and Publisher